Gary Rubinstein is a former member of Teach for America, and he is now one of its toughest critics. He is also its best friend, but TFA doesn’t know it. His criticism is always fair and insightful, never angry or mean spirited. If TFA would listen to him, it could reclaim its original mission and goals.
Because it does not listen, it does not learn. Instead, it cements its image as a narcissistic, elitist, arrogant organization that recruits bright young people and sends them ill-prepared into some very tough schools.
In this post, Gary explores how TFA cultivates condescending attitudes towards students, parents, and communities while indoctrinating its trainees to believe that failure in school or in society is the fault of bad, uncaring teachers. Implicit in this attitude is the belief that caring–a TFA specialty–will be enough to overcome all obstacles. Implicit too is the belief that the youngsters in TFA are infinitely smarter than those failed veteran teachers.
Twenty years of this posturing by the organization can create a bad reputation, especially among veteran teachers, whose help the TFA kids need.
TFA would be wise to listen to Gary. He gives them good advice.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I think Rubinstein wrote a thoughtful post that raises some interesting questions, but I’m unsure what advice he is giving TFA. Do they need better diversity training? More connection with long-time teachers? Making clear that caring is not enough? What changes do you think TFA could make to get back to it’s original mission, as you write?
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The leadership training mentioned in his examples sounds more like the stuff I learned at church youth group growing up, than it does sound understandings of working with people on academic learning. It’s nice in theory, but as my father wisely told me when I started college, “performance in your studies and mastery of material is important.”
I think passing Praxis tests shows mastery of material. Youth group lessons can only take you so far. Like in music–talking about how the music makes you feel is nice and all, but if you don’t know your key signatures you have not mastered music.
Demonstrated mastery of material, as related to content and practice is a must.
Again, how did TFA get around that initially?
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Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Texas Education.
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Paxis tests are so easy that most CMs do not even bother to study for them. If those are your vision for content mastery, that’s a pretty low bar.
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I think it is important to realize that while many, perhaps most, TFA recruits drink the entire tumbler of Kopp Kool-Ade, some do not. I have worked with both types as a math coach and related capacities. The former are… difficult. But some of the latter stay in the profession and learn to teach math without the TFA scales on their eyes.
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Be sure to scroll down to the Comments and read Lida Mery’s description of her experiences with TFA training this year. It sounds like a lot of indoctrination and cheer-leading type activities, with very little actual Teacher Education. It reminds me of team building PDs I’ve attended for teachers, not actual teacher preparation –and I have been involved in a considerable amount of Teacher Education at many different P-12 schools and colleges over the decades.
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Attempting to find my own clarity concerning the state of affairs of public education, I am a daily reader of the many blogs and news items involving teaching and learning.
As a retired math teacher and grandfather to 14, I find many, many critics including this post. So many, too many are ready to tell others what to do. The saying is true. Just do it!! This is why I am working on the concept for the Russian School of Mathematics. Let the bureaucrats and politicians argue till the cows come home!
Dick Velner – Parent and Curriculum Principal
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Dick–do you mean as a charter?
You are pointing out that if you have an idea and the avenue is open for you to pursue it, then why not? I can respect that.
I think most people on this blog are trying to figure out how the reform movement impacts a public institution that most feel is necessary, more than being critical for critical’s sake. When evaluating the relationship between a public entity and private interests, considering the strengths and weaknesses of new and often opposing ideas is important.
I don’t view this blog as a critical whine session at all. I learn a great deal from the points brought up by many, even if there is emotion behind some of them.
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No, Joanna not necessarily a charter. Sorry, I consider most posts on this blog to be whine sessions. Instead of complaining, “Just do it”.
At the age of 50 I became licensed to teach, to find mathematics is still positioned the same way I learned it in the 50’s. It has retained its’ love, hate relationship with students.
I intend to change that even if I die trying!
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Quit whining yourself. I can’t imagine how your holier than thou attitude could possibly ameliorate anyone’s Math phobia. You are very likely to “die trying,” too, since you think you are teaching math when you are teaching children –but you consider the “education of children”; violins and flowers!” and “overspent.” For the sake of the children that I have sincerely devoted my life to for over four decades, I hope you leave your self-righteousness and enmity at the schoolhouse door.
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Dick-
I would agree that many of the posts on this site come off as whining. But I think that’s because Diane’s contribution, as a historian, is passing insight along to us and sounding the bell about destructive practices and policies so that we are aware of them and can become engaged in the political discourse that is necessary to stem some of these dangerous “reforms”.
I do, however, take strong issue with your logic. The fact that there are a lot of teachers who comment on this blog who are commiserating about their experiences and “whining” to each other should not lead one to the conclusion that they are not also “doing it.” I spend under 5 minutes a day reading this blog, maybe a little more if I find something of particular interest. What am I doing the other 955 waking hours? Mostly, I am “doing it.”
The fact that I am a responsible, innovative, hard-working, dedicated professional science teacher is MORE, not less of a reason for me to be upset with the destruction of public education. The lazy half-assed teachers I know are much less upset by (or even aware of) these destructive “reform” trends than the true professionals.
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Maybe when you are doing something rather inconsequential, like trying a new recipe, “just do it” is fine, but I think that Asiana airline captain was permitted to “just do it” without enough experience piloting a 777 and many people’s lives were put at risk.
There is a lot to be said for adequate preparation and not letting novices “just do it” any way they want when there are high-stakes, like the education of children.
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Cooking or recipe preparation is not inconsequential, you can die from your own cooking! Most teachers are adequately prepared. If not who is to be the judge?
“Education of children”; violins and flowers! That phrase is way over-spent.
Let teachers survive in the market place with all their education, all their credential, all their licenses, etc. Vouchers will be the deciding factor as to who goes and who stays.
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Five weeks of training does not adequately prepare TFAers to become teachers, which is what posts on this page are about.
We know that profits are what matter to people who promote the “free market” in education. Enough said.
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I don’t get it! All I hear are comments about the lack of “real teachers”, “…a teacher who has a real, honest-to-God degree in education”, “…five weeks of training does not adequately prepare TFAers to become teachers” (how long should it take?). “…not letting novices “just do it” – I had no training nor credential nor license to be a parent but I did it.
Somehow, Veteran Teachers seem to have a holier-than-thou attitude.
Spare the rhetoric; complaining is easy, pointing fingers is easy. Therefore, just do it!
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Teaching a class of 25+ unrelated children is very different from parenting your own children, although a lot of parents would readily admit that they could benefit from some kind of parent training as well, including an understanding of child development. Not likely to hear any admission of that from know it alls like you though.
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I think that no one describes the dilemma better than the insightful new Teach for America recruit, Lida Mery, after 4 weeks of TFA training, which she describes as “propaganda” and a “cult-like atmosphere,” when she wrote,
“In my hometown in FL, many teachers are being laid off. This is where TFA comes in…many teachers are being laid off yet Miami Dade county is hiring inexperienced college grads through their TFA contract. It is wrong, I admit but I went ahead and subscribed to the unfair and unethical system.”
and
“Ethically, I also cannot bear to know that traditionally trained, veteran teachers are out of jobs in my hometown and people like myself (with no training or experience in education) are next in line for their jobs.”
When career educators are losing their jobs to people “with no training or experience in education,” they have good reason to whine.
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This issue has become pandemic across America, where thousands of career educators have been losing their jobs, due to cost cutting measures, and then they are replaced by much younger TFAers with five weeks training and no experience just because they are cheaper labor.
You can look the other way, condone it and complain about educators who are venting their frustrations today, but tomorrow it may very well be your own job they take.
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Dick–
at the risk of beating a dead horse here, or a dead dog post, I wanted to say that I used to come away with that impression from some bloggers on this post (whining)–but I realized that many states have been hit in pretty hard ways with “reforming.” While I certainly do not question that one person can have the zeal to change a life, or that people not trained as teachers can be remarkable teachers (many of my Sunday School teachers were excellent growing up, and were not teachers), I think public school teachers, when choosing that career path, view it as committing to a life and a larger cause—much the same way medical doctors value their Hippocratic oath, or pastors of churches value Christ-centered endeavors, or Rabbis value the message of Torah and the celebration of God’s people in Community, or an acupuncturist values the strengths of Chinese medicine. It isn’t about how someone can touch a life in and of itself—it is about being part of a system that helps define democracy. Obviously it is laden with problems—it always has been. But most who have given their blood, sweat and tears for maintaining the promise of a free and appropriate education for any and all in the least restrictive environment, plus all the other personal attributes and strengths a teacher will bring in as an individual to teaching for NO ONE’S FINANCIAL GAIN (really, I mean yes a pension is nice but most teachers are not motivated by pensions and if they are then shame on them and hopefully they gave a lot of themselves despite selfish intent)–anyway, they (we) see a wave of deception that while containing nice promises of choice and elevating those society has seemingly given up on before they ever even got a start, is mostly meant to redirect a large pool of funding into private purses. This does not rest well with those who have taken on this life, and it shouldn’t.
So there you go. I think some whining is allowed when a life cause is picked at and picked apart. It is unsettling for the community of public school teachers to watch institutions that represent far more than one can see at face value attacked in a country where they ostensibly are valued.
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Joanna Best: thank you for a thoughtful posting.
When people are literally having their reputations, lives and dreams torn apart by the education establishment, calling their expressed pain “whining” is to trivialize their experiences and dismiss them as worthless.
I do not agree with all of your opinions on this blog, but keep posting. I read every one of your comments.
Thank you.
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KrazyTA: you are welcome; will do.
I am learning as I go along. It is such a lot to process, particularly with every state being so different.
And I have a lot of pro-market people in my life, so no venue for discussing these issues, really, but on this blog.
As with any pursuit, I reserve the right to evolve and change, searching for the truth.
I appreciate your comments as well.
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To KTA…
Re “When people are literally having their reputations, lives and dreams torn apart by the education establishment, calling their expressed pain “whining” is to trivialize their experiences and dismiss them as worthless.”
As always your comments are
Correct.
Empathetic.
and reality based.
Thank you for addressing those who seek to marginalize and thus silence discussion and distention with name calling.
PS: If I may..I would add..when teachers are seeing students crushed, abused and wasted under the “reform agenda” and then expressing how we feel about it, don’t you dare call it “whining”.
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Ang: perhaps we should invite Joanna Best to join us and Linda and Socrates down at the Pink Slip Bar & Tavern to savor a few of Edushyster’s fine wines. Although lately Socrates has been more full of questions than usual. I know I’m getting a little fed-up with his usual “Is the tenured life worth living?” And then there’s that constant harping on whether Student Learning Outcomes and Student Growth Percentiles are all about the Holy Edumetrics or a creation of men who claim to be—or aspire to be— gods.
But after a few drinks, hey, he’s a regular Bacchus and not half as boring as that guy who sits in the corner every night and keeps repeating “I’ll VAM ‘em comin and I’ll VAM ‘em goin’, or my name isn’t Paul.” Something called an EduCEO or something like that… You can recognize him by the Duncan Cap he always proudly sports…
“The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” [Mark Twain]
Rheeally!
🙂
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KTA,
I’m in. It sounds like my kind of party.
Thanks, as always, for the laugh.
And PS..dissension not distension or whatever I typed in earlier post…my bad.
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Hey Dick,
My public school is hiring for math teachers…
Of course our students are low SES, move in and out of the district frequently and have very little parental support regarding education (NOT blaming the parents here!) and they are mostly ESL. Also, as a result of the lack of health care, many have unaddressed health issues (diabetes, poor vision, rotten teeth, etc) so they miss A LOT of days
Oh no, did I whine?
Anyway, if your test scores are not good enough you will get canned, and your classes will be huge, many kids work all night so not too much home work happens…did I mention many will be absent a great many days?
Oops, I did it again…(for you Joanna)
But hey just do it, right.
So, come on down and show us how!
Attach your email and I will send you the link to apply!
Cannot wait to see you in action!
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Whining is music.
Just whine in the right key, OK?
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Also, did you and KRA really get pink slips?
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I would not consider passing a praxis or another test for teacher competency a good enough proxy for mastery. To continue with the music analogy, it is like taking a nationalized test on music theory/composition. Passing it does not mean you can play the violin or any and all of the string instruments masterfully let alone pass on the love of learning how to play a musical instrument that a master teacher passes on their pupils. I mean no offense to your post but any time I hear of exams being held up as being anything but a benchmark of sorts, I cringe. Tests can be crammed for and but the ability to teach, except for that ‘rare gifted few’ as in Rubinstein’s blog, really requires hours and hours of doing and refining, reflecting and doggedness until one can claim mastery.
Now if someone can’t pass the praxis or other type test, then maybe a reconsidering of potential for future mastery should be contemplated.
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fair enough. A balance, though, is really what I am getting at. not just leadership fluff, but a balance.
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I just found this really great on-line “Point/Counterpoint” regarding
TFA teachers and their students—the POINT coming from a 2012
TFA Corps Member, and the COUNTERPOINT from one of her students.
It’s from about a year ago, July 17, 2012.
It provides some interesting food for thought:
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Point/Counterpoint • education • Opinion • Jul 17, 2012
“POINT:
“My Year Volunteering As A Teacher
Helped Educate A New Generation Of
Underprivileged Kids”
“By Megan Richmond,
2012 TFA CM:
“When I graduated college last year, I was certain I wanted to make a real difference in the world. After 17 years of education, I felt an obligation to share my knowledge and skills with those who needed it most.
“After this past year, I believe I did just that. Working as a volunteer teacher helped me reach out to a new generation of underprivileged children in dire need of real guidance and care. Most of these kids had been abandoned by the system and, in some cases, even by their families, making me the only person who could really lead them through the turmoil.
“Was it always easy? Of course not. But with my spirit and determination, we were all able to move forward.
“Those first few months were the most difficult of my life. Still, I pushed through each day knowing that these kids really needed the knowledge and life experience I had to offer them. In the end, it changed all of our lives.
“In some ways, it’s almost like I was more than just a teacher to those children. I was a real mentor who was able to connect with them and fully understand their backgrounds and help them become the leaders of tomorrow.
“Ultimately, I suppose I can never know exactly how much of an impact I had on my students, but I do know that for me it was a fundamentally eye-opening experience and one I will never forget.
—————————————————————————————————
COUNTERPOINT:
“Can We Please, Just Once, Have A Real Teacher?”
“By Brandon Mendez,
James Miller Elementary School Student”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How does this keep happening? I realize that as a fourth-grader I probably don’t have the best handle on the financial situation of my school district, but dealing with a new fresh-faced college graduate who doesn’t know what he or she is doing year after year is growing just a little bit tiresome. Seriously, can we get an actual teacher in here sometime in the next decade, please? That would be terrific.
“Just once, it would be nice to walk into a classroom and see a teacher who has a real, honest-to-God degree in education and not a twentysomething English graduate trying to bolster a middling GPA and a sparse law school application. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a qualified educator who has experience standing up in front of a classroom and isn’t desperately trying to prove to herself that she’s a good person.
“I’m not some sort of stepping stone to a larger career, okay? I’m an actual child with a single working mother, and I need to be educated by someone who actually wants to be a teacher, actually comprehends the mechanics of teaching, and won’t get completely eaten alive by a classroom full of 10-year-olds within the first two months on the job.
“How about a person who can actually teach me math for a change? Boy, wouldn’t that be a novel concept!
“I fully understand that our nation is currently facing an extreme shortage of teachers and that we all have to make do with what we can get. But does that really mean we have to be stuck with some privileged college grad who completed a five-week training program and now wants to document every single moment of her life-changing year on a Tumblr?
“For crying out loud, we’re not adopted puppies you can show off to your friends.
“Look, we all get it. Underprivileged children occasionally say some really sad things that open your eyes and make you feel as though you’ve grown as a person, but this is my actual education we’re talking about here. Graduating high school is the only way for me to get out of the malignant cycle of poverty endemic to my neighborhood and to many other impoverished neighborhoods throughout the United States. I can’t afford to spend these vital few years of my cognitive development becoming a small thread in someone’s inspirational narrative.
“But hey, how much can I really know, anyway? I haven’t had an actual teacher in three years.”
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While it is very funny (and in my opinion, on point), it’s important to note that the piece is from The Onion.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/my-year-volunteering-as-a-teacher-helped-educate-a,28803/
Take a look at Chicago student & poet Rachel Smith’s poem “Hallelujah the Saviors are here”. http://www.wbez.org/story/hallelujah-saviors-are-here-97183
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I was going to come clean later in the day.
I once took a girlfriend on a date to
“SPINAL TAP” without telling her it was
a faux documentary; she had no prior
knowledge of this fact, either.
The illusion was so effective that when
we walked out, she said, “Wow, those guys
sure were stupid.”
I then let her in on the joke, and she
at first refused to believe me, “Noooo,
that was real… Wasn’t it?”
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You sound like a great date, Jack.
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The Onion piece is wonderful! Thanks for sharing it!
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And Hallelujah the saviors are here is also AWESOME. Thanks, Philly Teacher Man!
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Just want to be sure everyone knows the Point/Counterpoint above comes from the satirical online news source, “The Onion”
http://www.theonion.com/articles/my-year-volunteering-as-a-teacher-helped-educate-a,28803/
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Yes, it’s part of their “Investigative Satire” (to use Paul Krassner’s term) series on so-called education reform.
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Diane-
At the NEA Representative Assembly in Atlanta last week one of the BTA teachers spoke and referred to TFA as Teach For Awhile. Let’s all start using that when referring to this organization because it more accurately describes them.
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Teacher for Awhile! LOL!!!
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The tide is turning on TFA and Teach for Awhilers are participating in the revolt: See: Teach For America’s Civil War http://prospect.org/article/teach-americas-civil-war
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