Daniel Katz teaches secondary education at Seton Hall University in Néw Jersey. In this post, he warns his students not to join Teach for America and explains why.

He writes:

If you are tempted to join TFA, DON’T DO IT.

“I don’t come to this advice lightly, and while I respect that my students might be excited to join an organization that says it is dedicated to getting young and talented people into classrooms with our most needy students, there is literally nothing positive that Teach For America offers my students that they cannot do for themselves. And what they package with those positives is entirely negative for our profession. There are a number of truths about TFA that my students should consider before seeking an application….”

“First, Teach For America needs my students far more than they need TFA.” My students, he says, are fully licensed and certified. They don’t need TFA. It needs them.

“Second, Teach For America will challenge my students’ beliefs about quality education….but not in a good way.” They may find themselves in a charter school that is non-union and believes in a behaviorist approach to teaching.

“Third, Teach For America denigrates our profession, ultimately harming children in the process.” The claim that great teachers can be forged in five weeks of training makes a mockery of the profession.

He concludes:

“It is past time for young people to stop lining up to “Teach For America,” and there is no reason that my students – who have earned the title of professional teacher through years of hard work – should ever join them. I work with amazing and talented young people, many of whom are passionate about working with our schools’ most at risk children. They can do that brilliantly, and more effectively, without Teach For America.”