I Quit Teach for America

8/13/2019 I Quit Teach for America

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I Quit Teach for America

Five weeks of training was not enough to prepare me for a room of 20 unruly elementary-schoolers.OLIVIA BLANCHARDSEP 23 2013, 7:03 AM ET

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Teach for America Delta Institute !ulia Sweeney "#$A% %hoto

I am sitting in a comfortable gold folding chair inside one of the many ballrooms at the Georgia International

Convention Center. The atmosphere is festive, with a three-course dinner being served and children playing a

big-band number. The kids are students at a KI academy in !tlanta, and they are serenading future teachers

on the first night of a four-day-long series of workshops that will introduce us to the complicated language,

rituals, and doctrines we will need to adopt as Teach for !merica "Corps #embers."

The phrase closing the achievement gapis the cornerstone of TFA&s general philosophy pu'lic-relations

messaging an( training sessions. As a mem'er of the 20)) corps I was tol( imme(iately an( often that )* the

achievement gap is a pervasive e+ample of ine,uality in America an( 2* it is our personal responsi'ility to close

the achievement gap within our classrooms which are microcosms of America&s e(ucational ine,uality.

These are lau(a'le goals. Accor(ing to the ational enter for /(ucation Statistics white fourth-

gra(ersperforme( 'etterthan their 'lack peers on 200 stan(ar(i1e( mathematics e+ams in all 3 states where
http://www.theatlantic.com/olivia-blanchard/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2011459.aspxhttp://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2011459.aspxhttp://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2011459.aspxhttp://www.theatlantic.com/olivia-blanchard/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/studies/2011459.aspx


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results were availa'le. In 200 there was a 24-point gap in mathematics scale scores 'etween white an( 'lack 5-

year-ol(s with the gap growing to 23 points for )4-year-ol(s.

6ut 'etween these two messages lies the unspoken logic that current non-TFA teachers an( schools are failing at

the task of closing the achievement gap through some com'ination of apathy or incompetence. Although TFA

seminars an( presentations never e+plicitly accuse e(ucators of either the implication is strong within the

program&s very structure7 recruit high-achieving college stu(ents train them over the summer an( sen( them into

America&s lowest-performing schools to make things right. The su'te+t is clear7 #nly you can fi+ what others have

screwe( up. It was an implication I notice( when an e-mail I receive( (uring Institute the five-week training

program referring to 8a system of stu(ents who have simply not 'een taught.9 The e-mail e+plaine( 8That:s really

what the achievement gap is;for all of the e+ternal factors that may or may not a(( challenges to our stu(ents:

lives;mostly it is that they really an( truly have not 'een taught an( are therefore years 'ehin( where they nee( to

'e.9

I later aske( a TFA spokesperson if this e-mail reflects the organi1ation:s official views on tra(itionally traine(

teachers. "e (enie( that TFA 'elieves 8the shortcomings of pu'lic e(ucation9 to 'e 8the fault of teachers. If

anything9 he a((e( 8teachers are victims of more-structural pro'lems7 ine,uita'le fun(ing< ina(e,uate systems

of training an( supporting teachers< the a'sence of strong school an( (istrict lea(ership.9 onetheless at the time

the (ramatic in(ictment of America:s non-TFA teachers woul( stay with me as I hea(e( into the scan(al-ri((en

Atlanta %u'lic Schools system.

In the weeks 'etween accepting the offer to =oin TFA an( the start of our training I was tol( 'y e-mail that 8as a

20)) corps mem'er an( lea(er you have a (eep personal an( collective responsi'ility to groun( everything you (o

in your 'elief that the e(ucational ine,uality that persists along socioeconomic an( racial lines is 'oth our nation:s

most fun(amental in=ustice an( a solva'le pro'lem. This min(set9 I was remin(e( 8is at the core of our Teach For

America;>etro Atlanta ommunity.9

At the time I appreciate( TFA:s apparent confi(ence in me as a lea(er. I assume( that I woul( learn the concrete

steps I nee(e( to achieve this transformation (uring the training program. Instea( I was immerse( in a sea of

=argon 'u11wor(s an( touchy-feely e+ercises. #ne memora'le session 'egan with (irections for us to mentally

8'ecome9 two of our stu(ents. After an ela'orate 42-sli(e reflection gui(e we were aske( to close the session with

a 8?ision ollage9 for which we were han(e( pre-scripte( reflections. 8#ne person will volunteer to rea( his$her

line first. After one person rea(s alou( another shoul( =ump in so that one response imme(iately follows another

;without any pauses.9 At this stage in training most of us were still struggling to grasp the 'asics of lesson

planning. @Accor(ing to TFA this e+ercise is not a part of the formal training program.*

Typical instructional training inclu(e( only the most 'asic framework< one gui(e to intro(ucing new material tol(

us to 8emphasi1e key points comman( stu(ent attention actively involve stu(ents an( check for un(erstan(ing.9


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e were tol( that 8uncommon techni,ues9 inclu(e( 8setting high aca(emic e+pectations structuring an(

(elivering your lessons engaging stu(ents in your lessons communicating high 'ehavioral e+pectations an(

'uil(ing character an( trust.9 Specific tips inclu(e( 8you provi(e the answer< the stu(ent repeats the answer9< 8ask

stu(ents to make an e+act replica in their notes of what you write on the 'oar(9< an( 8respon( ,uickly to

misun(erstan(ings.9 After o'serving an( teaching alongsi(e non-TFA teachers at my placement school I can

confi(ently say that these approaches are not 8uncommon.9

I am shifting my weight uncomfortably in a plastic classroom chair on an !tlanta summer afternoon. $ur

adviser interrupts lunch by asking us to pause to spend a few minutes reflecting on what brought us to T%! in

the first place. !fter the re&uisite reflection time, and after turning off the room's lights, !licia begins to share a

story about growing up with a single mother, culminating in an emotional appeal to do whatever we can to help

"our kids" in the future. !lthough I have always found !licia to be rather stoic, she suddenly begins sobbing

when relaying this story. !fter regaining composure, she makes it clear that we are meant to follow suit. $ne by

one, until the ()th person has spoken, we deliver either tearful accounts of personal hardship or awkward,

halting stories recounted by people uncomfortable with the level of intimacy. *hile talking to other T%! teachers

from different schools over dinner, I learn that other groups had nearly identical sessions.

#nce the school year 'egan I foun( myself teaching in a B00-stu(ent CB school with two other corps mem'ers

an( three TFA alumni. The school:s other 40 teachers ha( gone through some version of a tra(itional teaching

program involving years of stu(ying e(ucational theory an( practice as well as e+tensive stu(ent teaching. As I got

to know my new colleagues an( some level of trust was esta'lishe( it (i(n&t take long to (iscover that TFA&s five-

week training mo(el was a source of resentment for these teachers. ot only were we youngsters going into EroughE

schools with the state( goal of changing what they ha( not 'een a'le to 'ut we ha( (one this with only half a

summer&s worth of preparation. I 'egan to un(erstan( why my TFA status instantly communicate( to other

teachers that I foun( myself superior.

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http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/poor-students-need-homework/279566/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/poor-students-need-homework/279566/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/poor-students-need-homework/279566/


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Although I felt 'a( that TFA ha( create( a system that cause( a rift 'etween corps mem'ers an( tra(itional

teachers I (i(n:t have much time to worry a'out that. The truth was the five-week training program ha( not

prepare( me a(e,uately.

During my training I taught a group of nine well-'ehave( thir(-gra(ers who ha( faile( the state rea(ing test an(

hope( to make it to fourth gra(e. orking with three other corps mem'ers which create( a generous teacher-

stu(ent ratio I ha( ample time for one-on-one instruction.

That classroom training was completely unlike the situation I now face( in Atlanta7 teaching math an( science to

two 20-person groups of rotating (ifficult fifth-gra(ers;fifth-gra(ers so (ifficult that multiple su'stitute teachers

woul( vow never to teach fifth gra(e at our school again.

I ha( few insights or resources to (raw on when preteen 'oys (eci(e( recess woul( 'e the perfect opportunity to

'eat each other 'loo(y or when parents all 'ut accuse( me of 'eing racist (uring meetings. #r when a stu(ent tol(

me that his ha'it of (oing nothing (uring class stemme( from his @a(mitte(ly soun(* logic that EI (i( the same

thing last year an( I passe(.E The Institute:s training curriculum was far too 'roa( to help me navigate these

situations. 6ecause many corps mem'ers (o not receive their specific teaching assignments until after training has

en(e( the same training is given to future kin(ergarten teachers in Atlanta charter-school teachers in ew

#rleans an( high-school physics teachers in >emphis.

I was not alone in my trou'le with stu(ent 'ehavior. ary Gu'instein a )55) TFA alum an( an outspoken criticof

the organi1ation 'elieves the training sets teachers up for failure7 TFA teachers 8(on:t know how to (eal with

(iscipline pro'lems 'ecause they:ve never (ealt with a class with more than )0 ki(s;there:s no way to (eal with somany potential pro'lems when they:ve never 'een practice(.9

!essica Smith a corps mem'er I recently calle( up agrees. 8I:ve struggle( with 'ehavior management9 she a(mits.

@As with all the names of teachers I spoke to for this article 8!essica9 is a pseu(onym.* Though training inclu(es

some instruction in stu(ent (iscipline 8I (i(n:t really have the training to know how to give conse,uences

consistently9 !essica sai(.

I aske( if she reache( out for support. 8I think I talke( to every person I knew to talk to even our region:s e+ecutive

(irector9 !essica recalle(. Although TFA ultimately (i( sen( in a 'ehavior-management e+pert 8The person who

finally came in to help me came at the en( of Fe'ruary for a 20-minute session.9 Is this a representative

e+perienceH It:s har( to say. 8e provi(e training in 'ehavior-management techni,ues9 a TFA spokesperson sai(

when aske( a'out !essica 8'ut corps mem'ers are e+pecte( to a(apt their training to their uni,ue school culture.

e also provi(e continuing support for corps mem'ers who have trou'le fitting in.9
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/garyrubinstein.teachforus.orghttp://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/i-quit-teach-for-america/279724/garyrubinstein.teachforus.org


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!essica has (eci(e( not to return to TFA for a secon( year. She sai( she was so unsupporte( that she felt =ustifie(

reneging on her two-year commitment. 8es a commitment matters9 she wrote 8'ut staying isn:t necessarily

helpful to your ki(s or any'o(y.9 !essica sai( that after she notifie( local TFA lea(ership of her (ecision the

reaction was severe. 8They chewe( out my character an( ma(e personal allegations9 she sai(. She was tol( she

recalls that she woul( 8personally have to (eal with remorse an( regret.9

#n its we'site TFAmakes a 'ol( claimthat 86y the en( of Institute corps mem'ers have (evelope( a foun(ation

of knowle(ge skills an( min(sets nee(e( to 'e effective 'eginning teachers.9 Training is suppose( to inclu(e

teaching 8for an average of two hours each (ay J o'serve( 'y e+perience( teachers9 8e+tensive lesson planning

instruction9 an( constant opportunities for fee('ack. %ersonally I taught two 50-minute classes per week a far

cry from the )0 hours per week (escri'e( in the pu'licity materials;an( 8e+perience( teachers9 usually meant new

TFA alumni with two years of classroom e+perience.

8It is certainly possi'le that KyouL got less classroom time than promise(9 the TFA spokesperson tol( me. 86ut we

work to avoi( that situation. During summer Institute we work with )20 (ifferent schools an( there is variation in

the sche(ule which we (on:t always control.9 The spokesperson a((e( that 8as part of Institute our >s have

access to two (ifferent coaches7 a coach$a(viser that we hire an( train as well as a veteran teacher from the local

school or (istrict with whom we are partnering.9 Although my group was assigne( a veteran teacher (uring

Institute she (i( not have a su'stantive role in our training an( halfway through the summer she was implicate(

in theAtlanta %u'lic Schools cheating scan(al.

ompare( with the e+periences of other Teach for America teachers though my placement an( training were

actually fairly lucky. I know more than one Geligious Stu(ies ma=or who arrive( in Atlanta rea(y to teach

elementary school only to 'e tol( that she was 'eing reassigne( to teach high-school mathematics. #f course

'ecoming Ehighly ,ualifie(E to teach upper-level math meant passing the state teaching test in that su'=ect an(

some recruits foun( out mi(way through the summer that they ha( faile(. After 'eing recruite( 'y TFA

successfully completing training an( hearing time an( again that we woul( 'e supporte( throughout the hiring

process we receive( the following e-mail a terse remin(er of how alone we actually were7

If you (i( not pass your e+am you will have to /mergency Gelease from the corps;your position will 'e reserve(

for the Kne+tL Aca(emic ear an( you will not 'e re,uire( to atten( Institute. ou will 'e a'le to apply for open

positions within Teach For America receive gui(ance on how to apply to other opportunities within the Atlanta

area an( 'e a'le to use the Teach For America orps >em'er omputer Ma' an( Gesource Goom as nee(e(

(uring your transition.

At a party last year I met one former TFA recruit who ha( faile( the state:s notoriously (ifficult special-e(ucation

e+am. After I complimente( her espa(rilles she replie( that she&( gotten them at a (iscount through her retail =o'.

Shocke( that she ha(n:t 'een place( elsewhere I thought 'ack to the e-mail we ha( receive(. "aving a reserve(
http://www.teachforamerica.org/why-teach-for-america/training-and-support/summer-traininghttp://www.teachforamerica.org/why-teach-for-america/training-and-support/summer-traininghttp://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/did-high-stakes-testing-cause-the-atlanta-schools-cheating-scandal/274619/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/did-high-stakes-testing-cause-the-atlanta-schools-cheating-scandal/274619/http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/did-high-stakes-testing-cause-the-atlanta-schools-cheating-scandal/274619/http://www.teachforamerica.org/why-teach-for-america/training-and-support/summer-traininghttp://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/04/did-high-stakes-testing-cause-the-atlanta-schools-cheating-scandal/274619/


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spot in ne+t year:s corps isn:t much help to 22-year-ol(s who have uproote( their lives for a teaching position they

'elieve to 'e all 'ut guarantee(.

I am standing, arms crossed, back hunched, whispering with #s. +ones, as we sort supplies our students will

need for the Criterion eferenced Competency Test. In the last few free minutes before testing begins, #s. +ones

is sharing her candid, and often hilarious, views on first-year teaching. It's wrong/ she whispers passionately,

her eyebrows shoot up far into her forehead. #s. +ones is known as a no-nonsense veteran teacher, and I had

found her &uite intimidating before I reali0ed she is incredibly kind. It's wrong to put teachers in the classroom

with no e1perience, #s. 2lanchard. I went through a teaching program, and I taught in four different classrooms

before I ever had these kids on my own./ 3ooking at #s. +ones' perfectly behaved, high-achieving third-graders

and comparing them with my own unruly students, I can see her point. The intercom bu00es to announce a five-

minute warning before testing will begin, and that reminds #s. +ones of the labyrinthine set of test procedures to

come. #ake sure they have their pencils, #s. 2lanchard, we can't have any testing irregularities. 4ou know we

have to cover ourselves. 5veryone's watching this building, and I don't know about you, but #s. +ones is not

fi1ing to be on Channel ) tonight./

6y the en( of the school year I felt like I woul( scream if I ever hear( the phrasecover yourselfagain. ithin

Atlanta %u'lic Schools this phrase em'o(ies a general spirit of fear an( intimi(ation not to mention sa( tolerance

for the fact that teachers are seen as little more than passive cogs in the wheel of the city&s e(ucation machine.

?alua'le minutes of classroom instruction time were lost to filling out acci(ent reports when ki(s occasionally fell

out of their chairs or poke( each other with pencils. If two stu(ents 'egan arguing an( one chil( angrily vowe( to

8get9 the other I was always a(vise( 'y fellow teachers to write up the inci(ent on Atlanta %u'lic Schools

letterhea( imme(iately there'y 8covering9 the (istrict if the threat materiali1e( an( parents were feeling litigious.

hat our stu(ents nee(e( the most in these situations it seeme( were conflict-management skills an( character

e(ucation 'ut unfortunately these interventions (o not sufficiently 8cover9 the a(ult interests of the (istrict. hen

I was once aske( to fill in for an une+pecte(ly a'sent colleague one of her secon(-gra(ers chose to confi(e in me

a'out his a'ysmal home life. "e e+plaine( with wi(e an( trusting eyes that his mother:s 'oyfrien( en=oye( getting

(runk a'using the family an( sometimes shooting at the ki(s with a 66 gun for fun. I imme(iately reporte( the

inci(ent to an a(ministrator who reacte( with what appeare( to 'e annoyance that one more paper ha( to 'e file(

at 4700 p.m. on a Fri(ay. This was an a(ministrator who really (oes care a'out chil(ren an( wants to improve their

lives;'ut the all-important (uty of covering the legal interests of the (istrict can make crucial social work feel like

=ust another ru''er stamp.

I:( 'een at TFA training a'out to hea( into this system when the official report on the cheating scan(al in the

Atlanta %u'lic Schools was release(. >y imme(iate reaction was shock that so many teachers coul( 'e complicit in

something so outrageously (ishonest. >i(way through the school year though I came to un(erstan( e+actly how

it ha( happene(. A%S has some of the 'est teachers in the country 'ut surviving in the (istrict means covering


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yourself an( (uring stan(ar(i1e( testing this means ensuring o'=ective success. In a top-(own ruthless

'ureaucracy like A%S teachers are front-line foot sol(iers not e(ucators encourage( to pursue their calling.

Atlanta %u'lic Schools teachers spen( countless hours teaching to e+haustion spen(ing their own money on

classroom supplies an( 'uying 'asic necessities for their poorest stu(ents only to 'e remin(e( constantly that

their =o' performance will 'e =u(ge( accor(ing to test answers 'u''le( in 'y wo''ly little fingers 'arely a'le to

hol( a pencil upright. Teaching chil(ren is inherently much more intimate messy an( personal than any office =o'

coul( ever 'e. It&s a'out gui(ing pushing an( spen(ing most of your waking hours with other people&s chil(ren

whether they nee( a 6an(-Ai( a 'ear hug or a fresh set of markers that their parents can&t affor(. >any teachers

in schools like mine woul( agree that often the most-struggling stu(ents improve in ways that will not 'e reflecte(

on the state test. They might learn to say please an( thank you or they might master a set of aca(emic skills that

still will not 'e enough to pass on-level or they might gain a healthy (ose of self-respect. After a year in this

environment I reali1e( I coul( un(erstan( how when the annual testing fren1y rolle( aroun( a lot of teachers

chose to put their hea(s (own tune out an( cover themselves.

Teach for America cite( the Atlanta scan(al as a sa( e+ample of what is wrong with e(ucation&s status ,uo one of

the many reasons America&s schools nee( even more reform an( innovation. 6ut what occurre( to me as I worke(

my way ill-prepare( through Atlanta %u'lic Schools was that the two systems are not as far apart as either might

like to suggest. TFA is at least as enamore( of numerical E(ata pointsE of success as A%S is. TFA strongly

encourages its teachers to 'ase their classes& E'ig goalsE aroun( stan(ar(i1e(-test scores. %ast an( present corps

mem'ers are aske( to stan( to thun(erous applause if their stu(ents have achieve( some o'=ectively impressive

measure of achievement an( everyone knows that the 'est way to work for an( rise through TFA ranks is to have a

great elevator pitch a'out how your stu(ents& scores improve( 'y N percent.

or is the organi1ation a stranger to controversies involving performance measurement. #n its we'site

TFAclaimsthat 8Teach For America corps mem'ers help their stu(ents achieve aca(emic gains e,ual to or larger

than teachers from other preparation programs accor(ing to the most recent an( rigorous stu(ies on teacher

effectiveness.9 6ut TFA:s a'ility to rate the performance of its own teachers has 'een heavily critici1e(< a Geuters

article in 20)2 pointe( out that TFA:s 20)0 fe(eral grant of OB0 million was 'ase( on the organi1ation:s internal

(ata 8showing that ) percent of its first-year teachers an( B4 percent of its secon(-year teachers a(vance( their

stu(ents 'y an impressive ).B to 2 years in a single school year.9 hen aske( a'out the origin of these statistics

TFA:s former research (irector "eather "ar(ing a(mitte( that many teachers provi(e performance statistics

'ase( on self-(esigne( assessments. Geuters ,uote( "ar(ing saying8I (on:t think it stan(s up to e+ternal research

scrutiny.9

The TFA spokesperson maintains that the comment 8was taken out of conte+t9 an( that Simon was 8merely

pointing out that internal research reference( in a grant application (oes not meet the same level of rigor as

e+ternal research although 'oth show the positive impact our corps mem'ers are having on stu(ents.9
http://www.teachforamerica.org/our-organization/researchhttp://www.teachforamerica.org/our-organization/researchhttp://www.teachforamerica.org/our-organization/researchhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-usa-education-teachforamerica-idUSBRE87F05O20120816http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-usa-education-teachforamerica-idUSBRE87F05O20120816http://www.teachforamerica.org/our-organization/researchhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/16/us-usa-education-teachforamerica-idUSBRE87F05O20120816


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hether or not the numerical (ata is 'roa(ly accurate I can attest to the pressure within TFA to pro(uce proof of

stu(ent gains without much oversight or gui(ance.

6y the en( of my time at TFA an( Atlanta %u'lic Schools I came to feel that 'oth organi1ations ha( a (isconnect

'etween their pu'lic i(eals an( their actual effectiveness. A%S invests in 'eautiful new 'uil(ings an( glossy pu'lic-

relations messaging only to pressure its teachers into pe(agogical conformity that often prevents them from

reaching the (istrict:s most reme(ial stu(ents. Mikewise TFA promotes a pu'lic image of eager high achievers

(e(icate( to one mission reaching 86ig oals9 that pull stu(ents out of the achievement gap where non-TFA

teachers have let them fall. 6ut in my e+perience many if not most corps mem'ers are confuse( a'out their

purpose uncertain of their skills an( struggling to learn the 'asics.

Can simply being at least as effective as other teachers really be cited as

success?

TFA often cites research showing that its teachers perform well in relation to other teachers< a spokesperson I

talke( to sai( that 8In terms of the e+ternal research the most-rigorous nationwi(e stu(ies on TFA to (ate 'y

>athematica an( AMD/G foun( TFA teachers to 'e at least as effective as other teachers at the schools where

they teach. A follow-up analysis of the >athematica (ata showe( that Teach for America teachers pro(uce

significant stu(ent achievement gains in math regar(less of how well stu(ents were performing 'eforehan(.9

Geferencing statewi(e stu(ies of teacher effectiveness TFA:s we'site notes that stu(ies in Mouisiana orth

arolina an( Tennessee all 8foun( that corps mem'ers often help their stu(ents achieve aca(emic gains at rates

e,ual to or larger than those for stu(ents of more veteran teachers.9 A =ust-release( P.S. Department of

/(ucationstu(y of secon(ary math teachersshowe( Teach for America teachers to 'e more effective than otherteachers at their schools. Accor(ing to the stu(y stu(ents with TFA teachers score( higher on en(-of-year e+ams

than their peers in non-TFA classrooms;the (ifference is e,uivalent to 2.3 e+tra months of classroom time.

I have no reason to (ou't stu(ies showing that TFA teachers are more effective;after all they are recruite( from a

pool of the country:s har(est-working college stu(ents an( goo( teaching is nothing if not har( work. 6ut Teach

for America aspires to close the achievement gap 'y training teachers that are significantly 'etter than e(ucators

alrea(y in the system. an simply 'eing 8at least as effective as other teachers9 really 'e cite( as successH

I am sitting in a black, leather office chair in my new *ashington, 6.C., office. I have 7ust been hired at a private

company whose vision statement says nothing about closing the achievement gap, and the time has come to send

T%! an e-mail announcing that I am leaving the program. I have only completed one year of my two-year

commitment, knowing full well that this kind of mission-shirking is seen as a very serious, selfish betrayal within

T%!. 8owever, the reality is that my employer has been !tlanta ublic 9chools, my contract with the district was

only for one year, and most of my teaching e1periences have been defined by the messy struggles of !tlanta

ublic 9chools, not the comfortable mantras of T%!. I struggle to summon the guilt I know I am supposed to be
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/study-students-learn-more-math-with-teach-for-america-teachers/279527/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/study-students-learn-more-math-with-teach-for-america-teachers/279527/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/study-students-learn-more-math-with-teach-for-america-teachers/279527/http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/study-students-learn-more-math-with-teach-for-america-teachers/279527/


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feeling. #y large-screen computer monitor rests sturdily in front of me, and the cursor on an empty *ord

document blinks.hat can I say to themH, I wonder. I steel myself against the possibility of criticism, against

accusations of apathy, inability, or lack of leadership.

hen I click mail:s Sen( 'utton though I am floo(e( with relief rather than (rea(. 6ecause the truth is 'y

finally showing I (on:t 'elieve that American e(ucation can 'e save( 'y youthful enthusiasm I feel more like a

lea(er than I ever (i( insi(e the corps.

Documents

I Quit Teach for America