Is TFA making transformational change within the students or
are those that participate in TFA are the ones that are transforming. The
simple fact that most who transforming and making student academic gains, are
few in number. It is one due to the lack of training to be an effective
teacher. Secondly, it is the fact that most are just trying to improve self for
their resume and not really in it for the cause and most leave after their two
year commitment. Third, is that even though those that are TFA participants are
great at being a student and learning does not mean that their academic success
will transpire into the classroom with students that most do not relate to
because are not from or have not experienced at least few of the hardships that
the students they are required to teach have and are going through.
Lastly, is that there is a strong
emphasis on leading adolescents and those that we are putting in the classroom
have for the majority never had major responsibility of taking care of
children, or being a leader outside of peers and are yet thrown into a
situation that requires them to be an ADULT with students that are close to
their own age, when most are still young themselves. I can imagine it being
hard as a student to see such young teachers and have to look up to them as a
role model and learn how to be an adult when there is only ten years difference
in age between them. I mean people get married with ten years between the two
of them. I am not saying that makes a
person less effective as a teacher, but some of the things that administrators
look for is a leader or someone they can entrust to discipline and educate
their students. To be honest most coming out of college just do not have it and
actually have a hard time with the management piece of teaching and are not
effective in their instruction. The key to first being able to make
transformational change is to have command of the classroom and most are still
figuring out themselves as adults, let alone becoming a disciplinarian, and
just can’t completely do it. Not only that teachers actually have to be
provided a solid educational foundation towards how to teach and in developing
their teaching style, and that is not something that can happen after two years
where most TFA step out of teaching; and furthermore, can not be done with the
summer training for month and a half at institute. From speaking to veteran teachers it really
takes 3-5 years to figure out a management style that works for you followed by
instruction that will make a teacher effective. TFA teachers mostly do not stay
around long enough to learn how to be an effective teacher but a leader and
commander of the classroom to be transformational. These school invest money in
their training and the turnover or costs of helping these corp members are more
then what the schools actually get out of those teaching. Not saying the TFA
corp members are not motivated and not want to do well, but not most are in it
for a career.
Eventhough, teaching always requires much reflection in
practice and being flexible and making changes, which can bring some changes it
is hard to say it will be transformational. With most corp members leaving
after their two years and a new set of teachers coming in, the system of change
is still not healthy for students because there is no consistency with the
people around them and since most of them leave, I am sure that transfers into
negative thoughts for the students who were in their classrooms and return
negatively affect their scores academically. With nearly 15 – 23% of the
incoming corp members not completing their two year commitment and nearly 60%
leaving after the two year commitment. When looking at the numbers only 23%
stay after 5 years. Which these would be just classified as becoming effective
teachers. Yet, the experience gained by
the corp member they are transforming into better adults by learning responsibility
and gaining experience in planning and data analysis, they are mainly
transforming themselves and not the students that are in their classroom, which
was the main goal of TFA to provide a quality education to those students where
the need is great in efforts of closing the achievement gap between students in
affluent and low income areas.
1 comment:
It is clear that there is a lot of controversy over the retention rate of TFA corps members beyond their two-year commitments. I understand the importance of the "numbers" - how many stay, how many effect change in their classrooms, etc. But I sometimes do not agree with the emphasis that is placed on TFA corps members being labeled as "transformational". I do agree that it takes most teachers, whether traditionally certified or not, a few years to actually be effective classroom teachers and managers. But in that sense, I am not sure why that label hangs over the heads of TFA corps members as a sort of stamp of approval. I am also not sure that I agree with the statement that all first year TFA corps members are ineffective and under-prepared, nor with the statement regarding the proximity of age of some teachers and students. I truly believe that it depends on the particular teacher and the particular students. I think that in the future, should TFA's impact remain as large as it is now, there may have to be some restructuring done on both the national and regional levels to ensure that the students that we are serving are in fact receiving a top education, regardless of the fact that TFA supplied their teacher.
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