Tuesday, July 17, 2012

"Hallelujah, the Saviors are Here"

Two of my favorite Internet-based time-wasters collided: satirical sites and education blogs. Bless The Onion for providing such awesome comedic fodder: My Year Volunteering as a Teacher Helped Educate a New Generation of Underprivileged Kids. The piece is a thinly veiled swipe at Teach for America, and some of the teachers/mindsets that exist in TFA corp member population.


For me, the article is apropos. As I'm finishing up (finals tomorrow) this grad degree, I'm starting to think about my next moves, or my next grand teacher improvement project. What can make me more effective and/or what can get me access to more information, tools, and resources that can really enhance the classroom? As I've alluded to previously, TFA is one of several options on the table.

I just want to note that the article brings up something that bothers me about some of the TFA mindsets, and that's the egotism. While I'm sure that most teachers that speak similarly as the one in the satire don't mean to come off as egotistical; I'm sure that they truly to do care about their students and providing them with the best that they can offer them. Yet, read the satire as if a real teacher wrote it, and tell me that you don't get the same unsettling vibes as I did:

"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."

All the emphasis is mine, by the way. If you still aren't a little bit unsettled, listen to this poem called, "Hallelujah the Saviors are Here". This was written and performed by an actual student in Chicago, where TFA corps members are placed, which brings me to problem #2. I'll let you listen to find out what it is.

I have more to say, but no time to write now, so more later...

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