Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Alumni Panel Talks Teach For America

On Oct. 20, several Georgetown alumni returned to the Hilltop to discuss their work for Teach For America in the panel True Life: I Teach For America.

Teach For America, a program that selects recently graduated college students to teach in low-income schools, is highly popular among Georgetown graduates. Forty-one members of the Class of 2010 joined its ranks, adding to a community of an estimated 364 alumni who have taught in TFA or are connected to the national service organization.

The middle and high school students that receive aid from the corps are often years behind in their studies. Members have dealt with eighth grade students at fourth grade reading levels and worse. Corps members may also encounter students with special needs or with severe disciplinary problems, such as chair throwing. TFA corps members work as teachers for two years before going on to use their expertise in education or another sector entirely.

The panel was moderated by Georgetown alumnus Anthony Pena (SFS ’10), who is in his first year of teaching in Baltimore. Pena knew firsthand about the problems faced by D.C. schools, and was enthusiastic to do something about them. “It’s always about the kids, bring it back to the kids,” he said, before introducing the panelists.

The panel opened with comments from Daniel Porterfield, senior vice president for strategic development at Georgetown. Porterfield has previously been involved with TFA and taught several of the panelists during their time at Georgetown. A strong advocate of the program, Porterfield said he the quality and depth of Georgetown’s applicant pool to the program was one of its greatest strengths. He also discussed the unique opportunity provided by TFA – an avenue not generally open to the new graduate.

The panel included Kari Chong (MSB ’09), Nkiruka Ogbuchiekwe (COL ’09), Mike Griffin (COL ’05), Jessica Smyth and Monica Escobar (COL ’07).

During the Q-and-A session, the panelists recalled the intensity of their roles beyond the classroom. The majority of the panelists said they made house and phone calls concerning their students, forming personal relationships with their students. They also said they immersed themselves in the community by attending events and sports games, for example. For the students, Griffin said, TFA corps members may be the first teachers to ever care about their well-being and performance. “[Teachers that] did not just cared about them but believed that they could be successful,” he said.

Though the panelists hailed the shared resources TFA offers – including forums for advice and sharing of lesson plans – they also said they recognized the individual nature of their work. The teachers often start with TFA tools but tailor them to their classrooms and teaching styles.

Brian Cook, a corps member in his first year of teaching, acknowledged that there are other programs doing work similar to TFA but that he chose TFA because he wanted to “sprint,” not “jog.”We don’t have time to jog,” he said.

Cook acknowledged many still have issues with the program. But according to Amanda Mills, TFA senior recruitment director, TFA retains 92 percent of its members. This is a steeper rate than the 84 percent retention of regular teachers in low-income schools and the 86 percent national average rate of all new teachers. Mills added that TFA closely monitors teacher satisfaction levels by conducting a yearly survey of member satisfaction, professional development and feedback.

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