Robert Schwartz: Bringing Teach for America Back to the Core
I prepare to depart for the 20th Anniversary Alumni Summit for Teach for America in Washington, D.C. and I reflect on why I am attending. Some of the reasons are obvious -- seeing friends and acquaintances from long ago (I joined TFA in 1994), networking with some of the top educators and social entrepreneurs (a who's who in education newsmakers), and a chance to see some of my former students working and going to college in DC. The real question on my mind -- does my attendance signal my agreement with the general direction of the organization?
I credit Teach for America with giving me my start into teaching. I decided late in college I wanted to be a teacher and this was the quickest path to get there. Attracted by the mission and the idea of being part of something bigger, it was also a convenient excuse to move from snowy upstate N.Y. to sunny L.A. I loved my two years as part of the corps. The L.A. office organized some great parties and every once in a while, a bunch of us science teachers got together to plan -- admittedly, much has changed in supporting corps members since then.
Much has changed in many aspects of TFA. Maybe I was blind to the plan all along, but I thought the main idea
I credit Teach for America with giving me my start into teaching. I decided late in college I wanted to be a teacher and this was the quickest path to get there. Attracted by the mission and the idea of being part of something bigger, it was also a convenient excuse to move from snowy upstate N.Y. to sunny L.A. I loved my two years as part of the corps. The L.A. office organized some great parties and every once in a while, a bunch of us science teachers got together to plan -- admittedly, much has changed in supporting corps members since then.
Much has changed in many aspects of TFA. Maybe I was blind to the plan all along, but I thought the main idea