David Letterman and Teach For America
by Andrew Ginden
David Letterman is a legendary figure in comedy and television. He recently received the highest honor an American performer can be given at the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C.
In 1992 he received the Peabody Award for taking “one of TV’s most conventional and least inventive forms…and infusing it with freshness and imagination.” In 1981, he won two Daytime Emmy Awards as writer and host for his first show, a quickly canceled morning variety ratings disaster on NBC called The David Letterman Show. In 1982, his second try for TV stardom, Late Night with David Letterman, premiered on NBC, injecting into the late-night landscape an unconventional, bold and eccentric brand of craziness. Television—and American comedy—has never been the same since. A decade later, Letterman’s third network show, Late Show with David Letterman, made its debut on CBS, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about and critically acclaimed programs of the year. For more than 30 years, there has hardly been a TV season in which Letterman has not been either nominated for or won an Emmy Award, amassing an unbelievable 51 nominations and 5 wins.
The top ten list is a hallmark of his show. On Friday May 10th, the list was the “Top Ten Reasons I’ve Decided To Become a Teacher.” Sometimes, instead of reading the list himself, Letterman has guests present the top ten.
Letterman introduced that night’s presenters, “ten brand new teachers from Teach For America…By the way Teach For America recruits recent grads and mid career professionals to teach in public schools in high need communities.”
The Donors section of Teach For America’s website reads like a who’s who in corporate America, easily allowing one to question the intent and motivation behind TFA. They have eight sections of donors: Lifetime Donors (Foundations and Individuals); Lifetime Donors (Corporations); National Growth Fund Investors; Champion Investors; National Corporate Partners, Supporters, and Sponsors; Publi