Teach for America offers the ability to affect change

TO THE EDITOR:

It seems like just yesterday that I was soaking in the final days of Carolina blue skies while contemplating what to do with my life after graduation.

As a Carolina student, I had a broad range of leadership experiences throughout college, and I wanted to find a job that would challenge me professionally, while also having a significant and immediate impact on society. After months of searching, I found such an opportunity through Teach For America.

Teach For America is an organization that attracts highly motivated recent graduates from some of the most prestigious colleges and universities around the country to commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools.

In August 2000, following an intensive summer training program with Teach For America, I found myself in front of a classroom of energetic third graders in inner-city Atlanta.

The moment that remains with me from that first day is when Trey arrived at my door. “They said I’m supposed to be in here, but you’re not a woman … you’re a man!” Those were Trey’s first words to me, surprised to find a man as his teacher.

Trey initially appeared to be very self-confident, but this could not have been further from the truth. He often called himself dumb because he had been held back and was still reading on a kindergarten level.

Despite his behavior and academic challenges, Trey and I quickly bonded, and we worked together daily after school. Through countless hours of tutoring and pep talks, Trey gained confidence and by the end of the year was reading on a fourth-grade level.

While I have a deep sense of satisfaction in the progress Trey made while in my classroom, he matriculated into the lowest performing middle school in the state of Georgia and later dropped out of school entirely and joined a gang.

I can’t help but wonder how his life might have been different had he been surrounded by teachers who held him to high expectations.

Not only did Teach For America prepare me well for the challenges I faced in the classroom, it also positioned me to improve education on a much larger scale.

Given the insight gained from my experience with Teach For America, I went on to start my own charter school in Atlanta, KIPP WAYS Academy.

The school was recently named one of the highest performing schools in Georgia serving low-income students. Today, I have the privilege of overseeing a network of KIPP schools throughout Atlanta, witnessing firsthand the transformative power of a quality education.

America is in desperate need of individuals who are relentless in their belief that all kids can succeed and those who have the leadership skills and vision to create positive change.

Teach For America offers an exceptional avenue for making such an impact, and I hope that you will consider the opportunity that it offers.

If the idea of joining this movement appeals to you, I would encourage you to visit the Teach For America Web site at www.teachforamerica.org.

There is still plenty of time to put together a strong application before the final deadline this Friday.



David Jernigan
UNC ‘00