As a teacher, I see my students but for a few each hours each day. Now after working with them for this long, I start to wonder. What are their lives like once they get home? Are they fed dinner every night? Do they have a quiet place to study? Are they taking care of other siblings? Are they getting enough sleep? Such things should not be in my thoughts as much. But, alas, they will fade away.
I notice that, during early morning tutoring, many students race in, grab a breakfast, and start devouring it. My mind starts racing. Did the child have dinner? When was the last time the child ate? Was it yesterday’s lunch? My day starts filling up with questions. Said students are also those who come in with clothes that are far from clean, that are torn, that are snug, and that are not uniform regulation. What does one say? The students have what they have, and have been wearing it all year long.
I do not feel a complex is setting in. But perhaps there are some anthropological leanings deep within. Many of my students have siblings who attend the school. The same things I see in my students, I recognize in their sisters and brothers. Then, I start imagining home life for my kids. There are questions I want to ask, but I strange such questions strange. Do you need anything? Is everything all right? My fear is that I will be accused of prying or be labbelled insensitive to the plight of my students. What is worse, it may not be not be my business what happens once they leave the schoolhouse.
Occasionally, I have a student who opens up and lets me know s/he had a bad night or didn’t have dinner. I want not to cross a line and venture into savior territory. But then I muse nowadays teachers are counselors, life coaches, tutors, reading specialists, etc. Because so many of the students live in a housing project right down the street from the school, I realize it would be easy to check up on them. I often say no to that idea. Still, a feeling washes over me or a mood passes through me letting me know that all is not right with too many of the students. They hold back, not wanting to say everything, as do I. It is a strange little game we have all become too comfortable playing.
I think too much maybe. I must be over thinking the situation. My students’ lives are not perfect. Nor do I expect them to be. I guess part of me, since I started working at the school, has become interested in the lives of others.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
TFA vs. MTC
To answer this multi-part question, one must carefully consider the similarities and differences for both Teach for America (TFA) and Mississippi Teacher Corps (MTC). Luckily, the comparisons are so minute that it is easier for this writer to focus only on the differences. When looking at the advantages and disadvantages for the two teaching programs, MTC stands tall, not so much because it is less work or even less demanding, but that MTC applies the “work smart, not work hard” standard.
To begin, MTC is not as callous to reject anyone with a form letter. Because the applicant pool is smaller than TFA’s, the Corps can personalize its rejections. Also, once a candidate is accepted into MTC, s/he is only discharged according to bylaws set in place well before training begins, rules upon which both parties agree to. While summer training includes a bus ride, it is nowhere near as long as TFA. Summer school is meant to be practical and introduce new teachers to a real-world classroom, and, mostly, it is.
Concerning payment, MTC gives its cohort a summer stipend of $1,000. Compared to what TFA gives, it is akin to having an extra thousand dollars. MTC provides supplies for the summer and works with teachers in obtaining whatever is needed. Another plus for the Corps. On that note, MTC has already placed many of its candidates before summer training begins. TFA cannot suggest that; nor should it pretend to have jobs at the ready.
In noting the differences in the programs, one comparison does rear. Candidates still leave both programs, for reasons that are not always explained, but seemingly can be ascribed to not being what someone thought it was. Certainly, there is a kernel of truth to that. To prevent members form leaving, MTC could provide counseling and have available former members of the Corps who too struggled but ultimately stayed on board.
In sum, one cannot expect that from TFA, as it left the education business long ago. It is now just a business meant to further its name recognition. Perhaps that is why MTC is the better choice. It remains set on alternate route teaching and putting twenty-five qualified teachers into critical-needs districts. More candidates will stay once they see the big picture: the program supports you but cannot read minds. If one struggles, speak. If one needs help, seek. If one really sets out to adhere to either TFA’s or MTC’s mission, teach.
To begin, MTC is not as callous to reject anyone with a form letter. Because the applicant pool is smaller than TFA’s, the Corps can personalize its rejections. Also, once a candidate is accepted into MTC, s/he is only discharged according to bylaws set in place well before training begins, rules upon which both parties agree to. While summer training includes a bus ride, it is nowhere near as long as TFA. Summer school is meant to be practical and introduce new teachers to a real-world classroom, and, mostly, it is.
Concerning payment, MTC gives its cohort a summer stipend of $1,000. Compared to what TFA gives, it is akin to having an extra thousand dollars. MTC provides supplies for the summer and works with teachers in obtaining whatever is needed. Another plus for the Corps. On that note, MTC has already placed many of its candidates before summer training begins. TFA cannot suggest that; nor should it pretend to have jobs at the ready.
In noting the differences in the programs, one comparison does rear. Candidates still leave both programs, for reasons that are not always explained, but seemingly can be ascribed to not being what someone thought it was. Certainly, there is a kernel of truth to that. To prevent members form leaving, MTC could provide counseling and have available former members of the Corps who too struggled but ultimately stayed on board.
In sum, one cannot expect that from TFA, as it left the education business long ago. It is now just a business meant to further its name recognition. Perhaps that is why MTC is the better choice. It remains set on alternate route teaching and putting twenty-five qualified teachers into critical-needs districts. More candidates will stay once they see the big picture: the program supports you but cannot read minds. If one struggles, speak. If one needs help, seek. If one really sets out to adhere to either TFA’s or MTC’s mission, teach.
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