Let's talk about Teach for America. Let me start by saying I know TFA grads who become great educators. TFA grads and teachers are NOT the problem. That said, let's look at what the problem actually is. 1/15

This is at the national level. If you want to talk to me about KY Ed Policy, we can do that later.

TFA's goal was to recruit recent college grads from "top" universities to work in high poverty schools. They are called corps members and they promise to work 2 years. 2/15

TFA corps members complete a 5 week training program. After facing criticism, they began encouraging college juniors to take some education coursework in their senior year. For comparison, *just* my student teaching was 16 weeks with a certified teacher mentoring me. 3/15

This creates an inexpensive group of undertrained folks to enter our schools with the highest needs. In states with less protection for workers, this means that veteran educators are pushed out because they're "expensive." 4/15

In a profession that already suffers from churn, TFA initiates more churn by creating a resume-booster that functions much like voluntourism. While the intent of the corps members themselves may be genuine, the impact is far more important. 5/15

Having worked with several TFA grads most explain to me that they felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and underprepared for their time in the classroom. More than one spoke to me about suicidal thoughts while a corps member. 6/15

The mental health strain on TFA corps members is REAL and they have very little in the way of support as the people working with them have very little experience themselves. 7/15

There are those who say that TFA does what "normal" certification can't, draw workers into high poverty schools. What they're not doing is addressing the reason why getting students in those schools is difficult. 8/15

If you want to increase highly educated professionals in high poverty schools, you need to start at the source. First, we need to increase support for aspiring and current educators. That looks like extended, paid internships. 9/15

Do you know what they do in other developed countries? Pay student teachers. If we want to open the doors to education as a profession, that doesn't look like recruiting already affluent people into the profession. 9/15

It looks like providing a clear pathway for genuine, natural educators to find their profession. Paying student teachers instead of charging student teachers to work for free for 40-60 hours a week while taking college courses would help. 10/15

Our certification process needs to take longer and have more mentorship. If we want teachers to stay in the profession and succeed for our students, we need to prepare them better and support them longer. 11/15

We need to pay educators like the specialized, professional workforce that they are. The pay of educators is absolutely an issue tied to the feminization of teaching. Teaching was meant to be a supplementary income or for a single non-parent. 12/15

"What better way to address our shortage of physicians than to organize these new graduates into a corps of energetic, idealistic young doctors and dispatch them to those same underserved areas?" Did that make you nervous? It's from a real article. https://bit.ly/36qDlpY  13/15

We rightly know that we can't send people into hospitals to work as physicians after a 5 week training program. Why do we accept that for the people charged with shaping the future of our country? 14/15

This is my life's work and my calling. Attempting to shape my ardent defense of my profession as an attack on those who walk beside me is abhorrent. If your attempt to attack me didn't go well for you, try arguing in good faith next time. 15/15

Addendum: I've spoken with various TFA state directors as I'm a nationally active education advocate. They said it was rare to talk to someone with so much experience. And I was called a "unicorn" in TFA terms. It's what they call someone with over 5 years in the classroom.