Former TFA here as well. NYC ‘05. Appreciate your openness to discuss your educator origins. I often shy away from this when discussing my educational foundations but listening to you makes me realize that it’s an important story to tell - especially in an open, honest, and reflective manner.
🎯 especially more than a decade later, I definitely don't think we're defined by starting through TFA—but I do think this conversation helped reaffirm for me how it was a part of my own identity as a teacher (in good ways and also ways I've moved on from). A bit more contentious when we get to how we currently feel on Friday! Glad this first part was a good listen
I am happily surprised to hear that TFA was your start and you both have continued down and up the path of teaching since for a lot of people (when it first came out at least “back in my day”), it was a way to boost resume to get to elite law programs or business programs, kind of like Peace Corps was. And when it first came out, it was quite elitist and exclusionary. Not to say anything about not preparing those who choose to stay…
100% accurate—and in Part 2 we definitely dove deeper into the precedent of this type of program.
For me, it was a really positive start that also got me outside of the Pacific Northwest for almost a decade, which I really value to this day! But just because it was positive for me doesn't mean that it is a net-positive (but more on that Friday!)
Former TFA here as well. NYC ‘05. Appreciate your openness to discuss your educator origins. I often shy away from this when discussing my educational foundations but listening to you makes me realize that it’s an important story to tell - especially in an open, honest, and reflective manner.
🎯 especially more than a decade later, I definitely don't think we're defined by starting through TFA—but I do think this conversation helped reaffirm for me how it was a part of my own identity as a teacher (in good ways and also ways I've moved on from). A bit more contentious when we get to how we currently feel on Friday! Glad this first part was a good listen
I am happily surprised to hear that TFA was your start and you both have continued down and up the path of teaching since for a lot of people (when it first came out at least “back in my day”), it was a way to boost resume to get to elite law programs or business programs, kind of like Peace Corps was. And when it first came out, it was quite elitist and exclusionary. Not to say anything about not preparing those who choose to stay…
100% accurate—and in Part 2 we definitely dove deeper into the precedent of this type of program.
For me, it was a really positive start that also got me outside of the Pacific Northwest for almost a decade, which I really value to this day! But just because it was positive for me doesn't mean that it is a net-positive (but more on that Friday!)
Looking forward to listening… 🙏👏😊