Two people I consider friends entered the education profession via Teach for America. They are still educators nearly a decade later. This is not always the case for TFA alum, and we shouldn’t be surprised.

Recently, EdSurge published “As a Naive College Student, I Fell for the Mission of Teach for America.” The article focuses on a TFA alum who felt grossly unprepared to be a teacher. The article states, “The Teach for America mindset is that a two-year commitment is enough to take a bite out of systemic inequities in education.” It goes on to explain why this mindset is problematic.

“Young teachers who have recently graduated and are free of familial obligations are an ideal source of renewable energy for schools. When you know you will likely have to replace someone in two or three years, what incentive is there to ensure a continued work-life balance? When you know you’re replaceable, what’s a little burnout? Thanks to TFA, you can leave after a few years and they’ll find a new young, energetic and inexperienced person to fill the spot.”

I came across that article a couple of days before I interviewed TFA Indy Chief of Strategy Darius Sawyers on EdGems, a show I host for the Indianapolis Recorder.

I was initially supposed to interview TFA Indy’s new executive director, Tenika Holden-Flynn, but the organization wouldn’t let her be interviewed due to a lack of media training … although this interview was scheduled in September 2022. 

Nonetheless, I think the interview with Sawyers was solid. I told him I would ask the questions involving common criticism. In the midst of that dialogue, he said, “TFA is a leadership organization.” He called out the names of TFA alum who are leaders in the community, such as Dr. Aleesia Johnson.

His statement resonated with me because many times, in advocacy work and activism work, we are attacking the wrong issue.

As a literacy coach for three years, I remember going to meetings with other literacy coaches and their principals. Many principals complained about the teaching quality of TFA teachers or the fact they left after two years. For some reason, people think you can just “Teach Like a Champion” out of a pedagogical, theory, and research based strategy gap.

The goal of the TFA is not to permanently staff schools. It is to elevate people into leadership positions. That could be up through the ranks to the principal seat or into, as Sawyers stated, “education adjacent” leadership positions.

The real question is, how do we get more high school students to enroll in a four-year teaching program where they can gain solid teaching skills? Until that problem is addressed, TFA will continue to be needed as a bandaid. That’s all TFA teachers are; they are a quick fix, not a permanent solution. 

Back to my friends, both told me they were horrible teachers during those first two years and were not prepared. One told me she wished she could apologize to families for how she failed those students. Now, I consider them both solid educators. All it took was some trial and error with already vulnerable populations. We will never solve equity issues by experimenting with children using untested or problematic models or allowing students to be served in schools where teachers are constantly leaving.