Tom Ryberg

Recent Activity

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  Tom signed the petition | 7 months ago

  Stand With Me, Jose Antonio Vargas, for a New Conversation about Immigration
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  Tom commented on the article | almost 3 years ago

  Teach For America, Awhile: Ivy League Temps and Corporate Missionaries, Part 2

  It would be great to see Jim offer something in response to Jay other than an ad hominem attack.  But as it's been three months with nothing so far, I guess I shouldn't hold my breath.
  
  I taught 3rd-5th grade resource in Las Vegas for two years via Teach For America, and, like Jeffrey (above), had a different classroom experience than what Jim describes.  Jim's not-too-subtle inferences that TFA and KIPP are all about cultural imperialism may make perfect sense to Jim, who I would guess has not spent much time with any in-the-flesh TFA or KIPP teachers, but he certainly doesn't describe anything I saw.  In fact, let's put aside the grandstanding and be real for a moment: Public education in general has largely been defined by middle class and upper-middle class lawsuits and values (esp. special education), much of which don't translate perfectly to low-income settings.  So let's not pretend that this problem originated with TFA or KIPP.
  
  For me, as a TFA teacher, my role was really quite simple: teach my kids how to read, write, and do math better, using any and all tools at my disposal at my Title I school, which was operating within the flawed paradigm of NCLB.  My job responsibilities were quite the same as any other teacher in that setting, and I assure you, I took them seriously.
  
  Finally, it's not as if nobody inside of TFA or KIPP has any idea that poverty and segregation are the root causes of the education gap.  But the thing is, while we wait for the entire system to be overhauled, public schools everywhere are filled with students who need teachers who will take personal responsibility to help them learn.  Rather than attacking potential allies to this end, it seems to me that this discussion (and any such discussion in education) should begin and end with considering what is best for the actual students involved.  And I'm sure you'd agree, Jim, that we should start by actually visiting some of their classrooms, neighborhoods, and homes, rather than casting aspersions from afar.