A revealing look inside a national phenomenon, Teach For America, which, since its founding in 1990, has pursued one of the most daring—and c...
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Sep 16, 2008
Michelle
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This book follows the immensely popular yet controversial Teach for America (TFA) organization. TFA is an organization trying to close the achievement gap by putting educated 'teachers' into under performing schools for a couple of years. The recruits work on a masters and view the experience as an intense post-grad program.
The book specifically focuses on 4 teachers placed in Locke HS in Watts, CA (a very bad neighborhood and school) and their experiences. I loved learning about their st More...
The book specifically focuses on 4 teachers placed in Locke HS in Watts, CA (a very bad neighborhood and school) and their experiences. I loved learning about their st More...
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Feb 12, 2011
Cvh
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A fascinating read not simply in recounting the challenges of 4 first-year TFA teachers but of the growth of TFA. It has successfully and very deliberating seeded a new generation of educational leaders not wedded to the status quo -- why are schools of ed not similarly seeking to encourage teachers to be visionary leaders, to ask questions and press for change in circumstances in which the needs of children are clearly not a priority? (And an M.Ed in educational leadership isn't this.) TFA's us
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Jun 19, 2010
Julie
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I am never sure if I want to read books about being a teacher. Since I am a teacher, I don't like being hit over the head with warm fuzzy "you can change the world one wonderful child at a time!". And being a teacher every day, do I really want to think about teaching even more by reading a long book about it?
This book was worth it. It's basically an ethnography of four first-year Teach for America teachers in a very bad LA high school. Interspersed with their individual s More...
This book was worth it. It's basically an ethnography of four first-year Teach for America teachers in a very bad LA high school. Interspersed with their individual s More...
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May 14, 2009
Holyn
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My sister, Krysten, asked that I read this book. She is a Teach for America (TFA) alum and thought I would gain a better perspective of her experience by reading Foote's book.
The author takes five 2005 corps members who are assigned to Locke HS in LA and follows them throughout their first year teaching with TFA. She intersperses the history, mission, and philosophy of TFA within the anectdotal sections of the book. I think those parts were the most difficult to read - TFA is as More...
The author takes five 2005 corps members who are assigned to Locke HS in LA and follows them throughout their first year teaching with TFA. She intersperses the history, mission, and philosophy of TFA within the anectdotal sections of the book. I think those parts were the most difficult to read - TFA is as More...
May 13, 2009
I admit it. I considered Teach for America. I suppose you could say it was a “Plan B” for me. But after reading this book I realize as a “Plan B”er I never would have made it. Never mind the rigorous admissions process involving rounds of interviews and calculated formulas, the duties bestowed upon TFA corps members demand nothing less than amazing tenacity and voracious devotion. Foote’s book weaves stories of four young teachers at a South Central Los Angeles high school with historical accoun
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Mar 05, 2010
Jennifer
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Hmm...it's hard to separate the content of the book from my feelings on the topic. I'll try. So this journalist follows four Teach for America corps members through their first year(s) of teaching. She gives background on the organization and the work that these teachers--and their cohorts--are doing to improve inner city schools. It's fairly objective, and in that regard, a 'good read.' But I was still cringing while reading it.
Personally, although I am all for supporting educa More...
Personally, although I am all for supporting educa More...
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Jan 15, 2009
Dwhren
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This book follows several first year Teach for America members teaching at Locke High School in Los Angelos during the 2005-2006 school year. In addition to covering the experiences of the teachers, the it delves deep into the history and ethos of Teach for America. I'm a sucker for books about education to underprivileged students, so I ate this book right up. I also found the information on Teach for America to be interesting as I know realize I didn't know that much about the organization
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Nov 06, 2009
itpdx
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This interesting book follows four members of the Teach for America class of 2005. Teach for America recruits college students near graduation that have shown leadership, perseverance, and ability to motivate. They put the recruits through a five week education "boot camp" to teach them classroom management, lesson planning, assessment techniques among other skills that are supposed to prepare them to teach. Then they are placed in some of the worst schools in the country (in this c
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Aug 30, 2009
Anna
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I almost went from a small urban school district to the larger bureaucratic bloat of Los Angeles Unified School District. Three years ago I was offered a position to teach English and work with TFA teachers at Locke High. I didn't because of the divide among the staff and upheaval of Green Dot possibly taking over this beleaguered school. Sorry if this review is enmeshed with my soapboxing. LAUSD is too top heavy; if you go to the district office in downtown L.A., you visibly see more tax dol
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Oct 11, 2008
B
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371.3 Well written and interesting account of 4 new teachers, recently graduated from the accelerated Teach for America program as they tackle teaching in an inner city L.A. high school. The sections dealing with the history of the program are alittle dry.
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Jul 11, 2011
Jodi
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I was disappointed with this book. While I enjoy reading books about education, making connections, and applying the things I read to my own education experiences, this book left much to be desired. I am not convinced that Teach for American is the answer for education reform, though I do agree that there are benefits to the program. It was interesting to follow six TFA teachers, but I am not convinced that creating "good" teachers and having them teach for only two years is the ans
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Jul 24, 2009
Debbie (Readerbuzz)
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Does teaching have to be a twenty-hour-a-day job? Can it be a lifelong profession or does everyone burn out after a couple of years? Why is it so difficult? Why aren’t more children learning? How can we make it better?
This is the story of a group of Teach for America teachers working in one of the worst schools in America, a high school in urban LA. Some of the stories were so horrible I couldn’t imagine how I would last a month. Some of the teachers produced excellent results with t More...
This is the story of a group of Teach for America teachers working in one of the worst schools in America, a high school in urban LA. Some of the stories were so horrible I couldn’t imagine how I would last a month. Some of the teachers produced excellent results with t More...
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Nov 24, 2009
Tiffany
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I read this book because I'm applying for Teach for America and it offers a really good glimpse of the good, bad, and ugly of being a corps member. But I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in education reform and the obstacles facing educators and students working in underprivileged schools. It will make you cry, make you angry, make you hopeful,and maybe even make you laugh at the sometimes cult-like mentality of TFA. It scared me in many ways, made me feel like I was signing up to joi
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Aug 21, 2008
David
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Follows closely four Teach for America (TFA) teachers (sorry, "corps members" -- TFA jargon is thick on the ground in this book) through their first year in a highly challenging Los Angeles high school.
I found it ultimately pretty depressing, as a lot of bright people of good will working their behinds off do not suffice to get the school turned around as a whole, though there are some nice moments and success stories with individual kids and to some extent classrooms. T More...
I found it ultimately pretty depressing, as a lot of bright people of good will working their behinds off do not suffice to get the school turned around as a whole, though there are some nice moments and success stories with individual kids and to some extent classrooms. T More...
Aug 19, 2008
Terry
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I’m so excited that my library finally had this book! Yay! I think what I admire most about this book is that Foote does not seem to have any sort of agenda other than real curiosity about a program—Teach for America—and how its ambitions play out in “the real world”. Many books about education-in-America-today seem to stem from a simmering rage (rightly so) and/or a desire to present a certain idea in a certain light. The author of “Ms. Moffett’s First Year”—a book I really liked—was accused o
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Jul 06, 2010
Aileen
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I used to be pretty cynical and pessimistic about the impact of Teach for America. Part of this is because of an alternative spring break trip I took in college, where we shadowed TFA and my host Corps members could only talk about their "guaranteed-ins" to whatever grad schools they wanted because of TFA's prestige.
But after spending a semester in a class full of new TFA Corps members, on top of reading this book, I certainly have a newfound respect for the organization an More...
But after spending a semester in a class full of new TFA Corps members, on top of reading this book, I certainly have a newfound respect for the organization an More...
Apr 18, 2008
L.A.Weekly
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Teaching for America in Crips Territory
By DIANA WAGMAN
Reading Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America is inspiring, frustrating, exhilarating and exhausting. Inspiring because of the students who learn and grow and graduate despite violence, unwanted pregnancy and poverty. Frustrating because the Los Angeles Unified School District and the federal government want to make learning secondary to testing. Exhilarating because the four young teachers profiled More...
By DIANA WAGMAN
Reading Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America is inspiring, frustrating, exhilarating and exhausting. Inspiring because of the students who learn and grow and graduate despite violence, unwanted pregnancy and poverty. Frustrating because the Los Angeles Unified School District and the federal government want to make learning secondary to testing. Exhilarating because the four young teachers profiled More...
Jul 29, 2011
Jasmine
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This was an interesting book to read as someone going into a program very similar to Teach For America. It was definitely realistic, but also discouraging. Long-winded at times, and full of needless information about TFA as an organization. I wanted more about the four teachers' lives in the classroom, and less about how great Wendy Kopp is. Still, I'm glad I read it. I don't think I realized until this book just how difficult it is to teach in the schools TFA serves.
Apr 02, 2009
Lysia
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As I expected, this book made me feel proud of the organization I work for. I loved reading about how the corps members handled their classes, changed their perceptions and actually taught some "left behind" children how to pull ahead. The book doesn't always paint a rosy picture of the "touchy-feely-ness" of the organization, and that is something that I have recognized since day one. They are a very data-driven, scientific organization that doesn't put much stock in emot
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Mar 28, 2010
Andrea
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I really liked this book and finished in over a weekend, despite the fact that it's non-fiction, a genre that I have a hard time enjoying. I wanted to read this book in order to find answers to some questions that I've been having lately. I don't know if I've found the answers I was looking for but I did learn a lot about teaching and TfA.
Sep 21, 2008
Kelly
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I think this book does an excellent job of bringing to life the struggles that TFA teachers go through. It doesn't dwell on awful conditions or cute kid stories, but explains what's in the head of the corps members, their TFA advisors, and other education people as the year progresses and tough decisions have to be made. TFA CM's are often accused of using TFA as a stepping-stone to other careers, and I think this book shows, at a minimum, that when they do leave a school or the profession, it
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Oct 29, 2011
Ecospiky
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I enjoyed reading this book because I believe it gave a good synopsis of what TFA is all about. Foote discusses the good, bad and the ugly about TFA. She discusses how Wendy Kopp started the program in 1990 and the challenges and Changes it has had since that time.
I am personally not a fan of TFA, I believe people that went to school to devote their lives to teaching are more fit for the job than recent college graduates from other majors. I am glad that I read this book though so I kn More...
I am personally not a fan of TFA, I believe people that went to school to devote their lives to teaching are more fit for the job than recent college graduates from other majors. I am glad that I read this book though so I kn More...
Sep 09, 2010
Jennifer
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I love journalistic accounts of the educational world, and this was a good one. Half of this book followed the day-to-day struggles of a group of Teach For America teachers in their first year at a Los Angeles high school. The other half focused on the evolution of the Teach For America organization. Very thought-provoking.
Jun 21, 2010
Meg - A Bookish Affair
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Teach For America is one of the most well known non-profits in the United States. The program draws accomplished college graduates from some of the best colleges in the US. It is an elite program that is not without controversy. How good of an idea is it to put new college graduates through intense training and expect them to do well teaching in adverse situations? How much of a return on investment can the program expect when TFA teachers are only committed to two years? Are the students helped
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Apr 15, 2010
Frank
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The best window I've found into the troubles and travails of a TFAer. Foote definitely buys into the image of the TFA teacher as a "shining light" in the educational system -- but she gives great insight into the work and dedication it takes live up to that name. The most interesting part of the book, for me, was the struggle the teachers faced in dedicating their lives to the cause. As one of them puts it, "I care about the cause, yes. I care about these kids, I want them to succ
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Aug 14, 2010
Aaron
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This book did not pertain to me as the stories followed highschool teachers and not elementary school teachers. It made me think a lot though about finding ways that effectively and fairly show my student's progress, especially in reading as they are all second language learners.
Jun 20, 2009
Liz
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The author follows 4 Teach For America Corp Members through their 1st year of teaching at a high school in Watts. It's a book written as a documentary and I could barely put this book down. This is why I have grown to really like nonfiction--you learn alot.
For those who have friend and family involved with TFA, it answers alot of deep background questions, that they may not even know about.
For those who have friend and family involved with TFA, it answers alot of deep background questions, that they may not even know about.
Sep 30, 2009
Mkunde
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Read this book if you want to learn more about the inner-workings of Teach For America. The author is great at giving exhaustively detailed descriptions about the day-to-day lives of TFA corps members working in a tough Los Angeles high-school.
Mar 08, 2009
Laura
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An interesting look at Teach For America: its background and history, its strengths and weaknesses. While this book is more pro TFA than anti, it still treats TFA as a fallible organization, which is a perspective I appreciated.
Feb 04, 2012
Danielle
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I came out of this book with extremely mixed feelings about Teach for America. At turns inspiring, frightening, and enraging, I can guarantee that it won't always be a pleasant read. But I can guarantee that you will get an honest look at TFA and probably close the book with your head still spinning.
