I am spending the majority of my summer in Oregon because, let's face it, is there really any better place than Oregon in the summer? I think not. Spending almost six weeks in Oregon also gives me the chance to catch up with friends and family. I have been traveling through Oregon and Washington and have been making appearances at family gatherings and such things. I love getting to see everyone and meet new people, however I am finding that I keep having the same conversation. My involvement in Teach for America somehow gets brought up every time I begin a new conversation with someone. It's not like I meet someone and say "Hi, I'm Melanie and I am in Teach for America" but we get to talking and I inevitably have to offer an explanation for why an Oregonian would move to the MidWest, why a non-education major is teaching, etc. And when Teach for America gets brought up, oh dear Lord, I know that I am now committed to talking about it for at least 30 minutes and sometimes up to two hours!
I can't really hold it against people or be mad at them for wanting to know more about teaching in a low-income area or TFA but sometimes this is ALL I talk about. I spent the better part of last semester trying to remember my life before TFA and getting comfortable with my new life in Indy: one that doesn't revolve around being a teacher 24/7. So now that I can identify myself as more than a "teacher" I find that it might be a little difficult for other people to do so. Ask me about what I do in Indy, my friends, my thoughts on anything other than the education system and teaching....please. However, my, seemingly, constant conversation about TFA does have a silver lining: exposure for TFA.
It is no secret that TFA has an agenda that goes beyond achieving significant gains in the classroom. They want to create an extensive and powerful alumni base, people that will go on to become proponents for education reform in law, business, politics, etc. People that will have great, and hopefully affluent, careers that will then give back to the cause in any way that can. However, TFA corps members and alumni contribute to a, shall we say, grassroots movement of TFA simply by existing. My experiences and my sharing of these experiences gets the TFA message out to people who might not have ever considered education reform or thought about what goes on in urban education. Because I have had a positive experience within TFA and am willing to talk about it, like so many other corps members, I have become a player, albeit an insignificant one, in a campaign to educate the public about the trouble the American education system is in.
I am practically a walking billboard for TFA and, subsequently, education reform. And whether we like it or not a lot of people vote based on personal connections and experiences. So think about it...if I am an average voter and know someone in TFA and have spent time talking to them I am probably more likely to place a slightly greater emphasis on education in my voting preferences and the candidates I support. I am not saying that me talking to people is going to get them to switch their voting habits but it could get individuals to think about education as a major political issue a little bit more. Hence, the title of this blog entry...
I think that TFA is building up quite the alumni association, however I do not think that their only, or even their major, contribution to education reform is through the check book or working in the department of education. I think that TFA members' presence provides exposure to others of the real-life, tangible horror stories about our education system that might get the ball rolling for the average citizen to begin to care about education reform, thereby having a "ripple effect".
