Teach for America

I grew up in the small beach town of Satellite Beach, where everything was quaint and quiet. School was average - wake up, go to class, hang out with friends, have lunch, and maybe participate in an after-school activity, like soccer or dance. However, when I moved to Chicago, that didn’t seem to be the case. Chicago is filled with low-income schools, and one solution to provide the highest level of education to these students is a program called Teach for America.

At first, I was confused about the whole thing. I heard it was about having teachers in different schools across America...isn’t that what every teacher is...a teacher somewhere in America? Once I learned about the entire program, I had a completely new-found respect for people going after these roles. Teach for America is a program designed to help low-income schools by placing highly motivating teachers in classrooms. The ultimate goal is to have the students meeting or exceeding standard test scores, expanding their mind to the different fields to work in, and finally, stay out of trouble.

(Image: www.masters-education.com)

Normally, low-income schools don’t have the resources needed to thrive in the classroom. The teachers in Teach for America are allowed to provide the tools they deem necessary for kids to meet average expectations, in the classroom and after school. I have a few friends in the program, and I was touched by a recent fundraising effort my friend put on for the school she teaches at.

Megan Marrinan teaches at Gary Elementary, a low-income school with a high poverty level, high violence rate, and a dangerous surrounding community. In an effort to keep students off the streets, she encouraged the girls at the school to participate in volleyball after school. They all jumped at the idea, so much so that about double the amount signed up than actually needed! Ms. Marrinan realized she didn’t have the equipment to supply all of the girls, and they needed a certain set of knee pads to play.

(Image: http://www.donorschoose.org/project/great-students-need-volleyballs-to-play/)

She started a fundraising page, and received more support than she could have imagined. They exceeded their goal, and Megan was touched by the support both close friends and family and strangers offered. The girls were thrilled when they found out they would be getting more than just the one set of knee pads, and they all showed gratitude by writing thank you letters to the donors.

This fundraising effort by Ms. Marrinan is just one example of the many ways Teach for America is affecting these young, impressionable students. I am amazed by the work they do, and what they deal with on a daily basis. I hope more people get involved and contribute to this intiative, because it can truly change the way low-income school progress in the future.