Celebrating diversity, at the head of the class
While the economic and policy debates swirl like the eddying snow — and school cuts loom on the near horizon — the Times today showcases a teacher of English, part of the Teach for America corps. It’s a warm and flattering profile, but the most pressing question isn’t posed: It’s not clear whether Ms. Grant will continue to work as a teacher or move on to achieve other career goals after her TFA stint ends– a widespread objection voiced by education researchers and plenty of principals, too, that the well-intentioned program recruits young talent, sponsors their certification (and their Masters degrees) and then, loses the new teachers’ skills to career pursuits beyond the schoolhouse door. New York magazine offers its own gallery of classroom leaders, whose after-school activities include break-dancing, standup comedy and a glam rock tribute band.
Let no one doubt the diversity of the adults who teach our children, or the myriad contributions these creative, multitalented professionals bring to school each and every day.
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