Lessons to Learn: Voices from the Front Lines of Teach for America

ISBN-13: 9780415945905 / Angielski / Twarda / 2003 / 252 str.

Molly Ness

Opis

This is the inside story of the more than 8,000 recent college graduates who have joined Teach for America and committed two years of service to teaching in the nation's most troubled public schools. These inexperienced teachers come to class armed with little more than their idealism and the conviction that every student, regardless of race or background, deserves an excellent education. They take the toughest jobs at the toughest schools in the toughest districts, and they face the raw realities of America's public education system: dilapidated schools, too few books, and overcrowded classrooms. Written in the tradition of Studs Terkel, Lessons to Learn showcases the insights of a wide range of individuals with real life expertise, combining interviews and essays from TFA corps members and alumni as well as principals, superintendents, parents, and noted education experts. Current and former TFA members reflect on their teaching successes and failures, the life lessons they gathered along the way, and their insights about the challenges facing out nation's public schools. Education professionals and other experts help establish the broader context of the fight for meaningful public education reform. Lessons to Learn is essential reading for teachers, parents, policy makers, and anyone who cares about the fate of this nation's struggling public education system.

Recenzje

"On the heels of Michael Johnston's book, In the Deep Heart's Core, comes the broader-themed I
essons to Learn. Ness, who joined the national teacher corps in 1999, writes a book that seeks to describe the broad range of experiences corps members report, and to tell their stories of hope and determination." -- Harvard Educational Review
"Ness, a former TFA teacher herself, weaves together a narrative of voices from over 150 current and former TFA participants. Her thorough analysis of the program highlights its merits as well as its weaknesses, offering a concise and thought-provoking look at this idealistic and entrepreneurial response to a core national problem." -- Library Journal
"An affirmation of Teach for America's importance." -- Publishers Weekly
"In the field of education reform, Teach for America is often an overlooked but significant element. Lessons to be learned from this ongoing rough experiment are well explored through the lens of Molly Ness and her teacher colleagues. Lessons to Learn is a vital contribution to the national debate." -- Meredith Maran, author of Class Dismissed
"Lessons to Learn is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the individual and collective stories of TFA. It bears witness to TFA's powerful ripple-effect--this young organization really has ignited an irrepressible national movement for educational equity. Lessons to Learn is a balanced evaluation of the most important American service organization since the Peace Corps." -- Michael Johnston, author of In the Deep Heart's Core
"On the heels of Michael Johnston's book, In the Deep Heart's Core, comes the broader-themed Lessons to Learn: Voices from the Front Lines of Teach for America by Molly Ness. Ness, who joined the national teacher corps in 1999, writes a book that seeks to describe the broad range of experiences corps members report, and to tell their stories of hope and determination. She also acknowledges her own passionate committment of Teach for America to recognize the day when all children have access to a quality education. All of this notwithstanding, the tone of the book illustrates the salience of this mission to the thousands of young people who have applied to and participated in the corps." -- Harvard Education Review
"[A]n affirmation of Teach for America's importance." -- Publishers Weekly
"Lessons to Learn" will find an audience with educators and people who care about he future of public education in America.
." -- Harriet Little, The Roanoke Times

Spis treści

Prologue1. Making the Commitment2. Summer Institute3. First Impressions4. Raw Realities5. Beyond Classroom Walls6. It's About the Impossible7. Two Years and Counting8. Life After Teach For America9. Voices From Outside the Corps10. Reflections11. One Day12. The Road Ahead

O autorze

Molly Ness is a Teach for America alumna and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of The Johns Hopkins University. While teaching at Roosevelt Middle School in Oakland, California, she was the recipient of the Jean Wilson Scholarship to the 2000 California Conference for Educational Leadership. She lives in Charlottesville.