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Originally Posted by MandyPepperidge
I think that you are a bit misguided in the intentions of many Teaching Fellows, particularly those straight out of college. Speaking for DCTF, there is a strict vetting process and I have yet to meet a single Fellow who is thinking of doing anything other than staying in education. While some of us, myself included, are eventually going to leave the classroom, we will always have a hand in education. I, for example, plan on going into IDEA litigation and eventually education policy work. But not before spending many years in the classroom and really witnessing first hand the rampant problems affecting the schools and special education.
Additionally, let me say this: please do not confuse TF with Teach for America. The TF program has much higher expectations that you will stay in education. TFA as grown into a major networking organization and is very upfront that they can get you into your top 5 law school choice or a consultant job. (No joke, I was told this during my first interview.)
It is not easy to get into either program. For every one spot in DCTF, there were 13 applicants. The number is even higher for NYCTF. Now I am only a week and a half into summer training, but I have been impressed and pleasantly surprised at how smoothly everything is running! Our training and university coursework has been great and we have formed a very strong support network already. I keep reminding myself that it will get harder (I get in the classroom on Monday!), but the problem isn't this program or its peer groups, it's the greater systemic problems afflicting our country's education system that are real issue.
ETA: It is an exciting time to be in DC. Chancellor Rhee (Google her!!) is just amazing and I cannot wait to see what she can accomplish over the next several years. It will not be easy, but she is making sweeping changes, like firing 20+ principals, to make school more successful for the students and more nurturing and supportive for its (excellent) teachers.
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I will agree with the first point, that there is a difference between TFA and TF, at least in the way it is presented. I went into finance upon graduation (had an offer before my senior year) and it was always pushed to me to enroll in TFA and i could "always go back to corporate" when i finished. and i agree, that was mentioned more than once, that many candidates for big firms (financial and legal, among others, but also b-school and med school) are more likely to extend (one person from TFA actually said "its practically guaranteed") an offer seeing that you participated in TFA. I dont know if that is true but those wouldnt have been my reasons for doing it.
I dont know, ive always had my apprehension about people who did TF. surely the reasons may be awesome and that their intentions are all "i want to save the education system one kid at a time," but like you said, the problems that need to be solved are bigger than that, and i think unfortunately many TF folks that first year realize it and have a "oh crap" moment and get the heck outta dodge.
or they stick it out and make the program proud. i dont know.