The children are our future, but with 15 million American children living in poverty, some futures are often uncertain. This is, however, a solvable problem, and one organization, Teach for America, is looking to solve it.
Only 8 percent of children living in low income communities will graduate college by the time they are 24, a statistic attributed to a lack of adequate education opportunities, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Teach for America is a non-profit grassroots movement that works to fight education inequity, according to Michael Zitzer, Saint Louis University’s Teach for America campus campaign coordinator.
“Where you’re born dictates the quality of your education,” Zitzer said. “Teach for America tries to provide every student, regardless of background, with a good education with high quality teachers.”
Teach for America recruits recent college graduates to serve for two years in the corps by teaching in urban and rural public school districts. According to their website, corps members are trained to have an immediate and positive impact on the students they teach by helping them catch up on academics and ensuring that they learn the material appropriate to their specific grade level.
Zitzer said that some students low-income communities are three to four grade levels behind in subjects such as math and reading comprehension, in comparison to high-income communities.
“My boss had a sixth grade student who didn’t know the whole alphabet and didn’t know what sound the letter D made,” Zitzer siad. “We are trying to set the ground work for what could turn into a more qualified individual.”
Zitzer said that the Teach for America chapter in St. Louis is seeking to retain more students from SLU to join the program. The University already has a commitment to the academic success of its students, but Zitzer said that what makes it especially attractive to join the Teach for America program is the commitment to service instilled in students by the Jesuit mission.
SLU alum and Operations Coordinator for Teach for America St. Louis Daniel Huebner said that he feels the program is directly in line with the Jesuit mission and is a good opportunity for anyone who wants to get involved with social justice.
Huebner said he heard about Teach for America during a recruitment presentation while he was in college and applied during his senior year. Huebner proceeded to teach biology, environmental science and French at Roosevelt High in St. Louis City.
Huebner said his favorite part of the program was getting to share in the successes of his students and to see their hard work and commitment pay off.
“It was a really eye-opening experience,” Huebner said. “I took my French class to an art museum to look at some French art, and I found out no one in the class had been to an art museum before. It was exciting to give them that experience.”
SLU sees students apply and get accepted into the program every year, but the St. Louis chapter is committed to seeing the numbers increase. In 2011, SLU has seen 12 students join Teach for America, actually a small drop in comparison to prior years. Zitzer said he is confident the SLU numbers will increase because Teach for America offers students not only an ability to act on a passion for justice issues, but also opens up opportunities for participants once the two year commitment is over.
“The program opens a lot of doors and is really an experience like no other. It will prepare you for anything,” Zitzer said.
According to Zitzer, corps members receive a full salary and benefits. The pay can help pay for graduate school or pay off loans after graduation. Zitzer also said that the program offers networking opportunities with past and present members. SLU seniors looking to get involved with Teach for America can check out the program’s website at www.teachforamerica.org to find out more about the application process.
