Troy Simon is beyond exceptional. In the fall, this 18-year-old
high school student in New Orleans will be attending Bard College
in New York on a full academic scholarship, and it is largely due
to teachers from Teach for America.
Troy Simon is beyond exceptional. In the fall, this 18-year-old high school student in New Orleans will be attending Bard College in New York on a full academic scholarship, and it is largely due to teachers from Teach for America.
Simon is a well-poised and articulate young man. He has that southern street twang, but despite that it is evident that he is very intelligent with much promise. It is almost hard to believe that only a few years ago not only was he a thief, but also could not read.
Last weekend I traveled to Cajun country with 40 other colleagues from various universities on a trip sponsored by Teach for America with the hopes to gain insight on this organization. This national teach corps seeks recent college grads willing to commit two years to teach and affect change in under-resourced urban and rural public schools such as those in New Orleans.
Topping the list as one of the worst performing school systems in the United States, New Orleans is a city that needs much hope. Prior to Katrina, failing schools, under-educated people, and lackadaisical teachers were the norm in many of these schools. It was because of circumstances like these that Simon went all the way to the 5th grade and could barely recite his ABCs, let alone read.
Simon explained that he would come up with any excuse to get out of reading aloud in class, and due to teachers too overwhelmed with the social problems some of these students had, he got away with it.
Scholastic achievement amongst students in New Orleans -especially in the poor black neighborhoods was few and far between.
Kira Jones, executive director for TFA in the Greater New Orleans told us the story of Bridget Green who was the valedictorian of her high school class. Instead of delivering her speech, or even attending the ceremony for that matter she had a bigger issue on hand. She flunked the math portion of her exit exam five times, and still had the best of the worst grades in her school.
It is in stories like these where Teach for America is a necessary program within our society. Education in many parts of the country is not up to par for whatever reason, and it is with teachers like these that can help lower the achievement gap.
Sci Academy is a fairly new charter school in the lower 9th ward in New Orleans. Like many schools in this area, it is nothing more than a block of trailers because schools are still being rebuilt post hurricane Katrina. Despite its shaky appearance, the school was a sight for sore eyes. Teachers and students alike were actually engaged in one another. As a group of us quietly observed an award ceremony, we saw numerous students, or scholars as the administrators and teachers like to call them, anxiously awaiting to share what they learned that day with one another.
There is never an easy fix to a problem that has been around for decades at a time; however, through strives from programs like this, the solution is attainable. Teach for America is not for everyone. Despite that, its purpose to solely give young people a chance in life is nothing short of amazing.
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- Kelcie McCrae, Editor in Chief