The Times Union thinks Teach for America is a benefit, funny most people think they are a liability

The Times Union thinks having Teach for America in Butler Middle School has led to its turnaround. If you don’t know, TFA takes non education majors, puts them through a five week teacher boot camp and then places them in our neediest classrooms where they serve two years, when they will be replaced by another one, or you know, the exact opposite of what we know to be best for our neediest kids. The Times Union somehow thinks this is a good thing as they listed TFA as one of four other ways Butler is getting help. 

From the Times Union: Teach for America expanded to Jacksonville in 2008 and has about 200 teachers in about 40 Duval schools, the majority of which are in transformational schools. There are currently seven Teach for America teachers at Butler and one program alumnus. 

Butler also benefits from Kate Beatty, manager of teacher leadership development, who coaches Teach for America teachers at Butler and four other middle schools. Beatty is a former corps member at Butler, where she taught sixth-grade math. Now, her role involves anything from lesson planning to analyzing data and how to invest in student goals.

Beatty said Butler is a “magical place” and she would love to be an administrator there. Leadership, she said, can help motivate, push and coach great teachers to be the best they can be for their kids. Without that support, she said, the best teachers sometimes don’t stay in the classroom.

http://jax-cdn.com/news/schools/2015-05-30/story/transforming-butler-four-other-ways-butler-getting-help

Let’s be honest, the Times Union doesn’t like nor do they appreciate teachers, they obviously think anybody can just show up and do the job. Saying TFA is help when those kids need professional teachers is absolutely ridiculous.