Disillusionment and Noblesse Oblige

A critique of Teach For America? It's about as popular as badmouthing the Peace Corps. Yet as the first wave of Teach For America idealists reach the end of their two-year teaching commitment I have a growing sense of unease.

I won't dwell on the issue of whether untrained but well-intentioned college graduates can or should be expected to teach youngsters of any kind, but particularly those whose previous schooling has failed them most completely. Much has already been written about why education continues to be thought of as a charitable, rather than a professional, activity.

Nor will I dwell on precisely what sort of preparatory training should be required before allowing neophyte teachers to enter the classroom--whether the training should emphasize theory before practice, practice before theory, or a simultaneous combination of the two. Whether it should be conducted by university-based faculty or school-based practitioners. This, too, is a debate that lends itself to a fundamental reconsideration of professional training rather than a focused look...