Teach for America Scholarships Forum

[roguey]

Does anyone know if there is a way to argue that I should qualify for one of the many Teach for America Scholarships since I taught for 4 years to give back to my community (which did not have TfA at the time) without the impetus of getting my loans repaid? Maybe I'm slightly bitter, but I don't see why my amount of service should count for any less.

[Kretzy]

Does anyone know if there is a way to argue that I should qualify for one of the many Teach for America Scholarships since I taught for 4 years to give back to my community (which did not have TfA at the time) without the impetus of getting my loans repaid? Maybe I'm slightly bitter, but I don't see why my amount of service should count for any less.

TFA scholarships are particular partnership programs between the program and the school. If you weren't a part of TFA, you don't qualify, similar to any other number of scholarships that have specific requirements.

[ATOIsp07]

I know this has nothing to do with scholarships for TFAers but I sincerely believe that people overestimate the boost that TFAers receive in the law school admissions process. With so many TFAers (who typically serve the mandatory two years and then cut out of the program), I believe admissions officers take the TFA experience with a grain of salt. How would they differentiate between applicants who enrolled because they were genuinely interested in the teaching experience and those who used it to pad their application file/resume?

But then again, some schools do offer TFA scholarships so maybe I could be wrong.

Just my opinion.

[radical4peace]

From what I've seen, a lot of "TFA scholarships" can also be given to people with similar records of service/teaching. There might be some that are just for TFA alumni, though. I agree that your four years of teaching (particularly if it was in a low-income area) should qualify you for these.

As far as loan forgiveness though, don't forget that if you taught in a low-income area or in a shortage subject (ie math), you may qualify for federal loan forgiveness. I had most of my Perkins loan and a good chunk of my Stafford loan forgiven this way. Check out the government's finaid site for info. This ended up being a far greater help than any TFA "scholarships" I was offered. Good luck!

[s0ph1e2007]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

[OkieGirl]

Are you talking about the scholarships that are offered as 'Graduate School Partnerships' as found on the TFA web page?

If not, stop reading and I apologize for being confused.

If so, then my answer is NO. I think the point is that you were part of the organization, not just that you taught in the inner-city or a rural community. Besides, I have had to provide proof of my membership (i.e. letter from my Program Director) just to get the fee waivers and I am sure that one must if applying for the scholarships as well.

* Text removed at the request of a fellow Corps Member. Apparently, an expression of my own, personal experience might ruffle some feathers.

[ATOIsp07]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

I agree with you that TFA can be/is a wonderful and philanthropic opportunity for those who genuinely would appreciate utilizing the tool of education to improve the quality of living for those lacking proper resources. Thus, Adcomm members are certainly right to desire students who have done TFA and have proven that they care. On the same token, however, those who use TFA to pad their resumes and appeal to law schools are not only being dishonest with themselves and others but are also putting the lives of the youth at risk...especially the "teachers" who do the minimum 2 years and then bounce. These are kids' lives that are in the hands of recent college grads who, on plenty of occasions, have no genuine interest in education.

I guess I just get annoyed with people who use TFA to make themselves "better" candidates for LS.

[radical4peace]

Are you talking about the scholarships that are offered as 'Graduate School Partnerships' as found on the TFA web page?

If not, stop reading and I apologize for being confused.

If so, then my answer is NO. I think the point is that you were part of the organization, not just that you taught in the inner-city or a rural community. Besides, I have had to provide proof of my membership (i.e. letter from my Program Director) just to get the fee waivers and I am sure that one must if applying for the scholarships as well.

In my own personal opinion, I think the law schools know that an acceptance into TFA is very tough and that they recruit a very specific type of individual. Most possess the characteristics that prove successful in challenging situations and at law school. Also, I have met many teachers at my school who are 'giving back to the community' and I must say the vast majority do not compare to myself or my peers in TFA in work ethic or personality. Sorry if that sounds snotty, but it just a fact. Now, that of course is my own, personal experience and I am sure you would not be classified as such

It's true that some of the "Graduate School Partnerships" are limited to TFA alumni, but some are more inclusive of other types of service. For example, Northeastern is listed as having a partnership with TFA and they gave me a "TFA scholarship," but I could have received the same scholarship (in the same amount) for similar community service experience. OP -- feel free to PM me with questions about some of the scholarships or loan forgiveness programs that are available to teachers.

[s0ph1e2007]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

I agree with you that TFA can be/is a wonderful and philanthropic opportunity for those who genuinely would appreciate utilizing the tool of education to improve the quality of living for those lacking proper resources. Thus, Adcomm members are certainly right to desire students who have done TFA and have proven that they care. On the same token, however, those who use TFA to pad their resumes and appeal to law schools are not only being dishonest with themselves and others but are also putting the lives of the youth at risk...especially the "teachers" who do the minimum 2 years and then bounce. These are kids' lives that are in the hands of recent college grads who, on plenty of occasions, have no genuine interest in education.

I guess I just get annoyed with people who use TFA to make themselves "better" candidates for LS.

Sure. That's wrong, but you have to remember it is not easy to be admitted to TFA. It's a long and detailed process that in the large majority of cases ensures that those involved are interested for the right reasons.
Also, just in case you were thinking of this as part of the reason you're wary of TFAers, the percentage of new teachers who continue teaching after two years is actually the same in TFA as it is for teachers at large, if not slightly higher from TFA.

[roguey]

I was mostly concerned with the more general scholarships that include americorps members and the like. I am just curious as to whether I would be able to qualify for the same scholarships as those who were in that program. I know it isn't much (usually about $7,000), but it would help me at a few of the schools that have admitted me.

About the loan forgiveness... I was married to a military officer, so I wasn't able to stay long enough to qualify for that, unfortunately.

[Vandypepe]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

I agree with you that TFA can be/is a wonderful and philanthropic opportunity for those who genuinely would appreciate utilizing the tool of education to improve the quality of living for those lacking proper resources. Thus, Adcomm members are certainly right to desire students who have done TFA and have proven that they care. On the same token, however, those who use TFA to pad their resumes and appeal to law schools are not only being dishonest with themselves and others but are also putting the lives of the youth at risk...especially the "teachers" who do the minimum 2 years and then bounce. These are kids' lives that are in the hands of recent college grads who, on plenty of occasions, have no genuine interest in education.

I guess I just get annoyed with people who use TFA to make themselves "better" candidates for LS.

ATO's post is an ignorant, poorly thought out and blatantly stupid comment. There are TFA members who do in fact join to pad their resumes, yet still serve and manage to do an extraordinarily great job teaching. Furthermore, there are many TFA'ers who join for the "right" reasons and fuck up royally.

If you honestly think with the logic indicated by your post, you should not be allowed anywhere near a student of any sort, nor in any school of law.

[ATOIsp07]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

I agree with you that TFA can be/is a wonderful and philanthropic opportunity for those who genuinely would appreciate utilizing the tool of education to improve the quality of living for those lacking proper resources. Thus, Adcomm members are certainly right to desire students who have done TFA and have proven that they care. On the same token, however, those who use TFA to pad their resumes and appeal to law schools are not only being dishonest with themselves and others but are also putting the lives of the youth at risk...especially the "teachers" who do the minimum 2 years and then bounce. These are kids' lives that are in the hands of recent college grads who, on plenty of occasions, have no genuine interest in education.

I guess I just get annoyed with people who use TFA to make themselves "better" candidates for LS.

ATO's post is an ignorant, poorly thought out and blatantly stupid comment. There are TFA members who do in fact join to pad their resumes, yet still serve and manage to do an extraordinarily great job teaching. Furthermore, there are many TFA'ers who join for the "right" reasons and fuck up royally.

If you honestly think with the logic indicated by your post, you should not be allowed anywhere near a student of any sort, nor in any school of law.

While I can understand your frustration, it still doesn't take away from the fact that TFAers also run the risk of doing an inadequate job of being mentors/teachers for the lives of the youth (especially those at-risk).

Calling my post "ignorant" and "stupid" is a bit extreme. I doubt I am the only person who shares the same opinion of a program such as TFA.

[roguey]

I can see how my first post came across as a little belligerent towards TfA. That was not my intention, and I apologize for starting a TfA bashing session in here. While researching scholarships, I have found that most schools have some sort of small scholarship, and it did make me a little irritated. The TfA participants I met were in it for the right reasons, though I felt truly sorry for the ones who ended up in my system. After the first two years, all of them left, but only 25% of the non-TfA teachers who started at the same time stayed past two years. I think the difference in staying power could partially be attributable to location (Memphis is a difficult city to live in if you aren't from there). Please don't bash TfAers. I did not mean for that to happen. There are asshats all over education... TfA is trying to do something positive, and a bad TfAer will be just as bad as a non-TfAer who is on an emergency license straight out of undergrad. I say bash PBIS being poorly implemented in inner-city high schools instead.

[Vandypepe]

Quite the contrary,
Adcoms across the board have stated explicity that they value TFAers very very highly.
Adcoms are very enthusiastic about TFAers they say because TFAers have done something substantial to prove that they care about their communities and value other peoples lives.
This commitment to community and others is something that Adcoms try to derive from millions of other little tidbits in peoples applications but immediately is evident in the application stating 2 yrs + in TFA.

I agree with you that TFA can be/is a wonderful and philanthropic opportunity for those who genuinely would appreciate utilizing the tool of education to improve the quality of living for those lacking proper resources. Thus, Adcomm members are certainly right to desire students who have done TFA and have proven that they care. On the same token, however, those who use TFA to pad their resumes and appeal to law schools are not only being dishonest with themselves and others but are also putting the lives of the youth at risk...especially the "teachers" who do the minimum 2 years and then bounce. These are kids' lives that are in the hands of recent college grads who, on plenty of occasions, have no genuine interest in education.

I guess I just get annoyed with people who use TFA to make themselves "better" candidates for LS.

ATO's post is an ignorant, poorly thought out and blatantly stupid comment. There are TFA members who do in fact join to pad their resumes, yet still serve and manage to do an extraordinarily great job teaching. Furthermore, there are many TFA'ers who join for the "right" reasons and fuck up royally.

If you honestly think with the logic indicated by your post, you should not be allowed anywhere near a student of any sort, nor in any school of law.

While I can understand your frustration, it still doesn't take away from the fact that TFAers also run the risk of doing an inadequate job of being mentors/teachers for the lives of the youth (especially those at-risk).

Calling my post "ignorant" and "stupid" is a bit extreme. I doubt I am the only person who shares the same opinion of a program such as TFA.

Any teacher can run the risk of being inadequate. In fact, some people suggest that the inadequacy of non-TFA teachers helped to facilitate and develop the TFA program.

Also, the fact that other people agree with you does not make your post any less stupid or ignorant.

Please think critically.

[ATOIsp07]

Any teacher can run the risk of being inadequate. In fact, some people suggest that the inadequacy of non-TFA teachers helped to facilitate and develop the TFA program.

Also, the fact that other people agree with you does not make your post any less stupid or ignorant.

Please think critically.

A.) The point of the program was to provide college graduates who desired a career in teaching to gain significant experience in teaching and, thus, improve the overall quality of teaching in public schools, etc. So while the current professional teachers are undermanned, underfunded and overworked, I highly doubt that TFA teachers can do a better job, especially those who leave the program after 2 years. TFA, while well-intentioned, is still a work in progress. You'd be a fool if you didn't think so.

B.) Although people may disagree with my sentiments reagrding TFA, there are also many people who would agree or at least understand my opinion.

C.) Please stop getting ultra-defensive. I'm, more or less, convinced that you're a nervous LS applicant who has just completed TFA.

Calm down, my son.

[roguey]

.

[Vandypepe]

Any teacher can run the risk of being inadequate. In fact, some people suggest that the inadequacy of non-TFA teachers helped to facilitate and develop the TFA program.

Also, the fact that other people agree with you does not make your post any less stupid or ignorant.

Please think critically.

A.) The point of the program was to provide college graduates who desired a career in teaching to gain significant experience in teaching and, thus, improve the overall quality of teaching in public schools, etc. So while the current professional teachers are undermanned, underfunded and overworked, I highly doubt that TFA teachers can do a better job, especially those who leave the program after 2 years. TFA, while well-intentioned, is still a work in progress. You'd be a fool if you didn't think so.

B.) Although people may disagree with my sentiments reagrding TFA, there are also many people who would agree or at least understand my opinion.

C.) Please stop getting ultra-defensive. I'm, more or less, convinced that you're a nervous LS applicant who has just completed TFA.

Calm down, my son.

I can see now that you're too damn stupid to understand why your claims fail on a basic level, so I'll stop trying. In future, however, you should try not to confuse someone recognizing that you're dumb with that person not understanding or agreeing with you.

I'm a corp member who got into my first choice school, not an applicant. Unlike you, I actually attend law school.

[Vandypepe]

To be honest, my arguments with education and teaching have more to do with the focus on intelligent teachers. The idea that someone with a bachelors degree from an ivy league school can teach elementary school better than a 60 year-old woman who has raised 4 children and is now retired with no degree makes no sense to me. I advocate a system where an emphasis is put on the quality of the person, not the amount of education a person has.

The problem with this idea is that you assume that being 60 and raising children makes you a good teacher, or at least better than someone who went to a school in a particular sports conference. It doesn't! One of the hurdles holding America's education system back is this stereotypical idea of who makes a good teacher that 1) helps leave poor teachers in the class room and 2) prevents people who would be good teachers from pursuing the profession.

[ATOIsp07]

Any teacher can run the risk of being inadequate. In fact, some people suggest that the inadequacy of non-TFA teachers helped to facilitate and develop the TFA program.

Also, the fact that other people agree with you does not make your post any less stupid or ignorant.

Please think critically.

A.) The point of the program was to provide college graduates who desired a career in teaching to gain significant experience in teaching and, thus, improve the overall quality of teaching in public schools, etc. So while the current professional teachers are undermanned, underfunded and overworked, I highly doubt that TFA teachers can do a better job, especially those who leave the program after 2 years. TFA, while well-intentioned, is still a work in progress. You'd be a fool if you didn't think so.

B.) Although people may disagree with my sentiments reagrding TFA, there are also many people who would agree or at least understand my opinion.

C.) Please stop getting ultra-defensive. I'm, more or less, convinced that you're a nervous LS applicant who has just completed TFA.

Calm down, my son.

I can see now that you're too damn stupid to understand why your claims fail on a basic level, so I'll stop trying. In future, however, you should try not to confuse someone recognizing that you're dumb with that person not understanding or agreeing with you.

I'm a corp member who got into my first choice school, not an applicant. Unlike you, I actually attend law school.

And here's my caring face....

[roguey]

That is actually what I am trying to say. Degrees do not equate to teaching skills. I ascribe more to the idea proposed by Haberman where the focus is not on education level, but on professional and life experience and getting older people into the classroom.

[Vandypepe]

That is actually what I am trying to say. Degrees do not equate to teaching skills. I ascribe more to the idea proposed by Haberman where the focus is not on education level, but on professional and life experience and getting older people into the classroom.

Haberman, as expressed by your post, is wrong. Older people can bomb in the classroom, and young teachers can excel. The opposite is also true. Point being, there are people who lack "life experience" who make excellent teachers.

I say that there is NO mold that makes a great teacher, and we should stop trying to look for one. Instead, let's work on filling classrooms with effective teachers.

[roguey]

That is actually what I am trying to say. Degrees do not equate to teaching skills. I ascribe more to the idea proposed by Haberman where the focus is not on education level, but on professional and life experience and getting older people into the classroom.

Haberman, as expressed by your post, is wrong. Older people can bomb in the classroom, and young teachers can excel. The opposite is also true. Point being, there are people who lack "life experience" who make excellent teachers.

I say that there is NO mold that makes a great teacher, and we should stop trying to look for one. Instead, let's work on filling classrooms with effective teachers.

There should be a focus on effective teachers, but at this point in time there is a focus on getting a warm body in the classroom. There is an overabundance of young teachers who leave within 5 years. State licensing policies have also placed too many unnecessary requirements on becoming a teacher, especially for those who are older and cannot attend graduate school at night while working full time during the day. Some schools offer programs during the summer or on weekends, but not every school system are close to these types of programs if they are close to any TEPs at all.

[radical4peace]

Just another note on loan forgiveness -- you don't have to teach for a significant period of time to qualify. If you have Perkins loans, you get loan forgiveness for *each year* you teach (if a low-income area, high-need subject, etc.) Stafford is a little pickier but there are loopholes to the 5-year requirement for loan forgiveness to kick in (I think high-need subjects?) Just sayin.

OP -- it's worth it to contact the schools you're interested in and see what kind of scholarship consideration your teaching might qualify you for. I'm sure some schools have a strict relationship just with TFA, but I'm also sure some schools have listed a "TFA scholarship" (like Northeastern) that is actually a broader "community service" award that has been extended to TFA alumni.

[Nom Sawyer]

A.) The point of the program was to provide college graduates who desired a career in teaching to gain significant experience in teaching and, thus, improve the overall quality of teaching in public schools, etc. So while the current professional teachers are undermanned, underfunded and overworked, I highly doubt that TFA teachers can do a better job, especially those who leave the program after 2 years. TFA, while well-intentioned, is still a work in progress. You'd be a fool if you didn't think so.

B.) Although people may disagree with my sentiments reagrding TFA, there are also many people who would agree or at least understand my opinion.

C.) Please stop getting ultra-defensive. I'm, more or less, convinced that you're a nervous LS applicant who has just completed TFA.

Sigh... AToi.. I think I've seen posts by you bashing TFA before... and from this it seems you haven't even done basic research on TFA and are basically making stuff out of thin air.

Ok let's see, in point A you say that TFA is aimed at students who desire a career in teaching. Utterly, utterly wrong, even a quick visit at http://www.teachforamerica.org shows their mission statement:

We recruit outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and career interests to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. We provide the training and ongoing support necessary to ensure their success as teachers in low-income communities.

Yet we know that enlisting additional high-quality teachers is not the ultimate solution. We believe that the best hope for ending educational inequity is to build a massive force of leaders in all fields who have the perspective and conviction that come from teaching successfully in low-income communities.

In fact, TFA is aimed at giving students across all fields a personal link to education that will stay with them even once they move on to other fields, thus yes they are aimed at people who might want to go to law school eventually.

Further, the TFA admissions progress is VERY rigorous.. much more so than law school admissions at least in terms of personal interviews and actual tryouts of applicant's teaching abilities. Their goal is to provide capable teachers to areas that might not get them otherwise... the key focus on areas which are desperately in need of almost any teacher is how TFA places students... how this results in bad teachers who might harm student's learning abilities more than not doing anything seems pretty paradoxical to me.

Thus from even a cursory glance, not many people would seem to agree with your opinion because its not grounded in reality... I have nothing to do with TFA and am not considering attending it, just wanted to clear the issue up for others in cases they were misguided by your comments.

[ATOIsp07]

A.) The point of the program was to provide college graduates who desired a career in teaching to gain significant experience in teaching and, thus, improve the overall quality of teaching in public schools, etc. So while the current professional teachers are undermanned, underfunded and overworked, I highly doubt that TFA teachers can do a better job, especially those who leave the program after 2 years. TFA, while well-intentioned, is still a work in progress. You'd be a fool if you didn't think so.

B.) Although people may disagree with my sentiments reagrding TFA, there are also many people who would agree or at least understand my opinion.

C.) Please stop getting ultra-defensive. I'm, more or less, convinced that you're a nervous LS applicant who has just completed TFA.

Sigh... AToi.. I think I've seen posts by you bashing TFA before... and from this it seems you haven't even done basic research on TFA and are basically making stuff out of thin air.

Ok let's see, in point A you say that TFA is aimed at students who desire a career in teaching. Utterly, utterly wrong, even a quick visit at http://www.teachforamerica.org shows their mission statement:

We recruit outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and career interests to commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. We provide the training and ongoing support necessary to ensure their success as teachers in low-income communities.

Yet we know that enlisting additional high-quality teachers is not the ultimate solution. We believe that the best hope for ending educational inequity is to build a massive force of leaders in all fields who have the perspective and conviction that come from teaching successfully in low-income communities.

In fact, TFA is aimed at giving students across all fields a personal link to education that will stay with them even once they move on to other fields, thus yes they are aimed at people who might want to go to law school eventually.

Further, the TFA admissions progress is VERY rigorous.. much more so than law school admissions at least in terms of personal interviews and actual tryouts of applicant's teaching abilities. Their goal is to provide capable teachers to areas that might not get them otherwise... the key focus on areas which are desperately in need of almost any teacher is how TFA places students... how this results in bad teachers who might harm student's learning abilities more than not doing anything seems pretty paradoxical to me.

Thus from even a cursory glance, not many people would seem to agree with your opinion because its not grounded in reality... I have nothing to do with TFA and am not considering attending it, just wanted to clear the issue up for others in cases they were misguided by your comments.

I never bashed TFA before, sir. Nor was I bashing it in this thread. I was just raising some issues within the program. And I have already been informed. Save your internet beef for someone else who gives a shit.