Hello!

For those of you who may be interested, I wanted to share a personal announcement: an article I wrote has been published as the opening chapter in a new book entitled Teach For America Counter-Narratives: Alumni Speak Up and Speak Out (Peter Lang, 2015).

My chapter, “The TFA Bait and Switch: From ‘You’ll Be Making a Difference’ to ‘You’re Making Excuses'” details my experience with TFA after graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2013. It highlights the specific ways in which TFA knowingly and strategically baits young, idealistic college graduates into joining their organization, telling them they can improve students’ lives but then not providing the support or structure to make that difference a reality.

If you’d like to read about my story, a large excerpt from my chapter can be found here: http://www.alternet.org/education/teach-america-bait-and-switch-youll-be-making-difference-youre-making-excuses

The book is also available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-America-Counter-Narratives-Critical-Thinking/dp/1433128764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440100153&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+for+america+counter+narratives

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I’d love to talk about my experience and how it has impacted my work now.  I am very thankful that I have now found a place like Wee Friends in which I have the freedom to teach children in a caring, compassionate and effective way.

–Jessica