The Real World of Teach for America: Colleston Morgan - The Realist

Meet Harvard graduate Colleston Morgan. His first two years as a Teach for America teacher were highly successful. So why did he leave the classroom to pursue graduate school?

Follow 7 Teach for America recruits through their first two years on the job in New Orleans. Watch the full series here: bit.ly/bBn4Kw.

A Learning Matters production.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• teach
• for
• america
• tfa
• learning
• matters
• pbs
• new
• orleans
• katrina
• teaching
• daniel
• hoffman
• john
• merrow
• yale
• university
• wendy
• kopp
• colleston
• morgan

[Brooklyn3955]

to do it for many, many years of their lives. I hope if he and others do serve in education in the future they do not forget what they themselves have experienced in an inner city classroom.  It is not easy! There are tremendous obstacles that the teacher no matter how hard he or she tries cannot lift away. Yet we are there everyday and try.

[Brooklyn3955]

"He hopes someday to return to New Orleans and continue to work for education." Hopefully not to evaluate and play "gotcha" with teachers who have choosen to make teaching and inspiring students a LIFE CHOICE - not a two year gig - like Mr. Morgan. I commend Mr. Morgan and others like him for putting some time into teaching students in inner cities. I'd just like to remind him and others reading this that tens of thousands of nameless other teachers are doing it everyday and will continue

[grimjc]

Teach for America is a cult.

[MsJanetWood]

TYPO CORRECTION: " . . . are on our way . . ."

[MsJanetWood]

Listen closely to what Colleston Morgan says:

3:48 "Unfortunately, too many of us, by the time we actually get it right, are on are way back out the door to something else."

In other words, EXPERIENCE is crucial!  Each year, you get better and better.

According to Geograffy Canada, it takes at least 5 years to become a "MASTER TEACHER".

[meganw212]

Mr. Morgan is right that some talented TFA teachers leave the classroom after 2 or 3 or 4 years. However, like Mr. Morgan, many of these teachers go on to work toward systemic reform of public education. Just as much as effective classroom teachers, we need principals, politicians, lawyers, and businesspeople who are dedicated to fixing school systems.