Each morning, teacher and 2005 UCSD alumna Heather Howerton asks her first-grade students to stand up and follow along in reciting a special pledge: “”We are on a ship sailing to success. We are going to listen to our teacher, so we can get where we need to be and be as smart as we can be. We are going to make good choices, so we don’t waste any time, and we will be polite, respectful and kind. We know that learning is like treasure for your mind. When you work hard it is treasure you will find.””
This pledge is just a small piece of Howerton’s creative curriculum, which is aimed at achieving five main goals in education for her first graders.
“”I have our goals posted on the wall and decorated with a pirate theme,”” Howerton said. “”The goals are surrounded by treasure, and there is a ship moving toward that treasure. It’s a fun way of getting [my students] excited about making progress.””
Last year, Howerton was stationed in a low-income elementary school in Las Vegas and is just one of the 4,000 corps members teaching at underprivileged schools through the Teach for America program. This rapidly growing institution is committed to bridging the achievement gap within the American educational system by offering recent college graduates a two-year position in one of 25 regions across the United States. Although Howerton is able to incorporate her own creative flair into her curriculum, she admits her task is challenging.
“”Only about 23 percent of our students are up to par with their grade level,”” Howerton said. “”Even in first grade I get students who are about a year behind. They didn’t know the alphabet, couldn’t write their name and couldn’t tell me if the number nine was a letter or a number. But I was able to make 1.8 years of growth with my students in reading and it’s definitely really rewarding when you see the progress you’ve made.””
While these alarming issues are prevalent in many low-income schools in the United States, the program attempts to increase awareness of the lesser-known inequalities within public education. Teach for America Communications Director Emily Del Pino is responsible for building awareness of the program’s movement to work toward the goal of equal-opportunity education.
“”Today, half of 9-year-olds growing up in low-income communities won’t graduate from high school,”” Del Pino said. “”Those who do graduate will, on average, read and do math at the level of eighth graders in higher-income communities. We can’t afford to let this happen to a generation of children simply because of where they were born. This achievement gap can be closed if we give all students the opportunities they deserve.””
Teach for America continues to make progress in education through its growing base of participants, stationing approximately 17,000 corps members throughout its 16 years of existence with 4,400 current members. It has become an increasingly attractive option for recent college graduates, providing a rewarding and beneficial experience while allowing students to contribute to the disparities within the U.S. education system. Eleanor Roosevelt College senior Jeff Lawley, who was recently accepted into the Teach for America program, explained his choice to contribute to education.
“”I think it is important to realize Teach for America is not a short-term solution,”” Lawley said. “”Corps members may only work for two years teaching, but their experience translates across the rest of their careers, impacting social policy, business, medicine, health, law and other areas, which ultimately help to address the social inequity that yields educational inequity. Whether I decide to be a teacher for the rest of my life or go on to another career, I know that my experience with Teach for America will make me a lifelong advocate for educational equality, because all kids in America deserve the right to an excellent education.””
