Altruism, Lack of Jobs Drive Seniors to Teach for America

Months after the two presidential candidates came to campus to tout public service, increasing numbers of seniors are turning to such groups rather than exploring the job market.

Prompted by inequalities in American society—or sensing that the economic crisis limits their short-term career opportunities—young people are applying in force to such organizations as Teach for America. As of Nov. 10, TFA had received 92 applications this year from Columbia, as well as 45 from Barnard. Last year at this time, TFA had only received 53 from Columbia and 12 from Barnard.

Since 1989, TFA has lured college graduates away from high-paying entry-level positions in other industries with the promise of two years spent giving back. Although applicants’ interests range from public policy to history to economics, all aim to ensure that children in struggling urban or rural schools receive an adequate education.

But not all of TFA’s recent candidates are motivated purely by altruism. With many top firms in jeopardy, Columbia students who in other years would have landed prestigious internships or six-figure jobs are simply out of options.

Some new applicants are not even students. At a TFA interview session in October, Adil Ahmed, CC ’09, and Columbia College Student Council Vice President for Policy met a laid-off New Yorker in his mid-40s who had once served in the Albanian army. “He wants to teach so he can pay the bills,” Ahmed said.

But Ahmed is not put off by the additional competition presented by the surge in applications. “Today’s education system needs as many willing people as possible,” he said. “I don’t even view it as a threat. I think it’s a good thing that people want to contribute to society.”

Fellow applicant Rachael McMillan, CC ’09, cautioned against underestimating the program’s intensity. “I feel very strongly that if you want to do TFA, you must really want to do it,” she said. “I hope people are applying for the right reasons, since it’s very difficult. While I admire that a lot of people are applying, they have to realize that this is not a cakewalk.”

For most candidates, their interest in the position can be traced back to a single experience. McMillan recalled a spring break trip to New Orleans with the Columbia University College Democrats.

“A year and a half after Katrina, kids were still not going back to school,” she said. “Teachers weren’t coming back. For a school system that was having problems to begin with, this was just terrible.”

TFA recruiting director David Stanley, who interviews Columbia, Barnard, and Yale candidates, agreed that the Katrina crisis energized the organization. One in three New Orleans students, he said, is now taught by a TFA teacher. With so many problems affecting urban areas, Stanley emphasizes that TFA “wants to draw on people with diverse backgrounds.”

Although he concedes that many recent applicants are looking to TFA due to a severely stressed job market, he isn’t overly concerned. “Regardless of where our teachers come from, we have one goal: closing the achievement gap in the country,” he said. “We are excited about bringing in anyone who can help us reach that goal.”

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