Seniors about to graduate have an opportunity to land jobs and boost their resumes at the same time.
Teach for America is a national program that hires newly graduated college students to teach in low-income schools, said Lin Mazor, UNM Teach for America representative. The next application deadline for the program is Jan. 8, but Mazor said interested students should begin completing the extensive application right away. Only college seniors who graduate in December or May can apply for the program, she said.
“The aim of this program is to take exceptional college graduates — people who would usually go into the work force or graduate school — and have them in the program for two years,” Mazor said. “Students in low-income communities could then have the same benefits as students in high-income communities.”
Mazor said only one out of 10 students from low-income areas go to college, compared to nine out of 10 from high-income areas.
“That’s where the injustice and inequalities begin,” Mazor said. “It starts at an early age — in preschool and kindergarten. Right away they’re being put behind their peers.”
Mazor said students accepted into the program rank their preferences for the grade they want to teach — elementary through high school — and location in the United States.
Once accepted, students go through six weeks of intensive training, which prepares them for two years of teaching in the classroom.
Lucia Cook, UNM Teach for America representative, said 60 students from UNM applied to the program last year and seven were accepted.
Graduates are usually paid between $35,000 and $45,000 per year, Mazor said, although it depends on the school district they are working in. Students also get a stipend when they finish the program.
“You get a $10,000 education stipend to use for graduate school, study abroad, pay off student loans from your undergraduate degree — anything that has to do with education,” she said.
Senior Mark Probasco said he applied to the program because he wanted to change the cycle of education in the U.S. He said the best teachers usually end up teaching in high-income areas because the pay is better.
“I think education in this country is an incredibly important issue,” Probasco said. “We’re a democratic society and we have public education, but the funds provided for each school is based on property taxes. What ends up happening is people living in relatively affluent areas have better education opportunities than those in rural or low income areas.”
Probasco said he wants to give kids in low-income communities the same opportunities he had when growing up.
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“Teachers were always a really big part of my life by inspiring me and motivating me to go through school and succeed,” he said. “So I guess it’s more of a passion for making sure that people receive good education.”
Probasco said he wants to teach in New Orleans or Washington, D.C. He’ll find out if Teach for America accepted him in the next few months.
Cook said UNM’s diverse student body prepares applicants for future teaching challenges.
“We have so much diversity at this school and that’s what we need in low-income schools, too — teachers that are diverse,” Cook said.
Cook said many businesses, graduate schools and professional schools are more likely to hire Teach for America alumni.
“Teach for America is a way to make a difference right out of college,” she said. “You’re in the workforce. You’re making a huge difference in the lives of your students. You’re also learning a lot. I’ve heard that teaching in a low-income school is probably one of the most difficult things you could ever do.”
Mazor said students who want to make a difference in the lives of kids and still get the work experience they need for future jobs are perfect Teach for America candidates. She said every child deserves a quality education.
“Most sixth graders are reading the Diary of Anne Frank and doing pre-algebra, she said. “Kids in low income communities are doing times tables and reading Dr. Seuss books. We need to change that.”
*Apply to Teach for America
www.TeachForAmerica.org*
