TO THE EDITOR:
A couple of days ago, The Daily Tar Heel published an article stating that the number of applicants to Teach For America had decreased both nationally and at UNC amid the nation’s recovery from the so-called Great Recession.
While the article failed to provide numbers to match their claims, they are indeed accurate.
Assistant Director of University Career Services Jacquelyn Gist stated that more opportunities for college grads in the job market (who now face an unemployment rate of only 2.6 percent) and a desire for career advancement are the causes of the downturn in applicants.
Personally, while I believe these reasons to be largely true, I find them both disheartening and reflective of misconceptions about Teach For America.
The idea that students are turning away from the cause of Teach For America because they can now more easily live comfortable lives in private sector work has deep implications for the education system in the United States.
As noted in the DTH article, TFA is often working in schools with severe teacher shortages.
