Teach for America motivates children to succeed (sidebar)

By: Dina Halligan, Jennifer Wilson, and Meghan Hutchinson

In America, 16 million children face poverty every day. A child’s economic background obviously affects every area of his or her life. But an increasing body of evidence disregards the idea that kids cannot succeed because of money and shows that children from poor families can achieve at the highest levels of education. It suggests that students living in poverty can succeed, as long as there is someone to push them. That is where Teach for America steps in.

Lack of motivation is a big part of why kids succeed or fail in school. A truly dedicated teacher can often help his or her students become motivated and inspire them to achieve. Teach for America’s mission is to ensure that children living in poverty get a quality education by providing them with outstanding teachers who are dedicated to helping them learn. The organization has shown improvement and success in areas all around the country.

For example, in New Orleans, only 30 percent of students scored at the basic or above level on statewide tests in 2000. Since that year, Teach for America has become increasingly more involved in the area. As of 2010, 53 percent of students from the same schools scored at or above the basic level on statewide tests.

This evidence suggests that it is possible for children to do well, even if they come from a poor background or don’t attend the best schools.

Christopher Johnson, English teacher at Itawamba Agricultural High School, believes that students can achieve greatness if they have teachers who want to see them succeed.

“Many students in Mississippi do not have the same opportunities that kids in other states have,” said Johnson. “But that doesn’t mean they can’t perform at the same levels.”

Teach for America volunteers strive to help children do just that.

Mary Alex Street, an Ole Miss senior majoring in liberal arts, has decided to become a part of Teach for America starting next year. She said that she got involved with Teach for America because it was an organization she heard about in high school and it was something she immediately knew she wanted to apply for after graduation.

“When I heard about the internship at Ole Miss I immediately applied and was very, very lucky to get it,” Street said.

“Mississippi has got to do something about its public schools and I think Teach for America has done a great job of bringing people from all over the country and even right down the road to schools in Mississippi that desperately need motivated and excited young people.”

Street encourages Ole Miss students to get involved with the Teach for America.

“This is the perfect opportunity for Ole Miss students because we are right in the middle of it. There is so much potential for leadership and initiative in our state and Ole Miss alumnae should be the ones who start that change, and the classroom is a perfect place for that to start.”

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