What School Movies and TFA Teach Us About Who Should Teach Urban Youth

Abstract

White teacher savior films (WTSFs) depict the teaching profession as one for which conventional credentialing is unnecessary. White teachers with little training and experience perform miracles in urban classrooms where trained, experienced teachers have failed. This same narrative is echoed in alternative credential programs such as Teach For America (TFA). This article compares the WTSF and TFA narratives with the educational research and finds inconsistencies that unravel the myth. The author suggests that the WTSF and TFA narratives serve instead as public pedagogy, teaching movie-goers that urban schools need only well-meaning, less expensive, underqualified and inexperienced White teachers despite the research showing otherwise.

I Can’t Be Racist—I Teach in an Urban School, and I’m a Nice White Lady!

“…In response, white educators often fall victim to "white saviority" where, as Matias (2013) explains, "white teachers believe they are loving their students of color when, in fact, they may be fulfilling their own narcissistic need to save them" (p. 72). Through a compulsion to serve in low-income, urban schools or through programs such as Teach for America (TFA) (Cann, 2015), this savior complex can further alienate them from their students and the community in which they teach (Dixson, Buras & Jeffers, 2015;Matias, 2013;Matias & Liou, 2015).…”

Legitimizing the Dilettante: Teach For America and the Allure of Ed Cred

“…To be sure, the hero teacher narrative is also common among teachers who have never applied to or considered TFA (Cann, 2013;Dumas, 2013). As pop culture tropes, these conceptualizations of individual (usually white) heroism in education have broad appeal and may shape the assumptions of many people, whether or not they work in education or policymaking.…”

“…TFA recruits graduating college seniors-usually with majors other than education-from prestigious universities (Blumenreich & Rogers, 2016;Scott, Trujillo, & Rivera, 2016;Trujillo & Scott, 2014). The program is highly selective, and many consider acceptance to be an honor (Cann, 2013;Kretchmar, 2014;McAdam & Brandt, 2009). In the current landscape of education reform, TFA is ubiquitous--it offers a response to staffing shortages in urban and rural schools (Cloud & Fastenberg, 2010) and teacher preparation reform (Sawchuk, 2015;Veltri, 2012).…”

“…The dominant narrative around TFA is a heartwarming story of noble white teachers battling long odds in a classroom full of Black and Brown 2 children with no hope (Barnes et al, 2016;Cann, 2013), but a recent collection of tell-all narratives of former corps members (CM) revealed a less idealistic reality (Brewer & deMarrais, 2015). One critique of TFA has been the tendency of its CMs to leave teaching after the 2-year commitment, resulting in a kind of revolving door of novice teachers in schools that need continuity and expertise (Brewer, 2014;Laczko-Kerr & Berliner, 2002).…”

“…Determining TFA's effectiveness depends on whether applicants consider it a teacher-preparation program, a teacher recruitment initiative, or a training ground for political leadership. CMs will likely spend only a brief time in the classroom and then pursue careers in politics, law, or public policy (Blumenreich & Rogers, 2016;Cann, 2013;Jacobsen, White, & Reckhow, 2016), so it is possible that CMs are driven by something more than or different from the hero teacher narrative-something more about convenience and credibility than competence. Because researchers such as Matsui (2015) have problematized the hero teacher narrative, it is important for educators and policymakers to know more about the motivations of TFA teachers who are placed in their schools.…”