3 Things White People Learn Working For Teach For America

Thinking about applying for Teach for America? Want to make a difference? White? Prepare yourself with humility and respect! Otherwise, you'll be eaten alive.

3 Things White People Learn Working at Teach For America

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YOU are a part of the problem

Despite your well-intentions, strong background as an activist for multiculturalism in college, and sunny disposition, you ARE white. This means that automatically, you have inherent privileges that separate you from people of color, and place you in a socially dominant position. You will never be able to connect with your students from urban areas, because you, my friend, are just another cracker. You mad, bro? Sorry, that's the way the white cookie crumbles...

Culturally Relevant Teaching

You'll hear a lot of clever acronyms thrown around by TFA staff, best of which, is CRT. While other corps members are organized into professional development groups like "Emotional Support," or "STEM Field Innovation" you'll find yourself in a room full of pale-faced, red-headed, white folks, all being told that they need to learn to be less "White." Teaching kids in TFA isn't about being yourself, whitie! You can't march into an urban classroom and preach about your love for Hawthorne Heights, or marshmallows. It just doesn't work. So, learn to be culturally relevant by shunning your natural white instincts--you'll have a better shot!

Be inclusive.

You can never use language that excludes, offends, or marginalizes ANYBODY. Therefore, you'll start by eliminating certain words and phrases from your vocabulary, including, but not limited to the following: she, he, you guys, bitch, butch etc. This is certainly not a bad thing, until you realize that the only alternative for addressing a group of kids to "You guys," is the southern-inspired "Ya'll." Kids will go from chuckling, to questioning your heritage, to immediately assuming you're a racist in five seconds flat. Go ahead, be inclusive, but remember that nothing you do will erase that pasty complexion!

May the odds be ever in your favor...