r/TeachforAmerica

Teach For America's Summer Institute is described by researchers and alumni as a "total institution" that uses intense, isolating methods and hyper-accountability to train teachers. The experience is often criticized for prioritizing ideological compliance, causing burnout, and forcing emotional vulnerability, as detailed by former corps members and academic studies. Expect a lot of fake enthusiasm and manipulation while they suck people in. TFA Massachusetts (New England) is run by very authoritarian white women who are as mean as they come. They don't care about the people they recruit and view them as expendable. It's all about the placement fees that desperate schools pay them to fill classrooms without teachers. There is a troubling trend of using unlicensed TFA people in classes with severely disabled kids. No training. It is technically illegal, and to be clear: kids don't come first. The vast majority of these students are black and disabled. The placement fee from the school is all they care about. The leadership is very cold and uncaring and has no problem abusing people who won't comply. It's pretty sick behind closed doors. Read the real exposés about this organization's culture. It is nothing like a standard teacher preparation program. It is described by corps members and researchers as more like Christian Science, which uses punishment and compliance to enforce its values.

TL;DR: After graduating college and relocating for a Teach For America placement, I spent my first year teaching 3rd–5th grade Science and P.E. at a severely dysfunctional school. I faced overwhelming workloads, disrespectful students, unprofessional coworkers, toxic administrators, a lack of support, a car accident that was met with indifference, an affair between school leadership and a favored teacher, a classroom with no A/C for seven months, and extreme burnout that damaged my physical and mental health. Despite wanting to quit, I stayed, helped my students make significant academic progress, survived while many colleagues left, and ultimately got approval to transfer schools. Now, although I am proud of persevering, I am still dealing with exhaustion, anxiety, and the lingering effects of the experience, and I am beginning therapy to heal before my second year.

Okay, buckle up. I really advise you to read the entire post, though. Pretty please.

It is hard to even put into words how challenging and destructive my first year has been. I am currently in the summer after a successful completion of my first year teaching. Even though I have requested to switch schools - have had a few good interviews - my nervous system has still not gone back to normal. I do not mean to be pessimistic (honestly), it’s not who I am. However, this past school year has quite literally been one of the worst years of my entire life. 

I graduated college in May 2025, and relocated states to begin my service the following June. Throughout the summer, I was so chipper and happy to have a job lined up post-graduation. I interviewed for a total of two schools. My first interview, I got placed the next day. Yet, due to a hiring freeze, two other CM’s and I were ultimately not hired there anymore. Towards the end of July, I had an interview with the School of Horrors. I came with a teaching portfolio, fully using my Political Science charm to my advantage. Completed a demo lesson (which was SO trash in hindsight), answered the most uninteresting interview questions, and was hired on the spot before getting a chance to even decide if this school was for me or not. Before the interview, I had expressed to another CM (who was placed in one of the network of schools) that I wouldn’t want this job as they pay less than the baseline TFA promised. This apparently made me seem classist for not wanting to be underpaid and overworked. 

The position I received was for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Science and P.E. Yes, three different grade levels and two different subjects. Still, I was naively positive. Just happy to have a job. Once the first day of school came, things were going “fine”. I was the only male teacher on my team. The school year started with six CM’s at my school. Two were directly on my team. One, was a girl from Maine (who had no idea how to deal with kids in our placement region - VAST culture difference) and had an allergy to latex. The other was a fellow HBCU grad who (at first) impressed me. She was a second year CM who switched to this school claiming her previous Principal was rude to her. 

The CM from Maine quit two weeks in as the school was not accommodating her Latex allergy. Also, she never taught the kids a single lesson for Social Studies as she was unable to command her class and spent the entire 90-minute block hollering. She was later replaced by a woman who lasted a whopping 4 days with our kids before calling it quits. Until finally, the school believed it would be great to hire an unmedicated Bipolar woman who literally gives elementary school kids her personal cell-phone number, facetimes with them, tells them about her sexcapades, and wrestles with the kids. However, she was the kid’s favorite teacher. 

Thinking back, my problems didn’t begin until after she was hired. It was difficult establishing rules to begin with, as most of our kids blatantly told us they come from schools where they did whatever they wanted. As a black man, I refused to be a lousy teacher and I held my students to high standards (no matter the level they were at to begin with). In my eyes, I was not strict, but I tried to give the kids structure. I wanted to be a good role model for the kids and I believe it worked until the new social studies teacher began roasting me in front of the kids and discussing my personal life with them. I, on multiple occasions, tried to set boundaries with her and explain how uncomfortable I was with her unprofessionalism, but she would blame her ADHD and unmedicated BPD as to why she wouldn’t listen to my requests. 

Over time, the kids began acting up in every class. While I had the least amount of “behavior problems” in my class due to structure, the kids began disrespecting me more. Talking about my hair, not following rules, or even walking out. One of the worst examples of their disrespect: I found out that a student had called me a p\*doph\*le. When I found out, I was so angry I didn’t even know what to do with myself. Obviously, it is a false claim and my school admin was supportive to me, yet it was still hurtful. In the meeting, the kids said that they were just joking. I don’t understand how, even as a fourth grader, calling anyone a pedo is funny. 

Teaching three grade levels is not for the weak. I would spend most days in the first two semesters, staying until 7p or 8p to finish lesson planning or grading. I always turned in my lesson plans, unit plans, and grades on time to meet my professional requirements. A fitness enthusiast (I’ve lost over 150lbs and kept it off), I began gaining weight back due to higher stress and not doing anything besides working and eating junk food and getting 3 hours of sleep daily. I claimed that I was simply “bulking”. My mental health completely TANKED. I didn’t even have time to take advantage of the free BetterHelp therapy sessions TFA so generously provided. 

My admin was extremely unprofessional, rude, and disrespectful to me. My direct supervisor was always dismissive to me when, in the beginning, I was the most eager employee on my team. I did my job to the best of my ability and was given shit for it. I was seen as “nerdy” for actually doing my job.

One morning, I was headed to work. It was raining. I was 2 minutes away from work when my car hydroplaned and my entire wheel and axle popped off. I immediately called my supervisor and told her I may be late to work since I’ve been in a car accident. She said “Okay, cool.” My coworker told me later that in our morning meeting that day when she told the team I may be late or off since I was in a car accident, everyone was concered for me. She eased their worries by quickly stating, “That nigga is fine”. 

I still came to work the same day, not even an HOUR after. I had oil all over my clothes since I had to pick up my wheel and axle out of the street. When I walked in, my supervisor said “Dang, you were on your hands and knees, huh?” She then laughed and walked away from me. Another time, she blew up on me after ipads went missing from my classroom. Mind you, I was gone for a week when the iPads were stolen due to catching the flu from the kids. The substitute never locked my room (or followed any of my sub plans) as instructed. 

Meanwhile, remember the second year CM on my team? Yeah, she was having sex with our main Principal (who has a wife and kid) in his office almost three times a week. Our team always wondered how she got away with never turning in her lesson plans, never teaching, or participating. This explains everything. My supervisor and her are Sorority sisters, therefore, she favored her over everyone on the team. They’d sit and talk about where they were going out to or what they did over the weekend. While our supervisor would have an attitude when I’d ask her questions relating to student success. She had a Teaching Assistant and Para who’d sit in her class every single day. She only taught two class periods, claiming 4th grade messed with her “anxiety”. However, with two planning periods, the kids had NO progression in ELA. We had to teach our kids how to write on the correct side of college ruled paper and what a complete sentence was. Keep in mind, we had 5th graders who could barely write their own name. Absolutely no progress with her students, yet she received all the benefits from admin. Funny how that works. 

Also, my classroom had NO A/C! For 7 months!! An average class size was 38 students. I would get reprimanded and threatened to be wrote up for having class in the hallway. One day, during an observation from TFA, one of my students had a SEIZURE in class due to heat exhaustion. 

The disrespect only grew as the year went on. I became more and more burnt out. The other CM’s were all fired or quit the school. Ultimately, I was the only first-year CM remaining at the school. I put in my request to switch in February, it was approved luckily. TFA was really no help in the beginning, until I began complaining so much to them. They saw how bad our CM’s were treated at that school and I am happy to report that TFA has officially cut ties with that school. No other first year has to deal with that shitty ass excuse for a school. It almost makes the suffering I endured worth it. 

While obviously, there is plenty of positives to my experience. Most students adored me, and I them. The students made SIGNIFICANT progress. I have grown so much through the year and am reflecting hard to come into my second year stronger. Even through their faults, I wouldn’t have survived this year without my two co-teachers (social studies and math). We are permanently trauma bonded. But, the negatives truly outweigh positives. I know, I made a T-chart lol. 

I am constantly tired, drained, and exhausted. My body always feels weak or in defense mode. I am sleeping more over this summer but I am not recovered fully yet and feel like I haven’t had a break. Also, it’s hard to break free from the trauma of that school. I’ll still wake up panicking that I haven’t prepared enough for a lesson or overslept. I want to completely erase the experience from my psyche truly. As if it never even happened, but it is not easy to do. 

Hopefully, writing this will officially get it off my chest. I am taking my first BetterHelp therapy session next week. I pray that I find healing through it. I can’t bring my current energy into my classroom next school year. I am thankful it happened though, as I truly do not believe it can get any worse. Yet, I am angry that it happened too. TFA should just be upfront about the reality we’re stepping into. A fake Practicum is not gonna prepare you for the classroom’s TFA places us in. They offer more problems than solutions. 

On the other note, I am proud that I didn’t quit. Most of my corps has quit and moved back home. I am happy to last but I am tired. Respectfully, I am exhausted. Proud of my work and the relationships I built, but I am exhausted. And no, I do not feel guilty at all. I am still human. I can be tired. I earned it. 

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

Teach for America dismissed me today because I missed more than 2 days of Practicum due to my seizure disorder. Mind you, I tried to come in multiple times last week and they sent me home each time. I feel like it was because of liability (they didn’t want to be responsible for me if I had a seizure) but either way. they dismissed me today and I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience.

So, if you’re a second year member, does your award all go to student loans??? I could’ve sworn we get a portion. Am i dumb?

****SEGAL