This defense, heartfelt and sincere as it may be, actually reveals the primary concerns most teachers have with TFA.

So, imagine for a moment that you remained in the classroom for 20 years or more, year after year, honing your methods, getting better with each lesson. You are a teacher, after all; this is what you’ve chosen to do and be. What you might come to understand in those years is that teaching is a craft, and all craft takes time and repeated effort. Those in administrative roles have different tasks within the school, not the classroom: finances, personnel management, community, buildings and supplies, and so on.

Along comes some group that says, ‘Uh, no. Teaching is pretty easy and can be mastered in a few weeks then applied for a few years and it’s all good. But the real need is for leadership above the teachers. So we’re going to get the whole ‘teaching’ thing out of the way as fast as we can and get ‘real’ educators into Leadership positions.”

“This shows what seems to be the main objective of the organization →take highly motivated and intelligent college students and then give them education experience so that they can improve the education system through leadership positions in businesses, nonprofits, and public education institutions.”