Miguel Said:

With Teach for America do you actually teach classes by yourself or do you do work as a teaching assistent?

We Answered:

The volunteers in Teach for America teach the classes by themselves in most cases.

There are good things about this program and things which are slightly problemmatic (in my opinion). These teachers are fairly successful compared to others in the schools where they are located but you should understand that many of those working in the schools where they are located are not qualified teachers either. Therefore, they do better than people pulled in off the street but not necessarily better than a trained teacher. I applaud the intention but see it as a bit of a band-aid. I know that in some instances, they are placed in situations where they really are not prepared for the specialized needs of some of their students. Of course, an underprepared person with a good attitude and a good education is better than an unprepared person without even a good attitude or education.

In an ideal world, we would have enough highly qualified teachers that this program would not be needed. Of course, America actually does have enough highly qualifed teachers but many of them leave the profession in the first five years and/or refuse to work in some of the schools where Teach for America teachers are placed ... Those are problems that this program can't fix.

Check their website at http://www.teachforamerica.org/

Karen Said:

What's the name of the program similar to Teach for America where high school students spend a summer teaching?

We Answered:

does not exist.

either you are remembering it incorrectly or you have the details wrong.

high school students? teachers are required by every state to have advanced degrees. TFA is BA minimum, 2 years of intensive training - no one starts at 0 college and then 12 weeks.

12 weeks? what school do you think only runs for 12 weeks? and why would anyone accept a teacher who will be there less than a full semester?

Daryl Said:

Other programs like Nashville Teaching Fellows and Teach for America?

We Answered:

Yes, there's one in Memphis: http://www.memphisteachingfellows.org/ There are also several other cities in the eastern U.S. that have Teaching Fellows Programs including DC, Philly, and New York.

Joshua Said:

Who is given credit for teaching America's children how to spell "encyclopedia"?

We Answered:

Jiminny Cricket! In a recurring segment of the children's television series Mickey Mouse Club, he taught a generation how to spell e-n-c-y-c-l-o-p-e-d-i-a.