TFA in Pittsburgh

Do you feel like you're with your people?

I asked this of Charles, and I suppose of myself. Your people. Our people. I liked the way this question felt as it presented itself more rhetorically than literally. Charles didn't have to answer, but he did anyway.

A couple evenings ago we milled about the Shadow Lounge in Pittsburgh's East Liberty. Our getup didn't quite fit the ambiance of our surroundings. The bar: heavy candles and lush pillows, gothic chandeliers, ornate wall mountings, dim, sexy lighting. Us: square-framed glasses, scarves drooping like drapery, scuffed loafers, collared peaks outside cable knit sweaters. We looked uniformly preppy and young. Some with pens and notebooks at the ready, you know, just in case a teachable moment presented itself. Is it possible to look idealistic? I think we did. And the muted lighting only highlighted our similarities: all of us late twenties to mid thirties, all of us having served as Teach For America teachers around the country, and all of us, for whatever reason, finding ourselves in Pittsburgh.

There are around fifty TFA alumni in the Western Pennsylvania area. 50. Who knew? We came to Pittsburgh for various reasons, of course, but the most common seemed to be graduate school or a spouse/partner who ended up here for graduate school. While my Pittsburgh life has been spent writing about education, most of these folks are out there actually doing incredible work. Rock star work. Pittsburgh is lucky. I hope it knows that.

Among these rock stars: the Project Manager who was instrumental in starting the brand new Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, the guy who heads up the Edible Schoolyard Project in Pittsburgh schools, the Education Director of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, principals, board members, teachers, and several district-level employees who are spearheading projects and initiatives left and right. I am in awe of these people. I am in awe that they are here, in this city, and I didn't even know it. And their presence is a true testament to the long term effectiveness of TFA. Even though Pittsburgh isn't a TFA region (yet) TFA is still present and working for educational equity in a variety of ways right here.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt came to talk about the progress of the district and answer any of our questions. Pittsburgh Public School district is receiving a seriously hefty grant from the Gates Foundation that will be allocated solely to improve teacher effectiveness. Pittsburgh went through an intense selection process for this grant and is one of a very select group of districts to receive a chunk of the $500 million dollar campaign to cultivate better teachers. This is really exciting for Pittsburgh schools. TFA is centered around the notion that highly effective teachers in low performing classrooms is the ticket to stopping the perpetuation of low expectations and significantly changing the life paths of the most vulnerable students.

TFA in Pittsburgh. Hmm. Who knew? I like it. Pittsburgh earns a point in my grade book.