Don't Be Inspired, Be Committed

The one thing I learned today, more than anything else, is that the next two years are going to be the most challenging of my life. The majority of the first day of induction was spent in sessions where the staff explained everything from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District to the objectives of the next six weeks. It was a lot to take in but it was also great to hear about the direct impact TFA has had on the city of Charlotte and to meet so many other people who are passionate about this movement.
From what we've been told today, we as corps members are extremely lucky in Charlotte. The Board of Ed and its superintendent are extremely receptive to the Teach for America program. In many regions around the country, veteran teachers and administrators look at TFA corps members as naive, ambitious and unrealistic in the expectations that they set for students. Here in Charlotte, however, the entire district is aligned with the TFA mission of giving every student the opportunity to attain an excellent education. The number of institutions that are willing to work with corps members here, and the opportunities for success are so high, that it is predicted the achievement gap in Charlotte could potentially be closed within the next 5 years. That is amazing! And when it is coupled with the fact that the corps has only been here for six years, its even more incredible.
Tonight, during out welcoming ceremony, the highest performing principal in the county spoke to us about our commitment to closing the achievement gap. She is the principal at the lowest ranked middle school in the state and has several corps members working for her. Listening to her speech, she brought up a point that I have never heard mentioned when talking about TFA. When you speak with TFA people and other corps members, or you try to explain its mission to friends and family, you find yourself constantly talking about how you're committing two years to working with low income students and bringing them up to level. But tonight, this woman said that there is a very real and distinct difference between being inspired to do something and being committed to doing something. To be inspired, you feel morally obligated to help a situation and do what is asked, when it is asked. To be committed, you are willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve the results you want and you refuse to give in and accept defeat. She challenged us to do some soul searching and make sure that each of us was committed to Teach for America and not inspired by it. It's an interesting theory and definitely something to keep in mind over the next six weeks and the next two years.