Pros
Looks good on a resume Good pay
Cons
You are NOT guaranteed a placement which isn’t something they tell you from the beginning. You will go through an intensive 6 week training over the summer and it will barely prepare you for the actual school year. There is little to no training on Special Education and in the schools you could possibly be placed in majority of your students will require some sort of differentiation and modification. They expect you to have 1.5 years growth with your students which is hard to do when they 3-5 years behind grade level. The coaches do the best they can to support you but are spread so thin that they barely have time to coach everyone when everyone would like coaching. Depending on the region you’re in they require you to be in grad school while you are struggling to be a successful first year teacher. The grad school isn’t watered down either. The work takes hours! Then you also have all these required meetings and retreats for Teach for America on your days off. The company stresses how important it is to take time for yourself but it’s impossible to do when you have to lesson plan, grade, go to meetings, do your own homework, and meet district requirements. If you love a high stress work environment where work becomes your life this is for you!
