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I was recently accepted into the 2013 Teach For America Cincinnati Corps. This is an honor in itself but the greater honor comes from knowing that I was selected to help such a dire problem in our country today. The education system in the United States has often been called the civil rights issue of our generation. Everyday, students are subjected to go to schools with low quality supplies, filthy conditions, and staff that does not care about the well-being of their students just because of the socioeconomic cards that they have been dealt at birth our through situational circumstances.
Teach For America's mission is to close the education gap in our country and provide students everywhere with a quality education. Today, over 16 million students face challenges that would baffle most adults. Those challenges directly impact their performance in the classroom especially if the school community is not helping to solve the problems that are faced at home. Fortunately, Teach For America was establish and has been committed to helping to solve this problem. By placing talented and driven individuals in low-performing classrooms, the culture of education for many students around the country has changed. Test scores have increased, crime rates have dropped, confidence has been boosted, and the future of these children have been brightened by the teachers who have agreed to be an answer to this epidemic in our country.
If you are a student, graduate student, or even a current professional, I highly encourage you to look into applying for Teach For America. It is an organization that is doing great things to solve a significant problem in our country. The injustice has to stop somewhere and it begins with those individuals who are willing to give in a big way. Please visit TeachForAmerica.Org to learn more about this wonderful organization and the impact that is has and will continue to have.
Jessica Bagby, of Hardin County, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is studying education and political science.