Wendy Kopp

This book was surprisingly better than anticipated. I was expecting the same dry run through of Teach for America as an organization full of history and public relations lines. Instead, I got an insightful and complication look at the current state of education affairs that was more inquisitive than prescriptive. Whatever you think of the author and organization, it is a testament to some of the amazing things happening in the education profession.

As for the audio edition itself, the reader show more was not all that great. Her efforts to lower her voice when reading male quotes was particularly grating. As with most audiobooks, however, eventually you get used to it and can drown it out. show less

In many ways, this book was hard to classify. It is partly historical - with it's concentration on the founding and progress of Teach for America, partly memoir - with Kopp reflecting on her experiences within the educational system including good examples of teachers and systems that have defied the odds and made a difference, and partly instructive non-fiction - with certain chapters outlined in the manner of a "how to" manual on reformative education.

Even though it got a bit repetitive show more towards the end (yes, we get it, people are the most important part of the system), it was never dry, it kept my attention, and Kopp certainly proved (and reinforced) her thesis in a manner that made it seem both reasonable and inspirational - a hard mix to obtain in a non-fiction text.

In addition, the audiobook was narrated well. It gave some life to a text that might have been tough to pursue in another format. show less

This book wavers between memoir of the first 20 years of Teach for America and a call to action to change the education system in the United States. I have heard of Teach for America before but didn't know much about it so those sections of the book were very interesting.

The author gives several examples of "transformational teaching" in mostly poor communities. She highlights the problems we have by comparing these transformational teachers with everyday teachers. What makes someone a show more "transformational teacher" and how can we find more of them? I thought that the author had some good ideas and found it refreshing that she didn't have an obvious political ax to grind. Her goal: give each child the best education possible.

I found myself thinking about my struggling teenager. He definitely does not have a transformational teacher in his classroom now as described in the book. These "transformational teachers" work crazy hours on nights, weekends and over the summer to get kids caught up. How are we going to find thousands of teachers willing to do this? Unfortunately, the book doesn't provide that answer but the author hopes that a large expansion of Teach for America will help. show less

In the interest of disclosure, I must first admit that I am a Teach for America alumnus (and in fact you can see my face on the cover, it's in the "O") and thus have an attachment to this story because it brings me back to a certain time in my life. Wendy Kopp's memoir, is part-chronicle, part-inspirational work on her founding of Teach for America. She details the birth of the idea, the various obstacles she encountered, and the hectic lives of people working for a small NGO start-up trying show more to transform into a national movement. Although I didn't enjoy the writing itself so much, and the story becomes repititious as Wendy Kopp deals with constant financial and fund-raising woes, the story itself is really quite remarkable. Wendy discusses with candor how Teach for America struggled, how they over-reached with side projects, and eventually how they became a model organization. The book is easily read in a few hours and illustrates the ups and downs to be experienced by any starting development organization. Anyone with a passing interest in educational reform or in joining the Teach for America movement would benefit from a read. Although I haven't taught in several years, upon closing the cover, I recovered the sense of admiration and respect that I have both for Teach for America's founders and for all teachers struggling in under-resourced school districts. show less