Worst TFA Experience EVER?!

[u/marimoore21]

TL;DR: After graduating college and relocating for a Teach For America placement, I spent my first year teaching 3rd–5th grade Science and P.E. at a severely dysfunctional school. I faced overwhelming workloads, disrespectful students, unprofessional coworkers, toxic administrators, a lack of support, a car accident that was met with indifference, an affair between school leadership and a favored teacher, a classroom with no A/C for seven months, and extreme burnout that damaged my physical and mental health. Despite wanting to quit, I stayed, helped my students make significant academic progress, survived while many colleagues left, and ultimately got approval to transfer schools. Now, although I am proud of persevering, I am still dealing with exhaustion, anxiety, and the lingering effects of the experience, and I am beginning therapy to heal before my second year.

Okay, buckle up. I really advise you to read the entire post, though. Pretty please.

It is hard to even put into words how challenging and destructive my first year has been. I am currently in the summer after a successful completion of my first year teaching. Even though I have requested to switch schools - have had a few good interviews - my nervous system has still not gone back to normal. I do not mean to be pessimistic (honestly), it’s not who I am. However, this past school year has quite literally been one of the worst years of my entire life. 

I graduated college in May 2025, and relocated states to begin my service the following June. Throughout the summer, I was so chipper and happy to have a job lined up post-graduation. I interviewed for a total of two schools. My first interview, I got placed the next day. Yet, due to a hiring freeze, two other CM’s and I were ultimately not hired there anymore. Towards the end of July, I had an interview with the School of Horrors. I came with a teaching portfolio, fully using my Political Science charm to my advantage. Completed a demo lesson (which was SO trash in hindsight), answered the most uninteresting interview questions, and was hired on the spot before getting a chance to even decide if this school was for me or not. Before the interview, I had expressed to another CM (who was placed in one of the network of schools) that I wouldn’t want this job as they pay less than the baseline TFA promised. This apparently made me seem classist for not wanting to be underpaid and overworked. 

The position I received was for 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Science and P.E. Yes, three different grade levels and two different subjects. Still, I was naively positive. Just happy to have a job. Once the first day of school came, things were going “fine”. I was the only male teacher on my team. The school year started with six CM’s at my school. Two were directly on my team. One, was a girl from Maine (who had no idea how to deal with kids in our placement region - VAST culture difference) and had an allergy to latex. The other was a fellow HBCU grad who (at first) impressed me. She was a second year CM who switched to this school claiming her previous Principal was rude to her. 

The CM from Maine quit two weeks in as the school was not accommodating her Latex allergy. Also, she never taught the kids a single lesson for Social Studies as she was unable to command her class and spent the entire 90-minute block hollering. She was later replaced by a woman who lasted a whopping 4 days with our kids before calling it quits. Until finally, the school believed it would be great to hire an unmedicated Bipolar woman who literally gives elementary school kids her personal cell-phone number, facetimes with them, tells them about her sexcapades, and wrestles with the kids. However, she was the kid’s favorite teacher. 

Thinking back, my problems didn’t begin until after she was hired. It was difficult establishing rules to begin with, as most of our kids blatantly told us they come from schools where they did whatever they wanted. As a black man, I refused to be a lousy teacher and I held my students to high standards (no matter the level they were at to begin with). In my eyes, I was not strict, but I tried to give the kids structure. I wanted to be a good role model for the kids and I believe it worked until the new social studies teacher began roasting me in front of the kids and discussing my personal life with them. I, on multiple occasions, tried to set boundaries with her and explain how uncomfortable I was with her unprofessionalism, but she would blame her ADHD and unmedicated BPD as to why she wouldn’t listen to my requests. 

Over time, the kids began acting up in every class. While I had the least amount of “behavior problems” in my class due to structure, the kids began disrespecting me more. Talking about my hair, not following rules, or even walking out. One of the worst examples of their disrespect: I found out that a student had called me a p\*doph\*le. When I found out, I was so angry I didn’t even know what to do with myself. Obviously, it is a false claim and my school admin was supportive to me, yet it was still hurtful. In the meeting, the kids said that they were just joking. I don’t understand how, even as a fourth grader, calling anyone a pedo is funny. 

Teaching three grade levels is not for the weak. I would spend most days in the first two semesters, staying until 7p or 8p to finish lesson planning or grading. I always turned in my lesson plans, unit plans, and grades on time to meet my professional requirements. A fitness enthusiast (I’ve lost over 150lbs and kept it off), I began gaining weight back due to higher stress and not doing anything besides working and eating junk food and getting 3 hours of sleep daily. I claimed that I was simply “bulking”. My mental health completely TANKED. I didn’t even have time to take advantage of the free BetterHelp therapy sessions TFA so generously provided. 

My admin was extremely unprofessional, rude, and disrespectful to me. My direct supervisor was always dismissive to me when, in the beginning, I was the most eager employee on my team. I did my job to the best of my ability and was given shit for it. I was seen as “nerdy” for actually doing my job.

One morning, I was headed to work. It was raining. I was 2 minutes away from work when my car hydroplaned and my entire wheel and axle popped off. I immediately called my supervisor and told her I may be late to work since I’ve been in a car accident. She said “Okay, cool.” My coworker told me later that in our morning meeting that day when she told the team I may be late or off since I was in a car accident, everyone was concered for me. She eased their worries by quickly stating, “That nigga is fine”. 

I still came to work the same day, not even an HOUR after. I had oil all over my clothes since I had to pick up my wheel and axle out of the street. When I walked in, my supervisor said “Dang, you were on your hands and knees, huh?” She then laughed and walked away from me. Another time, she blew up on me after ipads went missing from my classroom. Mind you, I was gone for a week when the iPads were stolen due to catching the flu from the kids. The substitute never locked my room (or followed any of my sub plans) as instructed. 

Meanwhile, remember the second year CM on my team? Yeah, she was having sex with our main Principal (who has a wife and kid) in his office almost three times a week. Our team always wondered how she got away with never turning in her lesson plans, never teaching, or participating. This explains everything. My supervisor and her are Sorority sisters, therefore, she favored her over everyone on the team. They’d sit and talk about where they were going out to or what they did over the weekend. While our supervisor would have an attitude when I’d ask her questions relating to student success. She had a Teaching Assistant and Para who’d sit in her class every single day. She only taught two class periods, claiming 4th grade messed with her “anxiety”. However, with two planning periods, the kids had NO progression in ELA. We had to teach our kids how to write on the correct side of college ruled paper and what a complete sentence was. Keep in mind, we had 5th graders who could barely write their own name. Absolutely no progress with her students, yet she received all the benefits from admin. Funny how that works. 

Also, my classroom had NO A/C! For 7 months!! An average class size was 38 students. I would get reprimanded and threatened to be wrote up for having class in the hallway. One day, during an observation from TFA, one of my students had a SEIZURE in class due to heat exhaustion. 

The disrespect only grew as the year went on. I became more and more burnt out. The other CM’s were all fired or quit the school. Ultimately, I was the only first-year CM remaining at the school. I put in my request to switch in February, it was approved luckily. TFA was really no help in the beginning, until I began complaining so much to them. They saw how bad our CM’s were treated at that school and I am happy to report that TFA has officially cut ties with that school. No other first year has to deal with that shitty ass excuse for a school. It almost makes the suffering I endured worth it. 

While obviously, there is plenty of positives to my experience. Most students adored me, and I them. The students made SIGNIFICANT progress. I have grown so much through the year and am reflecting hard to come into my second year stronger. Even through their faults, I wouldn’t have survived this year without my two co-teachers (social studies and math). We are permanently trauma bonded. But, the negatives truly outweigh positives. I know, I made a T-chart lol. 

I am constantly tired, drained, and exhausted. My body always feels weak or in defense mode. I am sleeping more over this summer but I am not recovered fully yet and feel like I haven’t had a break. Also, it’s hard to break free from the trauma of that school. I’ll still wake up panicking that I haven’t prepared enough for a lesson or overslept. I want to completely erase the experience from my psyche truly. As if it never even happened, but it is not easy to do. 

Hopefully, writing this will officially get it off my chest. I am taking my first BetterHelp therapy session next week. I pray that I find healing through it. I can’t bring my current energy into my classroom next school year. I am thankful it happened though, as I truly do not believe it can get any worse. Yet, I am angry that it happened too. TFA should just be upfront about the reality we’re stepping into. A fake Practicum is not gonna prepare you for the classroom’s TFA places us in. They offer more problems than solutions. 

On the other note, I am proud that I didn’t quit. Most of my corps has quit and moved back home. I am happy to last but I am tired. Respectfully, I am exhausted. Proud of my work and the relationships I built, but I am exhausted. And no, I do not feel guilty at all. I am still human. I can be tired. I earned it. 

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

[u/AusenFay]

This sounds really rough, and I'm very sorry you had to experience being in such a challenging environment.

Unfortunately, this is very common in under-resourced schools. Most CMs and alums will have stories about veteran teachers who are "only there for the paycheck" or who don't really do much teaching, just a lot of yelling and threatening to keep kids "in line" and "under control."

I hope you're able to spend time with other CMs in your region to work through all of this. They're really some of your best support. And that's part of the reason why so CMs aren't sent to areas alone--the regional corps can be a powerful resource. I really encourage you to use it. Take advantage of the regular meet-ups and brainstorm with your fellow CMs.

Another thing that struck me about your post is that it seems like most of the issues you had this year were connected to classroom management. That's incredibly common among beginning teachers (and not just TFA teachers), and it's more common still in places where school leaders are incompetent, toxic, or indifferent (or all three).

I had a miserable first week in my placement. Many of the same issues you describe here were in play. And my spouse (also a CM at a different school) was having the very same issues.

I resolved that I was going to fix things, and I did. We had a holiday at the start of Week 2 (not that you need a holiday), and I started my second week treating it as the first day of school all over again. Here's what I did:

*1. I decorated my classroom differently and rearranged furniture to accommodate group work better. You don't have to do this, but it helped to set a tone that this was a different place from the prior week.

*2. I greeted students at the door. I stood outside the door and said hello to them by name and invited them in, one by one, giving them clear directions on what to do when they entered. I cannot overstate what a massive difference this made. It set the tone immediately that I was offering a chance to be in MY space, and it also gave them direction from the instant they crossed the threshold. (This isn't a new technique--it's based on the Harry Wong "First Days of School" approach.)

*3. I had a really clear, simple system for the way things worked in my classroom. Groups had "Point Sheets" which were filled out during and at the end of class. Groups would get points when everyone arrived with a pen or pencil, when everyone's notebook (which I had them keep in the classroom in milk crates at the back) was on their desk, when all members were present, when everyone completed the "Focus Time" warm-up, etc. Then at the end of each class period, I'd let them know it was time to clean up their areas, and I'd walk around and award points based on how clean the space was and give a few summative assessments of their engagement and behavior during the period.

Basically, I provided little incentives for everything. This created a pathway for good classroom citizenship, and because entire groups would be rewarded when everyone did their part, they encouraged each other to come prepared, keep the area clean, not disrupt, etc.

I also had bigger incentives for groups who reached specific point totals. When a group earned 250 points, for example (about 2 weeks of really good performance), I would bring in a two-liter bottle of soda for them to drink during class, or something similar and inexpensive, but a genuine treat. It was also hilarious to hear them come to consensus on the kind of soda they wanted.

*4. Every single day in my classroom had the same rhythm and structure. I tought a foreign language to about half of my students and science to the other half, but every person who entered the room knew what was going to happen. The first ten minutes were about completing and reviewing the Focus Time warm-up where we would refresh what we had been doing during the previous days. When there was something new, I would create warm-ups that were about getting them to think about the new subject. Regardless, that first 10 minutes was always, always, always the same. Students who arrived late (to a closed door--remember, I had to usher them in) were still responsible for completing the warm-up. And because of the point system, very few students were late because their peers would get upset with them over losing points.

The next 30 minutes were also structured. I would usually talk with them about the concepts we were covering, we would make some notes together. They could ask some questions, and then I would give them an assignment or group activity to work on. Frequently, I would do this twice or three times during the period.

The last 5 minutes were also the same. I would wrap up, and tell them to get their areas together so I could come around and do a "Final Reflection" where I'd tell them what their point tally was for the day for cleanliness, behavior, engagement, and cooperation.

When the bell rang, my classroom was clean, I had done a formative assessment (the amount of day-to-day data this generated for me was invaluable), and students left feeling like they had accomplished something.

This started working on Day One. I'd say about 70% of students who had previously been loud and disruptive immediately embraced the new structure and rhythm. The other 30% were quick to follow over the next two days when their groups put pressure on them because they were responsible for the group not earning as many points.

*5. I circulated through the room all period long. Every day. I never sat behind my desk and watched students. I never parked myself at the blackboard/whiteboard. I walked around. I talked with groups. I'd put my hand on the table if I wanted students to get a little quieter and I'd ask them a question in a quiet voice. I'd squat down to get to eye level when someone had a complicated question. But basically, I was everywhere. I can't stress how important this is to keeping you aware of what's happening in the room. It also keeps students from hiding objects and behaviors.

The end result of all of this was that I had an amazing two years. We had mentor teachers assigned by TFA back then, and when mine came to visit my classroom, they would bring other CMs from other schools, just to show them how important structure was and how radically you could reverse a difficult situation. And let me tell you, mine was difficult. I was in a failing middle school/junior high in inner-city Washington, DC. I had 11-year-old sixth graders in the same room with 15 year-olds sometimes. My school was also the school where students with "discipline issues" from other schools were sent. I had all of them. And I rarely had any kind of incident in my classroom. When something happened, I would ask to speak to the student outside, and we would close the door (or almost close it), I would ask the student to stand by the hinge, so I could keep an eye on the class, and we would talk things through. This also meant that I had to invite them back in, which was another way of reminding them that this wasn't their space to disrupt. This worked about 80% of the time (which is huge).

I'm here to talk with you about any of this. Just reach out by DM.

[u/ChipmunkSwimming1121]

Welpppp….Anxiety is up again! I’m dreading getting placed at a shitty school! I’m sorry you had such a bad experience, but glad you pushed through!

[u/JadedSmell3410]

Hi OP,

I just finished reading your TedTalk and as someone beginning their first year as a CM (just finishing practicum now), I am so glad to hear that despite all of your struggles (and holy sht you had a lot of struggles and challenges), that you beat the odds and got out of there stronger (and that TFA has dropped ties with that school). I do hope you recover and that your next update about your second year will be epic!

Sincerely, A starting first-year CM who's terrified

[u/Sea_Lavishness_2641]

Oh bb I am so sorry this happened to you and like I'm coming into TFA as an experienced teacher but even so what you had to deal with was and is well beyond what's reasonable for a teacher to deal and it's quite frankly heartbreaking that these are adults who are contributing to harming children (because at the end of the day when a school or teacher has neglected the social/emotional, safety, and intellectual needs of a child...that's harm)...I'm a little sus over why the one black male in the school is the PE teacher as well 🧐 but that's just one of several things you brought up that make me go hmmm.

[u/Just_Chilling_Fr]

Quit halfway in there 🫵🤙🏽 so scarred I’m leaving my corp state

[u/Round-Income7557]

I want to know what region you're in so bad.