Dear Ms. Kopp - from a Newark Teacher

Dear Wendy Kopp,

I am in a bit of a jam and I thought maybe you could help me out. State Superintendent Cami Anderson has announced plans to lay off one thousand Newark Public School teachers over the next three years. I do not yet know if I am on the list, but understandably I am feeling very nervous.

It occurred to me that Teach for America could be the solution to my problems. I would like to apply for a teaching position in Newark. I hold a BA from a state university and a standard teacher's certificate. I have over twenty years teaching experience in diverse multicultural urban environments. I have taught every grade from prekindergarten to twelfth grade. My strengths include excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with people from different cultural backgrounds. I would be willing to attend Relay Graduate School of Education at their Newark campus to upgrade my pedagogical skills and I am anxious to move into the Teacher's Village under construction in Newark to form closer relationships with my colleagues.

If you would consider my application despite my excessive experience, my advanced age and my last century credentials, I would be most appreciative. I believe that every child deserves to be taught by an effective teacher and a chance to succeed in life despite being born into poverty. Education is the Civil Right's issue of our generation. I pledge to relinquish one hundred years of union loyalty beginning with my paternal grandmother's membership in the ILGWU for the opportunity to turn myself into a Teach for America scab.

Sincerely yours,

A Newark Teacher