In her Sept. 23 column, “Who will teach America?” Maia Ferdman wrote that Teach For America is creating “a generation of dedicated thinkers and doers” working to transform education in America. As a UCLA graduate and a Latina educator, I am proud to say that I am one of them.
My introduction to this group of educators was abrupt and thrilling. A few months before graduating from UCLA in 2001, I saw a flyer for Teach For America on campus and decided on a whim to attend the information session. By the end of the session, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do. I quickly put together my application, and by summer I was in Houston with 400 other college graduates, training to become a teacher.
While we were in Houston, six of us found out we’d landed teaching positions at Ralph J. Bunche Middle School, a struggling district school in Compton. We flew back to Los Angeles, fresh off our training and ready to start teaching in earnest. We didn’t realize how much the experience would change our lives.
When we got to Bunche Middle School, a school with historically low test scores, it was a school on the brink of a turnaround. The principal had a vision, and she pushed us right away to take leadership roles. We rolled up our sleeves and worked to transform the school from top to bottom.
Within six years, Bunche students were outperforming the state goal on standardized tests, and the school had become Compton’s first California Distinguished School.
I grew incredibly close with the other Teach For America teachers at Bunche Middle School. I remember talking to a fellow teacher, Amber Young Medina, about our dream to be principals of our own schools someday. We stayed at Bunche Middle School for six years, and then realized it was time to make that dream a reality.
As we looked for leadership jobs, the opportunity came up to work with the Knowledge Is Power Program network of charter schools. But the more I learned about the network, the more excited I got. The college preparatory focus and “Work hard. Be Nice.” mentality were exactly what had driven me to become part of the leadership team at Bunche Middle School.
In 2008, I became principal of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles College Preparatory School, a middle school in Boyle Heights, taking the leadership skills I’d learned at Bunche Middle School and applying them to help a charter school reach its full potential.
Meanwhile, Amber Young Medina was accepted to open her dream school, Knowledge Is Power Program Raíces Academy, an elementary school in East Los Angeles. Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles College Preparatory School and Raíces Academy are now two of the highest-performing schools in the state of California.
Today, four of my fellow Teach For America teachers from Bunche Middle School are working as principals of high-performing public schools in L.A. I recently became chief academic officer of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles Schools, supporting seven of the network’s schools in South and East L.A. I still keep in touch with my fellow Teach For America alumni, and the bond we share as passionate educators is one of the things I treasure most about my work.
When I see current UCLA students and recent grads, I see the same passion and leadership potential that Teach For America helped my colleagues and me tap into over 10 years ago.
By joining Teach For America now, these talented Bruins can join us in the movement to reach educational equality for every child in L.A. and across the country.
When I applied to Teach For America, I had no idea I would become part of such a visionary community. But, as Maia Ferdman wrote, that community is growing, here in L.A. and across the country. I hope even more UCLA grads apply to Teach For America to find their own community of leaders and help make a difference for even more students.
Martinez is a UCLA alumna and chief academic officer of Knowledge Is Power Program Los Angeles Schools.