Program gives learning experience

Lauren Hobar
Staff Writer

A Pepperdine alumna teaches in the heart of the Bronx, but it wasn’t always her plan. 2004 aluma DeNae Thomas’ plan was to go to law school. It probably wasn’t in any of her students’ plans either — to walk into a classroom off the streets to be schooled by a white girl. 

But she stood there, “nervous, nervous, stop shaking, they’re looking,” before a class full of Dominican and Puerto Rican 7th graders who were supposed to be 10th graders. She attempted a firm presence:

“I have one rule,” Thomas said. She breathed in like she was about to go under water. “Maintain an academic mindset.” 
The students shrugged at her, turned their desks, had no idea what she said and didn’t care.

“I was so naive coming into it,” Thomas said.  “I thought, ‘it’ll be just like ‘Dangerous Minds.’”

She had suddenly transformed from Michelle Pfeiffer to the teacher in Charlie Brown. As far as the students were concerned, the typical white girl said, “You’re going to fail. It is fact.” Because that’s all they’d ever heard. 

Later Thomas’ flabbergasted colleagues chuckled.

“You didn’t lay down the rules on the first day?” they asked.

She went back in the room and started over with rules about not talking when the teacher is talking, keeping hands to yourself and staying in your seat.  Though they were simple rules, they revealed to the students, in the most basic form, that they deserved respect.

“They’re kids when it comes down to it,” Thomas said. “They have this rough outer shell, and the knowledge of a 35-year-old, but they are kids.”

Thomas, who grew up in the suburbs of Seattle, was never fully aware of the United States’ education problems until she was hired by Teach for America. 

TFA is a program designed to narrow the education gap between high-and low-income families. College graduates commit to two-year teaching jobs that serve low-income communities across the country. 
In this country, the gap is wider than all of the other 21 most-industrialized countries. Thomas called education “the civil rights movement of our generation.”

She learned quickly that the word ‘education’ doesn’t mean much to a kid who isn’t expected to do more than graduate from middle school.

“They’re so used to failing that they think it’s their only option,” Thomas said. “It’s surprising though. You can change their mindset.”
Some of Thomas’ students are unwilling to try, but she said she always goes back to this: there are ones who do change.  

One of Thomas’ students has a low reading- and writing-level and doesn’t say much. He is currently the class’ Student Council representative. 

After working with him one-on-one, Thomas noticed a change in his level of confidence. When he showed up with a whole speech written out, Thomas couldn’t believe it. Before that he never made a sound around anybody else but Thomas. And there he was, speaking in front of the class to be voted as class representative.

Teach for America aims to close the educational gap. The responsibility is on the educated.  And the Thomases of Teach for America will meet the formidable students, and it will not be like a movie — it will be like real life.

02-03-2005