SCANDAL: Critics Claim TFA Candidates Not U.S. Citizens

Scandal erupted over the weekend when a group of anonymous bloggers sent evidence purporting to show that some TFA teachers may not in fact be American citizens to the US Department of Education, five of the nation's largest school districts, and a number of different media outlets.  

"Until they show us a birth certificate or some other proof of US citizenship, they shouldn't be teaching in American classrooms," wrote one bloggers in an email titled "Classrooms For America." 

TFA has been under increasing scrutiny this summer as districts cut budgets and teaching positions. Some have accused districts and principals of replacing veteran teachers with TFA and other "alternative" candidates who are generally younger, better looking, and -- we now hear -- may or may not be real Americans.   

Those writing in claim that they are not connected to the so-called "birther" movement, which has claimed that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and is thus not rightly the President.    "We have nothing to do with those guy," wrote one commenter.  "We just want our kids to be taught by Americans."

Comments

[john thompson]

This summer I've see two TFAers from this are back from NYC and Philly. They were jogging and suspiciously fit. They don't have accents. They are liberals. They were awfully polite. Both have parents who are intellectuals.

Do you think they're Canadian?

[Jeff]

Could this article be a bit more vague? SCANDAL, it cries, yet it is under the heading "Made-Up News." Was the headline meant to be sarcastic?

How many of these TFA teachers are not citizens, and what percentage of the TFA workforce does this represent?

The article also uses the term "real Americans," shortly after the whole spiel about alternative candidates being younger, better looking--is this another misplaced attempt at sarcasm? If so, it stumbles badly into dangerous territory, for even if these individuals who pointed to lack of citizenship don't want to be associated with "birthers," the term "real Americans" is a direct association. The better term would be "American citizens." The media has already given too much traction to the 'birther' distraction. Can't we expect better in this forum?

[john thompson]

Jeff sounds Canadian to me.