Teaching for the Common Good
Amy Sullivan’s Time Magazine article today examining young evangelicals’ participation in Teach For America caught my eye for several reasons. For one, my friend Josh Dickson, a TFA recruiter, is profiled in the story. But mainly, it resonated personally because my own faith grew much stronger while I was a member of Teach For America’s corps member in rural Arkansas.
My fellow corps members had diverse backgrounds, personalities and beliefs. I shared a house with an agnostic inspired by Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and a devout evangelical moved by the Gospel of Matthew. For me, working with them to give children of poverty and oppression real opportunities was firsthand proof that compassion, justice and the common good are values that transcend the religious-secular divide and spur diverse people to immerse themselves in a shared mission under very challenging circumstances. Kudos to Amy for helping bring this truth to light!