Giving back through Teach for America

“Of the 13 million children growing up in poverty, about half will graduate from high school. Those that do graduate will perform on average at an eighth-grade level.”

This shocking statistic is from the Teach for America (TFA) website.  TFA is an organization striving to close the educational achievement gap that is currently found in the United States.

TFA recruits “outstanding recent college graduates and professionals of all academic majors to teach in urban and rural public schools and become leaders in the effort to expand educational opportunity.”

Sydney Bachtell, a senior communication major, was recently extended an offer to join TFA as a member of their 2008 corps. Bachtell—who came into Texas A&M with almost a year of college credit behind her—is graduating this May after completing her undergraduate work in just three years.

Bachtell, whose hometown is San Antonio, has been offered a position in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas—her top choice—and is tentatively assigned to teach Intermediate or Middle School English, social studies or reading.

Looking forward toward a service related future

Bachtell first became interested in the organization after hearing about it at a College of Liberal Arts career fair her freshman year. 

Sydney claims that her grandmother—with whom she has a very close relationship—has always pushed the idea of getting certified to teach while in college, since after all, “the world always needs teachers.”

So when Bachtell saw the TFA booth at the career fair, her grandmother’s remarks came to mind and she decided to investigate the service-oriented career path.

“After checking out the website I decided that I was the type of person they were looking for and that it was the type of organization I was looking to be a part of,” Bachtell said.  “When I learned about the problem they were trying to fix, I was immediately attracted to the organization, as I do feel that for education to be the ‘great equalizer’ in the U.S. it must actually be equal.”

Bachtell filled out an initial application on the TFA website followed by a phone interview and was then selected for a final interview round on campus—in which she participated in a simulation of a real world problem that teachers might face—and was later selected as a member of the 2008 corps.

Involvement on campus provides unique hands-on experiences

Aside from studying for her TExES exam—a general teaching exam—Bachtell keeps busy in extracurricular activities and working at her two on-campus jobs.

In MSC (Memorial Student Center) Wiley, Bachtell—also known as “Wiley mom” within the organization—currently serves as Director of Student Development. MSC Wiley is a lecture series that showcases internationally renowned speakers on issues of global significance. Bachtell organizes socials and takes part in recruitment efforts and administrative tasks.

Bachtell is also the vice president of Lambda Pi Eta—the communication honor society.

Since her freshman year, Bachtell has worked as a research assistant for Srividya Ramasubramanian, an assistant professor of communication at Texas A&M.

Bachtell began working for Ramasubramanian as an unpaid volunteer and enjoyed the research so much, she found time in her schedule to work more—currently five hours per week.

The team researches the content analysis of inter-racial conversations in primetime TV.  Bachtell watches episodes of popular shows and codes them for general data and data specifically related to inter-racial dyads.

“I am confident that her wisdom and passion for learning will make her a role model for students to emulate,” Ramasubramanian said. “Sydney embodies the best of the Aggie Spirit by being a caring, compassionate, engaged leader committed to serving the community."

Since the summer of 2007, Bachtell has worked as an Undergraduate Apprentice at the Glasscock Center.

Each spring the Glasscock Center appoints students in the College of Liberal Arts to serve as paid apprentices. Apprentices work with the center’s faculty and staff to advance humanities at Texas A&M University.

“Sydney’s ability to think ahead, as well as her communication and research skills, have made her an exceptional contributor to the workings of the Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Jennifer McNichols, a senior office associate with the Glasscock Center who works directly with Bachtell, explained. She has gained a broad perspective on humanities education which will contribute directly to her participation in Teach for America.”

As for her future after the two years in TFA, Bachtell is keeping her options open. If she doesn’t stay in teaching, Bachtell would like to work in television.

“My experience in the Department of Communication, particularly the classes I was able to take regarding popular culture and television, helped me to solidify my ambitions to work in that field one day,” Bachtell said.

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Contact: Holly Lambert, hollyalyselambert@libarts.tamu.edu, 979.862.4879