With the time running out for students to submit applications to the ISU Teach for America program, an ISU graduate and Teach for America corps member took time out of his busy schedule to visit with prospective members.

James Vogl, ISU alumnus, recently participated in a table discussion with ISU students looking to join Teach for America. Vogl has been with Teach for America since August 2006 and is currently teaching fourth grade in the Chicago area.

Vogl teaches 30 students at his school, with approximately 85 percent coming from low-income families.

“So far, this experience has taught me how passion, motivation and relentless pursuit of achievement can change lives,” Vogl said. “It has also taught me how important modeling leadership is to young people and that kids need to see role models in their lives who they can aspire to be like.”

Vogl also said he’s learned the power of this movement and that young people right out of college can make a huge difference in the lives of children.

Teach for America is a national organization of recent college graduates of any major who can make a two-year commitment to teach in a low-income community to help end educational inequality.

Sarah Skowronsky, senior in advertising and campus campaign manager for Teach for America, said that although Teach for America hasn’t had much of an active presence on campus until this year, they are trying to increase awareness of the program.

“We are working hard toward increasing students’ knowledge of the program and are continually looking for new and better ways to inform students, especially seniors, about the job opportunity Teach for America has to offer,” Skowronsky said.

With the help of Vogl’s visit over the weekend, the organization is doing just that.

Vogl said one of the problems he’s had is presenting information to students in a way they understand.

“My favorite memories have been watching my kids become increasingly interested in certain subjects when they are presented in a way they understand,” Vogl said. “They don’t [understand] the ‘lecture’ thing because it becomes dull and they tune out. But, when the teacher gets excited about the subject, they will get excited too.”

Vogl shared the story of perhaps one of the most important achievements he’s made while teaching and spoke of one of his students, Diante.

“When Diante walked into my class on the first day of school, I recognized him immediately as being a shy boy who found difficulty in making friends,” he said.

After talking with Diante’s grandmother, Vogl learned Diante had cerebral palsy, giving him limited use of his legs and the need for a brace to stabilize his walking. Vogl had set up a system of positive reinforcement for students, including the reward of eating lunch with a teacher. When Diante’s group won, Vogl got to learn a lot more about him.

Diante’s confidence was lacking because of his ailment and he often had “shut-downs” in which he would hide in the classroom’s coat closet and refuse to get out without the presence of his grandmother, Vogl explained.

“I knew that I needed to help Diante and each of my 30 kids in their own way,” Vogl said. “For him, it was about getting his confidence up about his reading ability, as he had come to fourth grade at a second-grade reading level. I made it my goal to improve his self-confidence through investing him in his reading abilities.”

“By the end of the semester, Diante was reading everywhere – in the bathroom line, when I was picking him up from breakfast at school, at home and at lunch – even with friends,” Vogl said.

Last month, Vogl administered a midyear reading test to Diante. Afterward, when he asked him how he thought he did, he replied with a nervous shrug. After he saw his score, a huge grin appeared on his face.

“Diante was now at a mid-fourth-grade reading level,” Vogl said. “He has had over two years growth in his reading ability in only six months because he developed a strong passion for learning.”

Vogl, like many students who join the corps, is interested in making a difference in the lives of children. He first heard of the program from the New York Time’s editorial section, particularly articles on educational reform.

“The more I researched the problem of educational inequality, the more I felt personally responsible for changing it,” Vogl said. “Teach for America is working to confront this problem directly.”

As for Skowronsky, she is able to continue her career with Teach for America, as she was recently accepted into the 2007 Houston corps.

“I can’t think of a better way to spend my first two years out of college,” Skowronsky said. “Having the opportunity to greatly impact students who aren’t given the same opportunities as their peers in higher income means more to me than anything else right now. I am proud to be part of this amazing movement toward equal education for all children in our nation.”

The final application deadline for this year is Feb. 18, 2007. Applications can be found at Teachforamerica.org. For more information, please contact Sarah Skrowronsky at (563) 271-2096 or by e-mail at [email protected].