Memphis
Overview
Many people are drawn to Memphis by the city’s rich musical tradition, cultural history, and the promise of the world’s best barbecue. Known as the “Home of the Blues”, Memphis has a vibrant culture and offers the amenities of a large city while retaining the community feel of a small town.
Memphians are proud of the city’s history, but our city is also moving forward. Driven by the stark reality that only six percent of Memphis City Schools graduates are “college ready” according to the ACT, educators in Memphis are ready to make some drastic changes. The region's determination to improve teacher quality has recently placed Memphis City Schools in the running for a $100,000,000 grant from the Gates Foundation.
Teach For America • Memphis will welcome its largest corps yet in 2010, dramatically increasing the impact that we are able to have on the students of our city. The 2010 corps will work with Tennessee’s newly redefined curriculum standards that seek to provide students with a college and career-ready education and have the opportunity to make a dramatic impact in the classroom and beyond, with school leadership opportunities through New Leaders for New Schools, Building Excellent Schools and the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). Memphis has truly embraced education reform and the role that Teach For America can play in that reform.
Life
Given Memphis’ variety of neighborhoods and relatively low cost of living, corps members have a number of housing options. Some choose the Downtown district, the city's definitive entertainment center, alive with restaurants, cafes, bars, and numerous cultural venues With condominiums, apartments, and houses continuously popping up, the Downtown population of about 25,000 continues to grow.
Most corps members opt to live in Midtown houses and apartments. Midtown is a central area that offers university-style settings amidst parks and trendy entertainment venues.
Corps Culture
The Memphis corps is close-knit. Corps members take advantage of Memphis attractions and explore the city’s rich cultural programs together In the past, the Orpheum Theatre has donated tickets for corps members to see plays in the Broadway Series. Corps members also take advantage of the musical entertainment the city has to offer, including Beale Street.
The close community enables corps members and staff to have effective professional relationships, too. Corps members meet with their program directors to receive individualized support after classroom observation throughout the year. Additionally, corps members meet with others who teach the same grade or content for specialized collaboration. No matter what the venue - whether at a professional development session or informal gatherings at a coffee shops, corps members and staff constantly strive to ensure that their students are receiving the education they deserve.
Teaching
Memphis City Schools is Tennessee’s largest school district and the 18th largest in the nation. Serving more than 100,000 students, the district currently has 183 regular public schools and 20 charter schools. Teach For America corps members work in both regular and charter schools and are generally placed in schools with other corps members and alumni.
Most recently, Memphis City Schools has been named a finalist for a $100,000,000 Gates Foundation grant that would allow the school system to focus efforts on recruiting, developing, and retaining effective teachers. In the spring of 2009, the State Legislature voted to raise the cap on charter schools, allowing Memphis to almost double the number of charter schools.
Memphis offers new educators the opportunity to take on leadership roles. Some corps members become department chairs in their schools and serve on advisory boards at the district and state level. Mike Whaley and Tim Ware, both 2006 charter corps members, have received fellowships from Building Excellent Schools to open charter schools in Memphis in 2010.
View a map of our placement areas.
Certification and Testing
In order to begin teaching, Memphis corps members are required to take and pass exams called The PRAXIS Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers. Specific tests vary according to position. Memphis corps members can become licensed to teach within two years through a partnership with the University of Memphis or Christian Brothers University. Corps members can also choose to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), which requires students to take two courses in addition to the licensure coursework. The certification program can be completed in two years, while the master’s program requires either summer coursework or a third year of studies. The cost for either program is $1,250 per course. Many of our current corps members choose to repay the entire cost of tuition each year with their AmeriCorps education awards.
Placements
| Elementary |
24% |
| Secondary |
76% |
| Teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
73% |
Placements Available
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Pre-Kindergarten
-
Elementary K-6
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English
-
Math
-
Science
-
History/Social Studies
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ESL
-
Special Education
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Foreign Languages
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English
|
Living and Education Expenses
Salary and Taxes
| Salary |
$39,000 - $46,000 |
| Taxes |
21.22% - 22.71% |
Cost of Living
| Housing Single |
$600 - $700 |
| Housing Shared |
$300 - $500 |
| Health Insurance |
$80 |
| Utilities |
$60 |
| Daycare |
$560 / month |
| Monthly Tranist Pass |
$50 |
| Car Insurance |
$150 |
| Car Required |
Access to car is essential |
Start-up Costs
| Testing Costs |
$375 |
| Up-front Certification Costs |
$35 |
| How do you pay start-up costs? |
Out-of-pocket |
Ongoing Costs through the Two-year Commitment
| Ongoing Certification Costs |
$2,511 |
| Use AmeriCorps award for testing/certification costs? |
No |
| How is teaching certification structured in this state/region? |
1 year - Through TFA & universities |
| Is it possible to complete a master's degree at the end of two years? |
Yes |
| Is the completion of a master's degree required as part of the two-year commitment? |
No |
| Extra Master's Degree Costs |
$10,044 |
| Partner Universities |
University of Memphis or Christian Brothers University |
Notes and Clarifications
- Beginning teacher salary: If you have a master's degree in education, are placed in a bilingual classroom, or in a math/science classroom you may receive additional compensation.
- Avg. health insurance: In some placement districts, health insurance premiums are pre-tax deductions.
- Total tax rate: Federal + state + city. Only applies to starting salaries.
- Up-front certification: Expenses that must be paid before your first day of teaching.
- Paying start-up costs: Can you pay for testing and up-front certification costs with transitional grants and loans or do you have to pay out-of-pocket?
- Ongoing certification: Total certification costs over two-year teaching commitment.
- AmeriCorps award for certification: Can you use your AmeriCorps award to pay testing/certification costs?
- Master's in two years: Is it possible to complete a master's degree at the end of two years?
- Master's required: Is the completion of a master's degree required as part of the two-year commitment?
- Extra master's degree costs: Additional total cost to obtain a master's degree (on top of ongoing certification costs); does not include AmeriCorps award.
- Partner university(ies): These universities partner with Teach For America for ongoing certification requirements, and in some cases, the fulfillment of a master's degree in education.
