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You Have the Power to Make Transformational Change

Taylor Toynes (Dallas-Fort Worth ‘14) believes that corps members have tremendous potential to make a lasting impact on students.

Leading Change in My Hometown

While teaching in the corps, Taylor Toynes (Dallas-Fort Worth ‘14) discovered that he had the power to lead transformational change in his classroom and community. Today, he continues to create opportunities for kids in his hometown of Oak Cliff, Texas, where he also taught as a corps member.

Transformational change is the phrase that I remember the most from my time in TFA. I was like, "Okay, I can dig that."

One of the reasons why it hit home so much for me is because I knew my community needed to have so much change. I've seen a lot of different people, and TFA makes these transformational changes throughout the country, and it's huge.

Corps members have the power and social capital to tell other individuals things to make a difference. You have to really evaluate yourself so you can start to understand who you are. Then, you'll be able to understand other people.

At For Oak Cliff, we have an equation: education plus activation equals liberation. I believe that Teach For America can do that, as well.