Michael Lamb

Ed.M. TEP (TAC) '02

Facts:

"Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, Scarsdale, I became interested in social justice issues at an early age, wondering why others couldn't benefit from a community like the one I enjoyed.  Hip-hop became a guiding force in my adolescence, and I've tried to follow its inspiration ever since.  No wonder I ended up at the birthplace of the culture, just as South Bronx High School was broken into three small schools as part of city-wide reform.  So after four years at Cal Berkeley, one year teaching 5th grade in the East Bay, and a stint in TAC '02 boot camp, I've found my teaching home 15 miles and worlds away from where I grew up.  I teach 11th grade English at Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School in the Bronx, NY.

"We started Mott Haven Village with one principal, five teachers, and 80 ninth graders five years ago.  Last year, we sent 60 of the remaining 66 off to college.  Students and staff have worked hard to overcome the cycle of poverty that escorted most South Bronx HS students out the door without a degree.  We have a long way to go, but according to observers we seem to be making progress.  I coach junior varsity boy's basketball and assist the varsity."

Inside Scoop:

TAC '02 was a landmark year in my life.  We were bombarded with so much work, in the forums of practice and theory, that I know I can push myself to extremes of multi-tasking.  That rigor prepared me for the challenge of "wearing many hats" and improvising to build a school with such a small staff. 

My favorite part of TAC was working with a mentor teacher who had a vision of building the professionalism of teaching, similar to the vision of HGSE.  Ms. K. saw teaching on par with the most respected professions in our society, and she was willing to do the preparation and professional development on a continuous basis to prove it. 

Here's what I'd tell a prospective TEP student:  Get ready for boot camp.  The schedule is meant to stretch your limits.  Anybody taking on the task of improving failing schools in America's low-income neighborhoods needs to be strong in mind and body, so you should welcome the challenge TEP has to offer.  The compacted year of certification and master's will prepare you for the struggles of improving our underachieving schools.

I just got a big hug yesterday from a freshman at SUNY Binghamton who received an A in her first semester of college English.  I've had numerous college freshmen come back and tell me their first assigned books were books we read in 11th grade.  The best hugs come up when I ask about how their essay writing is going.  When parents of the college freshmen come back with hugs, I think, man, I could grow old here…