Should I quit TFA to take classes before medical school?

[heartshaped box]

My TFA stint runs to July. I am working full-time, but often more than 40 hours a week (being a teacher is so time consuming, I have a newfound respect for educators). I used to enjoy my work, but now I practically dread going to work. I would really like to take some upper-level Biology courses next semester in preparation for medical school, since I have only taken the bare bones pre-med requirements.

I already have an acceptance. I'm waiting to hear back from some schools, but given the flood of rejections I've received in the past 1.5 months, I wouldn't be surprised if I get rejected from practically all the rest.

I just want to spend the last 8 or 9 months before medical school taking a few classes, sleeping in, hanging out with friends more often. My TFA schedule doesn't even permit me to take a vacation. I cringe at the prospect of going back on my word/commitment, but my job is burning me out, and I'm increasingly becoming worried about my lack of exposure to upper-level science.

Thoughts? Consequences (in terms of med school admissions)? Advice?

Edit: without giving away too much information... my quitting would not significantly, adversely affect the students in my class. I'm positioned at a unique charter school, and I share teaching responsibilities with two other full-time teachers. The school is also hiring a slew of new full-time members (who actually have teaching experience) this month to start the new semester.

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[Lollygag]

My TFA stint runs to July. I am working full-time, but often more than 40 hours a week (being a teacher is so time consuming, I have a newfound respect for educators). I used to enjoy my work, but now I practically dread going to work. I would really like to take some upper-level Biology courses next semester in preparation for medical school, since I have only taken the bare bones pre-med requirements.

I already have an acceptance. I'm waiting to hear back from some schools, but given the flood of rejections I've received in the past 1.5 months, I wouldn't be surprised if I get rejected from practically all the rest.

I just want to spend the last 8 or 9 months before medical school taking a few classes, sleeping in, hanging out with friends more often. My TFA schedule doesn't even permit me to take a vacation.

Thoughts? Consequences (in terms of med school admissions)? Advice?

Well I don't wanna comment on the ethics of the matter cause I just don't know lol but I find it highly unlikely that medical schools would rescind your acceptance because you quit TFA, if that's what you're asking.

If you have more interviews in the next few months though, and if during one of those interviews it comes up that you quit TFA prior to your contract or whatever, being up. Then maybe that could look bad.

 

[mcloaf]

My TFA stint runs to July. I am working full-time, but often more than 40 hours a week (being a teacher is so time consuming, I have a newfound respect for educators). I used to enjoy my work, but now I practically dread going to work. I would really like to take some upper-level Biology courses next semester in preparation for medical school, since I have only taken the bare bones pre-med requirements.

I already have an acceptance. I'm waiting to hear back from some schools, but given the flood of rejections I've received in the past 1.5 months, I wouldn't be surprised if I get rejected from practically all the rest.

I just want to spend the last 8 or 9 months before medical school taking a few classes, sleeping in, hanging out with friends more often. My TFA schedule doesn't even permit me to take a vacation. I cringe at the prospect of going back on my word/commitment, but my job is burning me out, and I'm increasingly becoming worried about my lack of exposure to upper-level science.

Thoughts? Consequences (in terms of med school admissions)? Advice?

Edit: without giving away too much information... my quitting would not significantly, adversely affect the students in my class. I'm positioned at a unique charter school, and I share teaching responsibilities with two other full-time teachers. The school is also hiring a slew of new full-time members (who actually have teaching experience) this month to start the new semester.

It's unlikely that taking some bio courses would make much of a difference when you start med school. Additionally, if you already have an acceptance you could probably get away with quitting.


That being said, I don't think you should quit. You signed up for this, and the only thing that's changed is that you're sick of doing it. All things considered, it seems like since you're nearly done with the program it'd be worth toughing it out the last few months and being able to say you finished the program and followed through on your responsibilities to TFA, your school district, and your students.

With a significant other and several friends doing TFA I've gotten quite an earful about the program; if you're sharing teaching responsibilities with two others at a charter school that can afford a bunch of new, experienced full time teachers, you've got it pretty good compared to a lot of people in TFA. I don't mean to come off as judgmental, but based on the info you've given that's my 2 cents.

 

[heartshaped box]

Also: Is there some prevailing sense that breaking my TFA contract is somehow worse than, say, quitting a lab research position?

I wouldn't say "I have it lucky." I work at an inner city school in a city like Detroit. I'm not sure how it happened but my school received more Title I funds than usual for the school year and has decided to hire more teachers in preparation for an end-of-the-year standardized exam.

And I've heard current medical students that subjects like biochemistry or histology in medical school are made a lot easier with prior exposure. Not to say you can't do well, but I'm a decidedly average student.

 

[mcloaf]

Also: Is there some prevailing sense that breaking my TFA contract is somehow worse than, say, quitting a lab research position?

Yes, because you've explicitly signed a contract stating that you will work with them for two years.

I wouldn't say "I have it lucky." I work at an inner city school in a city like Detroit. I'm not sure how it happened but my school received more Title I funds than usual for the school year and has decided to hire more teachers in preparation for an end-of-the-year standardized exam.

Sorry, I tried to say this but maybe I wasn't clear: I don't think you have it "easy." I imagine that there are few, if any, people in TFA who have it "easy" by most standards. However, I was just trying to offer some perspective by pointing out that TFA positions run the gamut in terms of difficulty, and from what you've described it certainly doesn't sound like you're in the worst of possible TFA situations. Again, I'm sure you're not in the best either. I've heard enough about TFA to know that you guys have a lot of thankless work and put up with quite a bit of bull****. I was more trying to offer a positive perspective on your job, rather than sound condescending. I'm sorry if I failed.

And I've heard current medical students that subjects like biochemistry or histology in medical school are made a lot easier with prior exposure. Not to say you can't do well, but I'm a decidedly average student.

I've heard it said that biochem can be somewhat helpful, but by and large what I've seen medical student write on these forums is that it doesn't necessarily make a huge difference. Just my impression. I haven't started med school yet so I won't have my own informed opinion on how much my UG science courses helped until next year. 😳

 

[heartshaped box]

No worries, McLoaf, I was just clarifying as well.
I meant if I had signed on for a lab position for 2 years.

 

[eagles22]

They teach you what you need to know for medical school in medical school. Taking classes before to "get ready" is a waste of time.

 

[loveoforganic2]

My TFA stint runs to July. I am working full-time, but often more than 40 hours a week (being a teacher is so time consuming, I have a newfound respect for educators). I used to enjoy my work, but now I practically dread going to work. I would really like to take some upper-level Biology courses next semester in preparation for medical school, since I have only taken the bare bones pre-med requirements.

I already have an acceptance. I'm waiting to hear back from some schools, but given the flood of rejections I've received in the past 1.5 months, I wouldn't be surprised if I get rejected from practically all the rest.

I just want to spend the last 8 or 9 months before medical school taking a few classes, sleeping in, hanging out with friends more often. My TFA schedule doesn't even permit me to take a vacation. I cringe at the prospect of going back on my word/commitment, but my job is burning me out, and I'm increasingly becoming worried about my lack of exposure to upper-level science.

Thoughts? Consequences (in terms of med school admissions)? Advice?

Edit: without giving away too much information... my quitting would not significantly, adversely affect the students in my class. I'm positioned at a unique charter school, and I share teaching responsibilities with two other full-time teachers. The school is also hiring a slew of new full-time members (who actually have teaching experience) this month to start the new semester.

Being very passionate about education, I dislike the notion of someone leaving their TFA position prematurely, but I dislike more a demotivated ambivalent teacher. I'd encourage you to review your personal statement for TFA to remind yourself of why you applied for it (hopefully it wasn't to resume pad - if it was, quit). Also, if there's a teacher at the school you can be open with, I'd share your feelings and seek their opinion. If there's no one to go to, http://forums.atozteacherstuff.com/ is a fairly active teaching forum - write your thoughts out/ask questions there. Generally, the 1st year of teaching is hellish, but improves from there (both due to experience and having lesson plans made)

Edit: The only medical school class I'd taken in undergrad was biochem. It was helpful, but my performance wasn't different from any of my other classes. It's not worth the time or money - if you're set on taking a class or two, I'd look into take something out of pure interest, not something to prepare for school

 

[heartshaped box]

Well I'll be honest: I am not passionate about teaching. I wanted to do something meaningful with my time after college. Hellish seems like an understatement. I'm burnt out, plain and simple. It's not simply the hours, but the total lack of appreciation and understanding from my school faculty. Oh well! Thank you for the link, I will check it out.

 

[BABSstudent]

You signed up to teach for two years and they picked you to do it. You took the job away from someone who would have worked those two years (and maybe more). Quitting early hurts the kids you are supposed to be helping.

If you quit, you come across as someone who did it just to get into medical school. You didn't care about teaching for the sake of teaching. This shouldn't be a question. Don't worry about yourself, do it for the kids.

 

[NickNaylor]

You signed up to teach for two years and they picked you to do it. You took the job away from someone who would have worked those two years (and maybe more). Quitting early hurts the kids you are supposed to be helping.

If you quit, you come across as someone who did it just to get into medical school. You didn't care about teaching for the sake of teaching. This shouldn't be a question. Don't worry about yourself, do it for the kids.

Exactly. Breaking your contract is a stupid move. Not only is it ethically dubious, but it's just a ****ty thing to do. Why would I want to have someone come to my school if I knew they neglected to fulfill a major commitment they entered into voluntarily? Especially when the only excuse is "it's hard" and to take classes for seemingly no real reason.

I get that you're probably dealing with a lot, but that's life.

(sent from my phone)

 

[teacher2md]

As a 2nd-year TFA corps member, I completely understand where you're coming from. I average ~55-60 hours per week, have multiple prep classes, and about 160 students that I'm responsible for. From my short time in education, I can say that the #1 issue facing our educational system (and definitely my biggest challenge as well) is combating teacher burnout.

There was a time last year when I really wanted to quit. Like, really badly. I was frustrated with my school administrators, frustrated with the terrible guidance I was getting from TFA, felt miserable by the that I was just a cog in the system that is obsessed with standardized tests, etc. My main thought for the first 9 months was “this wasn’t what I signed up for”.

As I was making the decision whether to quit or not, I promised myself I would at least try out a few changes, and see if I could be any happier with my situation. Clearly, I don't know the specifics of your placement situation, but here's what I forced myself to change over the period of a month, and felt much better overall.

1. Take time for yourself--Figure out a schedule or a system whereby you can leave your work at school, and not take home any stress with you. I do work at my school (planning, teaching, grading, etc.) from 6am-6-pm, Mon-Fri, and don't do any work on the weekends or after 6pm. If you can't finish your work in those times, it's probably not that important anyway.

2. Forget about the numbers—admins and TFA are all about those damn test scores, and their ideal teacher is a test prep instructor, who coaches students on how to answer multiple-choice questions from a state exam. I absolutely hate this. As someone who is passionate about science, I felt like a quack teaching “I Do –We Do – You Do” for iterations of the same poorly written, multiple-choice BS.

Once I started incorporating more of the things I loved into my class, I was much happier, and my students were much happier as well. My planning philosophy now is to find the coolest application/extension of the topic that we were learning, and teach the entire lesson relating to that ‘cool’ application.

It sounds like your school is gearing up to churn out a bunch of test prep over the next semester; I would argue do exactly the opposite. Ask yourself “What would my kids be so interested in that they would want to discuss/learn about on their own?” and use that as your roadmap. If *gasp* it’s not aligned to a state test, then so be it. (If you want more specific advice about how to do this, PM me).


If you try these two things over the next month or so, and are still miserable, then maybe consider dropping out, but not before then. Hope that this info is helpful, and best of luck with the remainder of the year.

 

[darkjedi]

Ethical implications of quitting aside, it would be minimally beneficial to take additional courses to prep for medical school. The time/money spent could definitely be better utilized elsewhere. Whatever leg up you get from a semester in histo or biochem would be breezed over in merely a few weeks in medical school.

Unless you just REALLY love the idea of taking these classes for your own personal amusement, there are better things you can do with your time.

 

[heartshaped box]

Thank you for your advice teacher2md. I get a feeling a lot of people in this thread have never done anything like TFA and don't understand how demoralizing it can be. I need to take care of my own well being and mental health too...

 

[NickNaylor]

Thank you for your advice teacher2md. I get a feeling a lot of people in this thread have never done anything like TFA and don't understand how demoralizing it can be. I need to take care of my own well being and mental health too...

I was considering TFA and have heard some of the horror stories. That doesn't make how breaking your contract will be perceived, though. You surely aren't the only one having a tough time, yet most people fulfill their commitment.

 

[BABSstudent]

Thank you for your advice teacher2md. I get a feeling a lot of people in this thread have never done anything like TFA and don't understand how demoralizing it can be. I need to take care of my own well being and mental health too...

I totally know what you are talking about. My fiancée is getting her masters in education. I get to deal with these issues all the time.

However, you signed up for this to help the kids. Stick it through and try to make a difference in their lives. I can personally attest to having a single teacher make a difference and help me be where I am. How about you try to be that teacher.

If you really want to take some biochemistry classes, email some of the professors and explain that you would love their slides and maybe some book recommendations. I am sure they would be willing to work with you.