How I Joined Teach for America—and Got Sued for $20 Million

[HiPointDem]

5. there's more to the story, as you can kind of deduce from how it comes across.

Josh and I were among four TFA teachers who began at Emery in the fall of 2000. We faced enormous challenges that year—administrative turnover, lack of school discipline—and we all experienced them to some degree. But we responded in different ways. Some teachers channeled their anger to ensure that their students realized significant academic gains despite the chaotic conditions. Two TFA teachers that year were finalists for the Washington, D.C., First Year Teacher of the Year Award. The circumstances Josh describes only partially account for his failure as a teacher.

I won’t pretend to know what happened inside Josh’s classroom, but I did witness an event he leaves out of his article: Josh yelling in the face of a lone student in the hallway, his hands on the student’s shoulders, shoving him against the wall. If you believe Josh’s account that the allegations against him were total fabrications and that his physical contact was limited to breaking up fights, think again.

http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_2_letters.html