Lynn English grad to Teach for America

LYNN – Having grown up in an urban environment herself, Lynn English graduate Kara Ducasse is sensitive to the need for dedicated teachers to work in cities such as the one in which she grew up.Because of that, the 2011 graduate has committed to working with Teach For America for at least two years to help provide a better quality of education to students in urban cities.Ducasse will have her first teaching experience at Phoenix Academy Lawrence this fall. She will be teaching math classes, including algebra, algebra 2, and geometry.Teach for America is an organization that partners with urban and rural regions across the country to provide educational opportunities for children who face the challenges of poverty. The organization, which is a member of the AmeriCorps national service network, recruits college graduates with an interest in teaching at high-need schools. In the 2014-15 school year, 10,600 teaching corps members taught in 50 different regions across the country.The organization asks that members agree to teach for at least two years, but many later end up in other fields that play a hand in achieving the same goal. Last year, “37,000 alumni of the program worked across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education,” according to a release.”We’re looking for leaders who are willing to fight inequity,” said recruitment communications manager Elora Tocci. “This year we had about 44,000 applicants nationwide, and 14 percent were admitted.”Of the 14 percent was Lynn’s own Ducasse, who was a health major at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst when she first learned about the program.”I was taking a sociology class at UMass, and I was suddenly aware of all of the disparities that existed,” Ducasse said. “I was looking at inequities in the health-care system that actually correlate with the educational system. I was trying to find out what I wanted to do, but my plans did not involve teaching.”That all changed quite suddenly when she watched a film for her sociology class that talked about Teach for America, Ducasse said.”I pretty much knew right away that I wanted to apply,” she said.She began the process, which includes a writing sample, two rounds of interviews, and a demonstration of how applicants would teach a lesson. Ducasse chose to teach a lesson on music.”We have a rigorous application process,” said Tocci. “Applicants are evaluated on a bunch of things and have to exhibit a lot of different characteristics like leadership and having responsibilities.”Ducasse stood out from other candidates to Teach for America because of her educational experience at two very different institutions and her interest in providing better education for children in communities like her own.”She is from Lynn, where the majority of the population is Hispanic,” said Tocci. “When she first got to UMass, it was radically different in terms of the demographics she was used to. She encountered misconceptions about diversity, which ultimately led her to our program and learning more about what we do.”Ducasse said she was surprised when she got to college and her peers thought the school was extremely diverse.”I remember meeting my freshman roommates, and they came from predominantly white backgrounds and good neighborhoods,” Ducasse said. “One of them came from a family with a lot of money.”I did see how they had a different educational experience than I did,” she said. “They were better prepared for college than I was, they had better organizational skills and study skills.”But in terms of performance, I found myself performing at a better level,” she said.She wanted to provide children in cities like her hometown with the same quality of education and saw that she had the opportunity through Teach for America.”I saw some students who had received the best education,” she said. “And I said ?Wow. I wish I could be a teacher and give that to kids.'”She was able to make that dream possible, without becoming an