With energy and compassion, alum teaches children

Michael Feinberg has devoted his life to his students. And through Teach for America, he has been able to give almost 50 fifth-graders the opportunity to learn. For the third year in a row, he has committed 75 hours per week teaching and helping his students. Feinberg, a 1991 University graduate, was sent by Teach for America to the Garcia Elementary School in Houston. Founded in 1989, Teach for America is a non-profit organization that assigns recent college graduates teaching positions in rural and urban schools suffering teacher shortages. Corps members are committed to spending two years teaching and organizing after-school activities at their assignment sites. Feinberg said he joined Teach for America because he hoped to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged and disadvantaged children. "Making a difference means being able to impact other people's lives in such positive ways that will truly make a difference in their futures," he said. Working with Yale University graduate David Levin, Feinberg started the Knowledge is Power Program -- a year-round effort in which volunteers work with 48 fifth-grade students and their parents -- in 1993. As part of the program, students attend a longer day of school from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Feinberg said he has both long- and short-term goals for his students. "Our ultimate goal is to get these kids into college -- but that is still seven years away," he said. "There [are] a lot more immediate goals to be accomplished -- being able to read, being able to think and do math." Feinberg said after he has equipped these children with the necessary skills, he hopes to instill a desire to reach "their highest point of achievement." He added that if the government-provided school lunch program was used as a measurement of socioeconomic status, 95 percent of his students would be on the lowest of income levels. "A vast number of our students have come from a dysfunctional home in some form or another," he said. His children are a heterogeneous group -- 80 percent are Latinos, 18 percent are black and 2 percent are white. Feinberg chose to teach 10-year olds because he believes it is the best age for a teacher to have an impact on his students. "It's sad but true that it's much more difficult to reach the children in middle school," Feinberg said. "If the job to educate these kids is solely done by the teacher, then there is a small window in which to work. That's why we focus on fifth-graders and 10-year-olds." Despite cynicism about his students' potential, he maintains that they are just as capable as their more advantaged peers. "Our sense of mission is that they can and therefore they will," he said. "Our job as teachers has been to do whatever it takes to drive our kids toward that goal." Feinberg said he has experienced both highs and lows during his first two years at Garcia Elementary School. But having learned to teach and motivate the students, he now leaves his classroom each day "energized and recharged." He said he thinks the U.S. education system has remained stagnant while the need for quality teachers has increased greatly. "I think the community I work in is reflective of many communities across our nation," he said. "It is in dire need of essential focus and leadership and a national institution for this job is the neighborhood school." Teach for America held its Alumni Summit in Washington on the weekend of January 13. The purpose of this convention was to provide the group's teachers with the skills to implement the organization's goal of education reform. Feinberg played a prominent role in the conference. He introduced Senator Paul Simon, who gave a speech at the gathering and with Levin, presented a workshop on KIPP to other interested alumni. For their tremendous efforts, they won the Paul Nash Award for Outstanding Alumni Service in the Classrooms.