We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tiffany Cuellar Needham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tiffany, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.
I grew up in Alice, Texas, a small, predominantly Mexican-American town that was also a gas town. There weren’t many options in Alice regarding school choice. Still, looking back, it’s clear that some schools were able to provide more opportunities for students than others and that those divides often fell along the lines of race and class. When I later learned about Teach For America and better understood my own experience, I decided I wanted to do something to change the trajectory for students of future generations so that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential and realize their dreams. Working collaboratively with our partner districts, we strive to meet critical educational milestones that will set all students up for success regardless of socioeconomic factors.
Every student deserves the right to an excellent education and to be able to explore opportunities that will allow them to flourish into successful and productive members of society.
Preparing students for a fulfilling life and career requires everyone to play their part – from parents, to teachers, to school administrators, and the community. Organizations like Teach For America have the potential to be catalysts for change so that we can make real progress in nurturing and growing our future leaders.
In addition to making changes for our students, we must make changes for our teachers. The stress of the pandemic combined with political strife and other pressures have led to burnout, and many educators have left the field to pursue other careers. We must do more for teachers than just increase their salaries; we need to actively support their mental health and overall well-being.
Tiffany, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My parents always had very high expectations for me regarding my education. I always joke that they bought the smallest house zoned to the best school they could afford, but it’s true. I was able to go to an excellent elementary school, middle school, and high school and was in our honors program, which, again, looking back, I also see that I was one of the few Mexican American students in those courses. And so much of my success was because of my mom’s support and advocacy. She was involved in our school system: at one point, she was involved in the PTA of my sister’s elementary school, my brother’s middle school, and my high school, all at the same time!
It wasn’t until college that I struggled academically. Neither of my parents received a college education, and they thought it was critical for my two siblings and me to do so. But when I arrived at UT Austin, I found that I was woefully unprepared for the level of academic rigor, which was a big surprise because up until that point, school had always come easily to me, and I had graduated high school near the top of my class. But I know now that this is the story of many students growing up in low-income communities when they arrive at college. I remember calling my mom freshman year and telling her I wanted to come home, and she told me, “Nope. I’ve already cleared your things from your room, and you’re not welcome back home without your degree. You live above a tutoring center–go get the help you need.” And I did and ended up thriving.
I heard about Teach For America (TFA) my senior year from a college advisor, who thought it would be an excellent opportunity for me. In learning about TFA and its mission to achieve educational equity and excellence for students in low-income communities, I was able to reflect on my own experience, and suddenly, so much of my own journey made sense. I’d majored in finance and had actually planned to be an investment banker, as financial security was important to me. Instead, after learning about TFA, I decided I would teach for a few years and then go on to earn an MBA or a JD. And of course, like so many who join TFA, I met my students and just fell in love and have worked in education since.
After college, I ended up teaching fifth grade in Houston for three years, which was incredible. I was so proud of what my kids and I accomplished together and, at the same time, frustrated that the education system was structured in a way that left so many students behind. After my time in the classroom, I joined Teach For America staff and held various roles before becoming Executive Director of our Houston region in 2016, which is the role I continue to serve in today. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to think about our impact locally and work with partners to affect systemic change in our education system.
Teach For America works in partnership with 350 urban and rural communities across the country to expand educational opportunities for children. Founded in 1990, the organization recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding leaders who make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Today, Teach For America is a force of over 64,000 alumni and corps members working in over 9,000 schools nationwide in pursuit of profound systemic change. From classrooms to districts to state houses across America, they are reimagining education to realize the day when every child has an equal opportunity to learn, lead, thrive, and co-create a future filled with possibility.
Teach For America Houston recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. This summer welcomed 100 new teachers who will join 100 second-year teachers. Together they will touch the lives of nearly 10,000 students in our five local partner school districts. And, we have 1,700 alumni of our program living in the region. Seventy percent of our alums continue to work in education as teachers, school leaders, district leaders, and superintendents.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I joined our staff when the organization was not as diverse as it is today and was growing rapidly. It was a great time professionally for me, and I flourished quickly, but I sometimes felt isolated as one of the few Latinx staff members. I remember once joining a conference in Chicago and walking into this incredible conference room with a beautiful view of the city. Our executive directors were gathered, and at that time, over half were white men. I remember thinking clearly, “I do not belong in this group.” And I think that kept me from applying for the executive director role for a long time. After 10 years, I had the confidence in my leadership to take it on, but that was definitely a process. And today, the TFA staff is over 50% individuals of color, as is our leadership team, which I’m incredibly proud of.
I often share this anecdote with those I mentor when they need a dose of inspiration or a reminder that they, too, can overcome what may seem like impossible odds.
Any advice for managing a team?
Have confidence in your leadership -Even if you’re in a space where not many may look like you, trust that you have the skills and expertise to be there. Bring your whole self to the classroom – Students need to see themselves in their teachers. Sharing your identity and background helps them understand that we each have unique stories and gifts to offer others. Any piece of you that you share with them will benefit them and stay with them. For example, research shows that students of color are exposed to teachers of color, and both their test scores and graduation rates improve.
Plan accordingly – including time to recharge – Staying one step ahead is crucial for teachers. Plan your lessons and ensure your students have what they need to succeed, but remember that this also includes taking time for yourself. Unplug on evenings and weekends when possible and use those personal days!
Remember that your students are whole people, too – When we’ve asked students what makes their teachers great, most of them say something about how incredible teachers get to know them individually and can offer them personalized support, whether that is academically or by providing resources outside the classroom. So, just as we should bring our whole selves to work, it’s important to encourage students to do the same!
Give yourself lots of grace – Educators not only teach their students but serve as de facto social workers, psychologists, coaches, and more. There are bound to be missteps and mistakes. Some lessons may not go as planned, you may forget a deadline, or you may feel like you’re doing your best work sometimes and it’s not enough. But you’re trying, and you’re showing up for your students. Extend the same grace to yourself that you give to them when they’re learning something new.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.teachforamerica.org/where-we-work/houston
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tfahouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiffany.c.needham
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-cuellar-needham-34b02b5/
Image Credits
Photo of Tiffany – Barfield Photography TFA Stock Photos – Tamara Fleming Photography