This is just WRONG:

Memphis lays off nearly 100 vocational tech teachers but will hire 100 TRA recruits

Look:

Tenured teachers with many years were let go with no warning. Some were not yet vetted for pensions. Yet they hired 100 TFA teachers with 5 weeks training.
...
There is not a single Democratic leader speaking out against tactics like this.

I'm so glad I'm no longer in the profession. It grieves me to say that but it's true.
~~~
UPDATE: This is un-freakin'-believable. Here's how they're handling the reality that these "Teach for America" recruits, in fact, don't know what they're doing:

Teachers-in-training will have their very own personal angel to discreetly coach them through new lesson plans, with the same ear-bud wiring that feeds live information to NFL coaches. Teach for America is hoping that private coaching will speed up the painstakingly slow process of teacher development, allowing teachers to get both tailored instruction and the experience of being at the head of the classroom, without risking a disaster for students."

Once a teacher understands what it feels like to be successful, it takes root immediately," Monica Jordan, coordinator of teacher professional development in Memphis City Schools, told Education Week.

The experimental group of teachers is willing, if hesitant. "I thought, what if they say something in my ear and I lose my train of thought?" said algebra teacher Cynthia Law. "And then I thought, so what if I lose my train of thought, I'll figure it out," Law continued, confidently, "I'm not a play-it-safe person. I'm willing for my kids' sake to look foolish."

I have a radical idea: Instead of trying to walk into the classroom with five weeks of training, why not do what the rest of us did and go through both the academic and supervised student teaching requirements to qualify for certification?
~~~