Oh, life.

Things in Chicago have been going well.  The weather is starting to warm up a bit and my days are spent traveling amongst four different high schools teaching.  Being at four different high schools has given me the opportunity to see the different ways schools are run, and evaluate the quality of the teachers.  Up until this point each high school has failed to impress, except one, Urban Prep.  Urban Prep is the only all-male, all-African American public college preparatory high school in the country.  As I rang the doorbell at the entrance on my first day, I was unsure what to expect.  The door slowly opened for me and I entered into a mass of young men with shaved heads dressed in blazers and ties.  The students stared at me, rushing forward to push aside any doors that might get in my way as I wandered through the halls searching for my classroom.  At Urban Prep, each grade level is divided into groups of twenty students known as "prides."  I was assigned to the prides named "Resilience" and "Solidarity."  I met with the college counselor who informed me that the students were referred to Mr. proceeded by their last name and I should be referred to in the same manner.  Interesting.  My experience since then has been nothing short of great.  The students raise their hands when I ask questions, they follow along in their books, they even thank me after class.  Such a difference.

But perhaps not as entertaining as the classes at my other high schools.  Three days a week, I take over the English class of a teacher at one of my high schools (I will leave out names).  These days are the highlight of her week as she doesn't have to do anything.  At the beginning of class she walks around the room checking homework as the students on the opposite side of the room scramble to circle any answer choice.  She then congratulates the class for doing their homework and takes a seat by her laptop while I take the lead.  Occasionally she interrupts me to take attendance in the midst of my lesson or ask me a question about something I clarified for the students a minute or two earlier.  Yesterday she decided to actually pay attention to my lesson and whisper the answers to the students as I asked them questions.  "What is X multiplied by another X?"  "Two X" she whispered to her students, as I explained that the answer was "X squared."  "What is the square root of 4?" I asked as we simplified a problem.  "16" she whispered, as some of the more intelligent students giggled and correctly answered "two."  Now I understand why some of the students are still unable to read.

Things I have learned:

It doesn't take much to become a teacher nowadays.  It's sad thinking of all the qualified teachers who can't find jobs, because of the unqualified teachers taking up space.

I have learned how to play spades and bridge and consequently have developed a card game addiction: to the point where i have dreams about playing different hands.

I learned that leaving your bike locked in the same spot for a couple of days is not a good idea.  But that a decent bike can be purchased off Craigslist for really cheap.

I have learned that racquetball can make an arm sore for days.  And two person knock-out can be a solid workout. 

I have learned that certain roads in Chicago should never be biked on.

I have learned that I fall somewhere directly between a 53 and 55 inch bike frame.