Teacher Education in Chicago

Chicago - A Life Defining Experience

2009-05-15T14:35:01Z

Bill Murchie '10 - Wow, what a week thus far! During these past 6 days, I have learned so much about the city of Chicago as well as myself. For an Indiana boy who has never used public transportation before, the first couple trips on the L intimidated me. However, I now feel fully comfortable and look forward to my next trip to the metro.

As for the cultural aspect of the trip, living south of Indianapolis where there is little cultural diversity, my only true interaction with people from different ethnic groups came when I spent my summers at Culver Military Academy. Though there were people from all over the world at this camp, I honestly believe I have learned more about different ethnic groups and the way they interact with one another this week than I have in the 10 summers I have spent at Culver. The sad part of my last statement is not that I have learned as much in roughly one week as I have in 10 summers, it’s that I have only touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning about these cultures and what defines them.

Whether it has been going to the Maxwell Street Market, visiting the Polish neighborhood on Milwaukee Avenue, taking a personal tour through Pilson Street, or spending the afternoon exploring the South Asian neighborhood on Devon Street, this experience has taught me to really enjoy the parts of the city in which most tourists do not go.

There are no enormous skyscrapers on Pilson Street, but there are beautiful murals one can spend hours looking at. You cannot find a Snickers in the local market in the South Asian Neighborhood, but I tried a piece of candy that was absolutely fantastic. Needless to say, some of the most exciting parts of Chicago are not found directly downtown or close to the Cubs and White Sox’s Stadium. The most exciting places, and in my opinion the best food, is found in the local neighborhoods!

Transitioning to my experience at Von Steuben High School, I would describe the school as extremely diverse and full of hard workers. It is obvious that Von Steuben has students from a wide variety of neighborhoods in Chicago. I observed students from all different ethnic backgrounds and I noticed that, though they might look different or speak different languages, the vast majority of the students worked extremely hard and pushed themselves to achieve to the best of their ability!

Before I came on this trip, I never had any desire to work at an inner city public school. This being said, this trip has opened my eyes to inner city public schools and I know to “never say never”. Overall, this trip has been a great experience and I look forward to moving forward with my newly acquired knowledge about the world around me.

Experience Expands Perspective on Life

2009-05-15T14:28:59Z

Chris Schweigel '10 - What can I say about my experience in Chicago and the public school system? I can say that I have had a lot of new and eye-opening experiences. In my short time in Chicago I have seen things that were completely new to me and done some things for the first time in my life.

Coming from the small town of Sheridan, IN. and going to only a slightly larger city in Crawfordsville for College, I have had a pretty dim view of large cities and society as a whole. But, I got my first new experience right away when we got on the train to go to Chicago. I had never been on a train; do in large part to the fact that trains are not a common means of transportation in Indiana. Once we got to Chicago trains and buses were our only means of transportation, so I have spent several hours on the Chicago public transportation. I really think that that is a good way to see the city, observe and meet a lot of people. I do not know the number of times that I or the people I am with have struck up a random conversation with some random person that we were next to on the train or bus.

The other new experience for me has been diversity of the city and the school I am observing. I am observing in Von Steuben High School and just like the city of Chicago has a large variety of students from different races and ethnicities. For the first time I am in the minority. Whereas the school where I went to high school and the school in Montgomery County are around 90 percent Caucasian. It has been really neat to see how the different students and groups interact with one another. Though the atmosphere of the school feels different, which could be do to the fact that it is an inner city school, the students for the most part tend to behave and act the same as those I have observed at schools like Crawfordsville.

I will admit that I was real skeptical at first to come up here. But, I am glad that I did. Not only have I gotten to see and do new things, but I have a new perspective on life and feel as though I have a better concept of society as a whole. If you were like me and have never really been out of your own small town I would highly recommend that you visit a major city. And, Chicago would definitely be a great place to look.

Learning How Culture Shapes a School

2009-05-14T14:47:43Z

Elijah Sanders '10 - This week has obviously been a learning experience for me. I have contemplated teaching in Chicago for a couple of years now and was really looking forward to this experience, and it did not disappoint.

I have learned a lot about the various cultures in Chicago and how the education system has reacted to them. At Benito Juarez, I have found the school has really embraced the Hispanic community. They have made the front of the school open for members of the community to travel around. My home high school was always on lock down during the school day. Not Juarez, it is not uncommon to see a member of the community sitting on one of the benches outside the school reading the paper.

The school also allows community events in the cafeteria, which was designed to be a sort of theatre. Furthermore, throughout the high school you can see murals that are both professionally done and student projects. They have these for multiple reasons. The first is the obvious; murals are a staple of the Hispanic community. Walking around Pilson, the neighborhood the school is in, you would see massive murals on the side of almost every building. These murals give the students a sense of ownership by coming up with designs, to be approved by their teachers, and painting the murals, themselves. I find that it gives the school a lot more personality, which is good, because the students, themselves, have a lot of personality.

Although the graduation rate may be low, there are a lot of bright kids with interesting perspectives and insight to share. I have really enjoyed the various history classes I have observed. The students at Juarez are not afraid to ask me questions to where I am from; to why in the world would I would go to an all guy’s college? And as I tell everyone when answering this question, you just have to see it to believe it.

So this entire time I have been in these classrooms I have been wondering, is CPS for me? Can I do this? After multiple conversations with my host teacher and Alums like Jeremy Robinson '04, they have convinced me not only can I do this, but I will more then likely fall in love with this job. These teachers have a true passion for their students and the urban community. It is a feeling I hope to share with them in the future as I develop into a teacher. Although I am not sure if Juarez is the school for me, as I am not a Spanish speaker, I do believe I can teach in Chicago.

The students are fun, the teachers are dedicated, and as long as you are willing to put in the work, the long term results are very fulfilling. Plus it is Chicago, the greatest city in the world.

A Wabash Guy Who Talks on the Subway

2009-05-14T14:46:44Z

Ben Humphreys '10 - Over the past few days in Chicago, Dr. Iazzetto and Mrs. Phillips have pushed all of us towards understanding the culture of which we’re immersed in. Dr. Iazzetto, who is from Chicago, has guided us to locations that have facilitated this process of understanding. More recently, Dr. Iazzetto asked us to take a closer look at the specific aspects of these cultures: values, diet, commonalities, and social interaction. As a result of this complicated question, all of us developed our own cultural understanding of Chicago.

To start, I will attempt to define my working definition of culture. To me, culture is an aspect(s) of a group that share communal values, traditions, and overall outlook on life. Although this definition isn't as specific as I would hoped it to be, it does establish a base for me to begin understanding foreign cultures. Over the past three days I've been immersed in many foreign cultures: Chinese, Polish, Hispanic, and Italian. These cultures are all unique in their own individual sense, but I would like to delve into the culture of Chicago holistically. Having passively journeyed to most of Chicago, there are a few things I would like to say about it.

When placing oneself in new culture, there are several things that catch people by surprise, or cause double takes. For your sake and mine, I will not dabble on my issue that caused a double take — trust me. Surprises, or as I would like to call them, "huhs", have effectively taught me about the culture of Chicago. Now, I'm an overtly social person, which makes me a person who enjoys talking to and meeting new people: if that be on a subway, bus, or the "L". Where I come from people make eye contact, interact with each other, and are generally talkative. However, this is not a characteristic of the culture of Chicago.

People on trains, buses, and on the street don't interact; speaking with an Italian woman last night she schooled me how to spot foreigners — me — on the transit system, "it's easy, like you for instance, you asked me how my day was. No one who is from here will do that. People generally don't care, or are just afraid to converse. If you want to be seen as a local, don't talk to anyone you don't know" (Cecily). This was astonishing to hear. In order to be viewed as a local you have to keep to yourself, don't venture off.

It's interesting to be in a culture like Chicago right now. Before leaving Wabash, I spent two weeks writing a paper that dealt with the impact of social complicity on urban environments. If you're not familiar with social complicity, it is the concept of cultures agreeing to disagree on societal issues. Consequentially, social complicity causes a division of cultures. Although Chicago has a number of ethnicities, they seem rarely interject with each other.

Even though the culture of Chicago is new for me, I do feel like I’ve begun to understand it. My teaching experience at Benito Juarez has been nothing but enjoyable. I’ve been lucky enough to have been placed with a well-versed teacher in Mr. Kneip. Possessing more than enough time to ask him questions about urban schools has been extremely beneficial. Having spent the last three days observing Mr. Kneip’s class, I’ve learned more than I could’ve fathomed. He has been extremely helpful so far to my personal development as a teacher.

Coming from a predominant Hispanic culture, I feel comfortable at Benito Juarez. The majority of the students there speak Spanish. Having knowledge of Spanish has given me the opportunity to connect with the students on a different level. This experience has truly given me the chance to immerse myself in the urban culture, which, as an aspiring teacher, there is only so much you can learn about yourself in the classroom.

Furthering my experience here in Chicago, was my first trip to Wrigley Field — home of the Cubs. Visiting Wrigley has been a dream of mine for a while. I’m a baseball enthusiast and to get an opportunity like this was amazing. Being from Arizona it is hard to find time to catch a Cubs game on a Tuesday.

In photo: Jon Hogge and Ben Humphreys at Wednesday night dinner.

Experience Changes Big City Perceptions

2009-05-14T14:45:50Z

Brody Tarter '10 - I have been in Chicago for 5 days now and I have adjusted well to city life. Coming from a small town of no more than 5,000 people and having never visited the city before, I can say that I have experienced and learned a lot already. I have been able to visit the Maxwell St. Market, Chinatown, and a Polish neighborhood. We also meet up with alumni Art Howe, who is a lawyer in the city. He gave us a tour of Millenium Park, which is a huge tourist attraction full of many different art exhibits. My time in Chicago has already been filled with many great experiences. However, most my time has been spent teaching and observing at my host school – Prosser Academy.

Every day I have to walk about 4 blocks to board a train to get to Prosser. I ride the train about 20-25 minutes. After my train ride, I walk another block and board a bus. My bus ride is another 30-35 minutes. To say the least, it can be an adventure just trying to arrive to my school everyday. But, I have learned that city transportation is reliable and efficient. Either a train or bus can get you to about any place in the town.

The city of Chicago is home to many different people from all around the world. The Chicago Public School system represents this. There are 125 different languages spoken in the Chicago Public School system. At Prosser Academy, the student population consists of 60 percent African-Americans students, 20 percent Latino students, and about 10 percent Polish students. Being exposed to such diversity in schools is something that we are not accustom to while observing and teaching in Montgomery County.

To be honest, I came to Chicago with some negative assumptions about the city and the way in which inner city public schools operated. Just in the 5 days that I have been in Chicago, I have learned that my assumptions about the city and schools were wrong. Even though CPS has a bad reputation, Prosser Academy has allowed me to see that inner city schools in Chicago are really just like any other school that I have been too.

Through my experiences at Prosser Academy over the past days I have learned that working in an inner city public school can be challenging. But, teaching in any environment can be challenging. However, the most important thing I have learned from this experience is that I believe I am capable of teaching in a large city public school.

Inner City Schools Can be Tough Places

2009-05-14T14:44:16Z

Matt Ward '05 - My overall impressions of Chicago are very similar to what I experienced during our brief visit at the end of March; the students do not seem to be the problem with Chicago Public Schools. It is the lack of money, effective administrators and passionate teachers.

The lack of money if evident from the first moment you walk into the school. The entire infrastructure of Benito Juarez Community Academy is aging (even though the school is less than 25 years old). The administration, from what I have experienced personally, has been close to useless; they did not plan very well for our arrival. When the Asst. Principal saw us on Day One, he gave me directions to my classroom and tried to head me off by letting my host teacher know I’d be there before I got there (and he failed, for I totally saw and heard him). Finally, although my host teacher has been the best I have seen in Chicago, there are other Spanish teachers here that make me want to cringe as an educational professional (I finished student teaching two weeks ago); one teacher, for example, taught a grammatical concept by reading the notes on the grammar directly from the book to the class. The follow-up activity was to copy the exact same notes into students’ notebooks. A third teacher I observed “taught” students about Ecuador by spending 30 minutes reading the notes in the book about Ecuador to the class. It has been pedagogically depressing (and somewhat thankful that I had the cooperating teacher that I did while student-teaching).

Much of the culture in Chicago I've experienced thus far has dealt with the overwhelmingly impersonal nature of the city. No one makes eye contact on the street with other people; you just keep on walking. I have noticed -- being Anglo in a Hispanic school (and especially since I started walking with a cane again) -- that some people are into staring, though they will not often make eye contact. I find this most interesting, especially when their eyes look to my cane before they look up at me. I often look them in the eyes as if to say "Hey! I'm up here!"

Big city culture is nothing new to me, however, having grown up in Indianapolis and having studied in Europe. I am rather accustomed to living anonymously, to the extent that living in a place like Crawfordsville is unnerving, because I will likely see people I know in public when I'd much rather control the context of when and where I meet people.

Although machismo is (unfortunately) a big part of Hispanic cultures, I have noticed that my female teacher is respected; students, especially the young men, rarely back-talk or disobey her. And she's not even strict or mean; she maintains a friendly, positive rapport with her students that I envy (and hope to achieve with my future classes).

Interesting for me is how Hispanics respond to me when they hear me speak Spanish for the first time. Many assume I'm just another gringo without language skills -- even the students in the classes I have been observing were unsure! Even after I told them (in Spanish) that I speak Spanish and such, one young man in particular spoke to the host teacher about me; my reaction was, again in Spanish, "Don't be afraid to talk to me directly." Was this a cultural difference or merely this one student feeling unsure of what to do?

Although these students seem very similarly in general behavior to those I had while student-teaching, the school and neighborhoods are much poorer. From the computers that are all old and often broken to the classrooms that look like glorified closets, this is a depressing place to be for me (perhaps because I was used to the relatively new CHS building). The security guards that yell at students in the hallways can be unnerving (but very polite and friendly to me as a fellow adult); even the faculty bathroom looks decrepit.

Technology in the classroom is a bit of a joke here; my host teacher's overhead is VERY difficult to read from the back of the room. Finally, although teachers have their own rooms, they often share them with other teachers during homeroom or prep times.

Teaching With Jeremy Robinson '04

2009-05-13T13:30:34Z

Jon Hogge '10 - My experience in the Chicago Public Schools has been awesome. I have been placed at Rauner College Prep. My host teacher is Jeremy Robinson ’04. This is much different than all of the other guys that are on this trip because I have the privilege to be with a Wabash alum. I have thoroughly enjoyed our daily conversations about the many different aspects of teaching: the joys and frustrations that students bring to the classroom, planning, interactions with other teachers, and how Wabash has prepared the both of us for teaching.

Jeremy and I have the chance to talk during his prep period every day for a good length of time because the school is on block schedule, that is, their classes are an hour and a half a piece. When we speak, I do not feel that he is a teacher and I am a student. I feel that we are both Wabash men talking with one another and we are on the same level. It is really cool because the line of communication between us is much more open than it would be if we did not attend the same college. Jeremy has even mentioned that he feels the same way about our interactions throughout the day. I feel extremely comfortable in his classroom and at Rauner.

The school itself is a charter school that was established only three years ago. It is apart of the Noble Street Schools that are located around Chicago. The school system runs a strict code of conduct and dress code unlike any other school that I have observed. Jeremy informed me that the school does this because if the students are given any sort of slack, they will exploit it and push the rules until something is done. Although this system is very strict, the students do not complain nor do they seem unhappy about the school. One student I observed received a demerit and there was not a single complaint from him about his punishment. The students here understand the consequences and for the most part understand that their misbehavior will lead to their punishment. I have been thoroughly impressed by Rauner and the smoothness of their system.

Outside of school, I have had the chance to walk around different parts of Chicago from Chinatown, the Maxwell St. Market, to the Polish neighborhood on Milwaukee St. Chicago is such a diverse city; so many cultures are represented here. Today, Tom Wade, Max Bader, Matt Ward, and I all traveled to Chinatown after school was finished. There, we had the chance to stop at grocery store. Max was looking for Wasabi peas and the rest of us were simply curious to what we would find. To mine and Tom’s delight, we found quite a bit of Chinese candy that we had had when we were younger but haven’t been able to find in places like Wal-Mart or Kroger. Tom and I made sure to buy a good portion so it would last us the remainder of the trip.

This week so far has been fun. I have had the chance to observe Jeremy Robinson ’04 and learn from him daily and I have seen many cultures that I do not see on a day-to-day basis in Indianapolis. I am looking forward to the remained of the trip and what it will bring me each day.

EDITOR'S NOTE: File Photo of Jeremy Robinson. Robinson was a standout Teach for America teacher before winning a Rhodes Scholarship and studying in Oxford, England. Hogge in photo at left.

Seeing Hometown Chicago Through New Eyes

2009-05-13T13:22:38Z

Rich Kavalauskas '10 - Being from Chicago , I did not really know what more I could get from spending a week in my hometown. Well, it turns out that I am learning something new every day. Prosser Career Academy is the school I have focused on these last few days and it has definitely been an eye-opening experience. Two issues I would like to discuss are technology and culture.

After student-teaching for a few weeks at Crawfordsville High School , I cannot help but recognize the huge disparity in technology between the two schools. In comparison to the well equipped Crawfordsville High School , Prosser considers it a lucky day if they have one copy machine fully functional. How does a high school not have a copy machine that works? Computers for student use come rare. Over the last two days I have seen more double-spaced handwritten papers than I have my entire lifetime, which leads me to my point: how does a CPS school like Walter Payton, Whitney Young, etc. have the latest technology, whereas teachers at Prosser are lucky if they can Xerox today’s quiz?

This experience caused me to reflect on my own style of teaching. I depended a whole lot on technology during a two-week session in which I taught sophomore English at CHS but what if I had been at a school like Prosser? Despite Prosser’s lack of technology, I have been able to witness exceptional teaching first hand. I am constantly learning on a daily basis, whether it is how to teach a specific lesson or handle a certain situation, this experience has definitely been beneficial to my future teaching career.

After school today, we had two groups split up and explore Chinatown and the Pilsen neighborhood. I was assigned to Pilsen and was able to experience some of the most amazing murals I have ever seen. It seems like every time you turn a corner, your eyes are bestowed upon some gigantic mural on the side of a building. We also had the opportunity to walk the neighborhood a bit and chat with vendors. Although I just finished Spanish 201, the vendor spoke a bit too fast for my comprehension (Sorry Prof. Gomez). Vendors are a common sight in Pilsen, selling everything from snow cones to tamales. Thanks to Chris Schweigel’s (aka Dragon) sweet 5 mega-pixel camera phone, we were able to get a couple snapshots while in Pilsen.

College Prep High School Has Motivated Students

2009-05-12T13:32:21Z

Max Bader '10 - Today was a successful first day at Walter Payton College Prep. I really enjoy the feel of the school; the teachers are personable and take their jobs very seriously while keeping the atmosphere positive and laid-back. The bulding itself is very awesome, too. It’s less than 10 years old and I learned today that it’s won several architectural awards, which isn’t surprising. There are plenty of windows and lots of open space between floors which helps keep one from getting that cramped city-feel while you’re there.

While school policy will prevent me from fully taking the reigns from my host teacher during this week, I was able to dive right into the experience today by putting together a laboratory inquiry activity on ingestion and nutrition of Paramecium. My efforts today will pay off tomorrow and Wednesday when I’ll have the opportunity to help small lab groups work through the procedures and analysis questions that I pieced together today from several of the resources that my host teacher has collected across the past three decades.

Because I have just finished a semester of student teaching in Crawfordsville, I found designing and writing the laboratory a relatively comfortable way to begin my experience at this new school. My familiarity with the lab means that later this week I’ll feel more at ease helping students interact with the content. What made today’s experience richer than my day-trip in March was that I was able to get a better idea of what it’s really like to be a student or a teacher at WPCP. I observed an intimate and informal department meeting, explored most of the building, and experienced the cafeteria routine.

Prior to today, I had a somewhat skewed impression of the surrounding neighborhood. I assumed that since the atmosphere and interactions within the school walls were so positive and focused on learning, therefore the neighborhood was one that was relatively free from crime or poverty. I discoved today that this is not the case. The school is very near a neighborhood that my host teacher called “rough.” Through the expanse of glass from the third floor she pointed out several public housing projects in which entire bulidings have been known to shoot at each other. None of the children in those bulidings, just a few hundred yards away from the polished award-winning steel, attend WPCP.

When the school first opened its doors there was an effort to incorporate some of them into the student body, but, according to my host teacher, “it just didn’t work out.” For me, this really highlighted what I’m discovering to be defining characteristic of this city- many small, distinct neighborhoods defined by class and culture which are nested tightly together while remaining quite insulated from one another. As an example, take our trip to Miluwaukee Avenue, just west of WPCP. Travelling away from the warring housing projects, we entered with an ethnic Latino area where I grabbed a delicious cup of fresh horchata. Then, we walked just a few blocks more and found ourselves an area with an ethnic Polish population second only to that of Warsaw, where we thoroughly enjoyed a Polish buffet.

I’ve visited Chicago dozens of times in my life, but this trip has given me a new perspective on all of the wonderful colors, smells, sounds, and faces that make the city what it is.

Tough Experience in School for At-Risk Teens

2009-05-12T13:29:15Z

Marquise Triplett '10 - Today was the first day went all went to our schools. Austin is an atlernative school for at risk teens. Their ages ranges mainly from 16-21 but they also have some students that are over 21. The students remind me of myself and other students that I went to school with when I was in high school. They have shown me how much I have grown an developed as a oung man being at Wabash.

I am working with two different math teachers. One has been teaching for over 30 years and the other teacher is roughly newer to the experince; she has been teaching for about 3 years. Unlike the traditional teaching style, these math teachers do not lecture. They do review way of teaching. They bring students to the level of the standards in order to pass to get their high school diploma. It is a change for these teachers because many of the students have no interest in math and some barely come to school let alone class. Usual the older ones are more mature and tend to get their work done.

The expierence for me is like being back in high school. The only difference is that I am no longer part of the students' popular; I am on the other side of the fence. I know what it was like being in these students' shoes, but they just took it one step in the wrong direction. One of my goals is to maybe give them a prep talk and show interest to hopefully motovate them in the right direction like my family did for me.

Magnet School Experience Enlightening

2009-05-12T13:26:34Z

Tom Wade '10 - So far, the experience in Chicago has been filled with many "firsts" and have learned many different things about my pursuit in teaching, as well as the city of Chicago. This has really been my first time to Chicago. Since I've been here, I have used public transportation for the first time, including the subway, train, and bus. I had a pretty good idea of what to expect here in Chicago from friends and family, but I am glad that I am able to experience it for myself.

The people, food, and attractions have all been interesting and complement the trip's focus of studying multicultural education in an urban environment.

In comparison to the schools I have observed, student taught, and substituted in, the high school I am observing here is entirely different. This "magnet school" for higher level students has a curriculum composed entirely of advanced placement courses. I have been really impressed by the commitment to studies that nearly every student shares, as well as the great measures the teachers go through to ensure the best education.

The students are engaged at all times, and the teaching staff is nothing short of amazing. The teachers in the math department have taught me a few lessons that I plan on implementing into my career in teaching, including group teaching and blogs in math. Who knew you could blog in math?! With a teaching staff and students like this school, I can easily see how this school was rated as one of the top college prep schools of 2008-2009.

Throughout this week, I have been blessed to have experience a glimpse of what teaching is like in an urban environment. I respect the teachers that go through all the work in a town that is hectic and hurried. However, I have been able to narrow my decision of possible schools to pursue a career in teaching math. Despite all that the city has to offer, I have decided that Chicago is not the place for me. I am not going to be close-minded on career options, so I'll see if the city can win my heart over in the remainder of the week of observing and teaching.

Experiencing Gentleman's Rule in Real Life

2009-05-12T13:24:22Z

Richard Fern '10 - Coming to Chicago is not an out of the ordinary experience for me. I was born and bred on the Southside of Chicago. Sweet home Chicago has been my stomping grounds for twenty-one years. Because of this, I figured that I would be the one teaching people about the city but I found the city still teaching me new things.

This week we received a seven day pass for public transportation. Normally, I drive my 87’ Pontiac around the city. Because the prices of gas these days, I decided to utilize my pass to its fullest potential.

After visiting the Sunday flea market, on Roosevelt, I decided to take the Orange line to meet the rest of the group at Millennium Park. I am familiar with the CTA and comfortable taking the train. Getting off the train I saw a woman struggling with several pieces of luggage. I watched as several people walked by, jaded to the woman’s plight. I decided to fulfill my obligation as a Wabash Gentleman and a fellow Chicagoan by helping her with her bags down the stairs. The woman showered me with praises and I felt fulfilled. Until I reached into my pocket and realized that I had left my wallet on the train. As the sense of accomplish immediately drained from my body, I ran to try to catch the train before it left The Loop. As I was sprinting toward the train, my hopes of ever retrieving my wallet gradually dissipated. Then I received a blessing in disguise: A man was yelling my name. I looked and he was holding my wallet. I gave the man many thanks and wished him a great day.

Before this experience I thought I knew the kind of people on “The L”, miserable, quiet, and rude; The kind of people that would take the money out of a lost wallet and not make an attempt to find the owner. It turns out that these people are caring upstanding citizens. Even though he never went to Wabash and lived in an area vastly different from Crawfordsville Indiana, we both followed a similar philosophy: The Gentleman’s Rule.

Getting to Know Chicago Before Teaching Begins

2009-05-12T13:20:26Z

Joby Turner '10 - Oh my, what a fast paced couple of days. It has been such a whirlwind ride exploring the best that Chicago has to offer. The first great adventure was arriving at Grand Central Station. Getting off of the Amtrak and seeing the canal and all of the skyscrapers was a wonderful sight. From there, we went out exploring the city.

The first place I ended up was Jeweler’s Row. The street was filled with nothing but jewelry stores filled with diamonds and Rolexes. Maybe someday when I get some money, I can come back and actually get something. After grabbing a bite to eat, it was off to the baseball stadium. The baseball stadium was U.S. Cellular Field and its Chicago White Sox. It was the first Chicago White Sox game I have ever been to. The opponent for the game was the Texas Rangers, and they came to play. Our seats were by the left field foul pole, but the atmosphere was amazing. The game was very intense and the White Sox end up winning by coming from behind. The game was not the only exciting part. The fans we were sitting by reminded me of the Chicago fans on Saturday Night Live. They were yelling the entire game and they never gave up hope for the Sox. The game was a great way to see the sporty side of Chicago.

The last experience of the last two days was going to the Maxwell Street market. This place was amazing! It had fresh fruit, home-cooked food, tools, clothing, candy, and much much more. In the market you could hear English, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin. It was really cool seeing a Hispanic man bartering with a couple of Chinese patrons. I did not get a chance to buy anything, but had I lived closer, I would be an even poorer college student. I cannot wait to see what the great city of Chicago has to offer in coming days.

First Day in Chicago Loaded with Experiences

2009-05-11T13:34:38Z

Robert Campbell '10 - Wow; just wow. If I could express what the first two days in Chicago have been in one word; “wow” would sum it up quite nicely.

For starters, I had never ridden an Amtrak train, and for it to be National Train day was an added plus. It was a long, yet comfortable ride and safe arrival to Grand Central Station in the heart of downtown Chicago. After a brief struggle to find the Hostel International of Chicago, our place of lodging, we dropped our stuff off and began exploring.

After strolling up (and down) Michigan Avenue, we met back at the Hostel to take the Red Line train up to Addison, just behind the famous rooftop bleachers of Wrigley Field, and then took a bus to Dr. Iazzeto’s house where we were given a public transit map and directions on how to get to our individual schools. After which we cooked some burgers and brats for a late lunch/early diner. This is where the real fun started for me. Joby Turner and I took the Red Line all the way down to the South side of Chicago to catch a White Sox game. For only $20, it was a pretty solid outing. We sat around some pretty hard core White Sox fans that were definitely very passionate and very knowledgeable about the game.

Today was an adventure from the start. Around late morning, we arrived at the Maxwell Street market, a staple of Chicago Sunday mornings for 100 years. This was an amazing cultural experience. There were several different cultures; Hispanic, Italian, Polish, Indian, and Chinese, all speaking in their own individual dialects. It was truly an experience I will not soon forget. After this, we made the trek across town to Millennium Park, where we met Art Howe, a Wabash Alum class of 1982. He gave us a great history of Chicago Architecture and of the city’s historical background.

Thus far, this has been a great experience. I am really excited for the rest of the week; to get in the classroom and to see more of the city. That’s all for now. Peace.

Leaving Too Soon

2008-05-12T16:37:42Z

-Brent Graham '09

It has been a long and eventful week and I am sad that this is our final day in the city. I have come to enjoy this class almost more than the class I taught for two weeks. The differences are numerous but it is the similarities that make me smile. The questioning demeanor of the students is the same as back in Crawfordsville, the curiosity of how old I am and if I’m married, its the age and it is a pleasant surprise that in the city the same questioning and energetic atmosphere can exist. The biggest difference here as compared to Crawfordsville is the racial diversity. There is a much larger minority population here than at at home. It is not something that changes the things that are taught but rather how they are taught. At home we try to teach about other cultures since there is such a lack of diversity. Here the teachers must teach to diversity. it is a different approach. Today the students will be performing there annual spring assembly. It is something that I am looking forward to seeing. The classes present short performances highlighting what they learned or what they excel at. In the sixth grade the other class is going to recite slam poetry to drums. What I can’t wait to see though is my class perform their Hp-Hop dance. They have been working on it for weeks. I am sad to leave this wonderful community that I have come to love. I was tentative at first but now I am comfortable in the city and in a school environment that I have never seen before. I would love to have more experiences like this in the future and will even consider teaching in a city school when I complete the education program. it is something I would have never said before today. That simple fact helps me realize how valuable this experience has been.