Countdown to kids....

I love my Mentor Teacher.  Seriously.  She's awesome.  I know, we are in the "Honeymoon" phase, but I am old enough to know when I am going to click with someone or if I am not.  Her name is Keviyona Ray.  She's a 10 year veteran and a second year Mentor teacher.   Her get it done no bull$hit attitude is just what I need and what I respect.  She shoots straight and doesn't sugar coat anything.  In addition to being my mentor teacher, she is the middle school team lead and with 3 out of 5 teachers being new, she has her hands full.  On top of everything going on this week, she was moving this weekend.  God bless her.

We met the rest of the teachers and school staff this week as well.  Everyone seems great.  The school Clerk, (Ms. Crook) is fabulous.  And from past experience I know, every great school has a great school clerk! Mrs. Martin is the Assistant Principal and she is the make stuff happen administrator.  She's calm under pressure and appears extremely kind.  Then there is Mrs. Henry, the school Principal. She's fabulous.  Motivating, yet no nonsense, knowledgeable, yet listens intensely, and extremely well put together.  I am so excited to be working at her school.  She definitely seems fair, but has the kids best interest at heart.  I mean, that's why we are here, right?


We had a lot of meetings with people from Central office and outside vendors as we are a "welcoming school" for one of the schools that closed at the end of the school year, Pope Elementary.  I was amazing by all the work that went into the transition plan for the students who will be joining our family.  Events as early as last May were taking place, student pen pals, a middle school dance, and then Friday a community and school barbecue and carnival.  There were bouncy houses and games, a dj and good food.  It was so nice to meet some of the kids and some of MY kids too!  Nervous and excited, I seemed to find my "teacher voice" when talking with the students.

We had a lot to do for our classroom, it was basically a pile of desks and dust before we got to it.  AUSL has a very specific classroom environment checklist that includes a standard beautification of each class as well as very visible rules, regulations, school vision and mission.  Each class must have a rug, curtains, a plant with flowers, a classroom library space and a lamp and adhere to the AUSL classroom environment checklist.  You may be thinking this is a bit militant, but there is plenty of room for creativity- believe me.  What there wasn't room for is cold classroom that is unkept and not inviting. As a teacher, I am OK with that.  As I walked around to other classrooms I loved the welcoming feeling each room had.  While you are correct, I have drank the kool-aid and am passing it out to others, there are some things AUSL does you cannot debate.  This is one of them.  Even the hallways are civilized.  If you have not worked in or stepped foot in a CPS/city school then you might not understand the importance of that word.  Historically, through no single person's fault, our schools have begun to look like prisons.  They are cold (or Hot as hell in late August/early september), dirty, and unkept.  Schools like Juarez, Tilden and Al Raby have made strides against this stigma, adding color and structure to the school where they can.  Part of the problem is the constant struggle and political problems a school in CPS faces.  AUSL is able to remove some of that by making expectations VERY clear before anyone begins to work for one of their schools.  So, more often than not, you won't hear an engineer talking back to a Principal because he doesn't like taking directions from a female and his cousin's husband got him the job so go ahead and try to fire me because I know someone conversation. Yes.  This happens in CPS.

Moving on...Friday we had lots of media at the school.  Principal Henry said we should expect the same on the first day.  In addition to being a welcoming school, we received a health clinic staffed by Erie Family Health Center.  I am really excited for this as it will help our parents and students out a lot! It will also be available to the community during the week.  Parts of the Safe Passage route was painted by students and community members last week and looks really cool.  It's lines of red, blue and yellow and other designs in a zig zag pattern.


I am excited and nervous for tomorrow and am prepared to make mistakes and learn by them as well.  I am still as giddy as I was the first day I went down to NLU for class.  I really feel I am right where I am supposed to be.

Please say a prayer or send good thoughts to all the students walking to their new welcoming schools tomorrow.  That may get to and from school safely and feel the love and support by the city and community which surrounds them.

Calm Before the Storm

This was a rough week.  Between getting 11 assignment in (Still working on numbers 10 and 11 but had to take a break!), going on a community walk with two ill-mannered colleagues, and dealing with the anticipation of what the next couple weeks will bring, it was a lot.  Ironically, these last six weeks will pale in comparison to the coming year.  Going forward it's 4-5 classes a semester, plus being at the school 4 days a week, from 7:30-5 or later.  We will come together as a cohort on Fridays for classes and to exchanged stories from our school sites.  I am going to miss seeing everyone in CH043 every day.   I have made what I am certain are, some life-long friends.  I have learned an amazing amount in the short time I have been in classes with these individuals and feel I was blessed with the best cohort this year.  We finally got to have a social moment on Thursday and our Social Justice professor joined us.  He did some freestyle that was fabulous.  I'm going to miss that class the most I think, even though the book (Lipman) make me want to punch a wall sometimes.  It definitely made me think!

So, the reality of the situation is, nothing is a surprise.  AUSL is extremely clear about the demands and expectations for work and professionalism.  However, it seems some people didn't get that memo.  I am sure they will get an extra special memo shortly.

I was able to go on a second community walk with some of my awesome co-residents Friday.  We got to chat with the Assistant Principal and say hello to the Principal.  She was on back to back to back conference calls so we didn't want to interrupt.  Ironically, a year ago I was on those conference calls getting ready to help open a school.  What a difference a year makes!

The school (Johnson School of Excellence) is awesome, pre-k through 1st in a smaller building next door and 2-8 in the main building.  The smaller building is  great, with each classroom a different theme.  One classroom was "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and Another was "Oh the Places You'll Go".  I loved it.  Also there will be a clinic going in the building for student, community and staff use!  Very exciting!  The main building also houses the specials (gym, music, library, art) and in the hall of each floor is a very civilized shared space with couches and tables and chairs that look like they are out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.  Very college-like which is smart and I love!  It is an area for students to do group work, or do work for a pull out with a teacher or tutor.

As I start to gear up and "become a teacher" I am learning as much being outside the classroom as I am in.  This weekend alone I had several situations that made me chuckle, and also made it all click.  Let me preface by saying, the last 5 years or so, I have been increasingly more and more of an advocate for teachers.  In my prior life, I too believed it was a "cushy" job with "easy" hours and no take home work.  Sweet mother of god was I wrong.  So I have posted and defended my teacher friends and family, wondering how they don't get SO angry, I mean, all the ignorant people that share negative sentiments about teachers!  So quickly they forget, they had teachers who got them to where they are today!

First scenario
Cashier at Grocery to me:  How's the weather outside, are you enjoying it?
Me: "it is nice, but I am going back to study inside"
Cashier: "what are you studying?"
Me:  "I am going back to school to be a teacher"
and then, there it was....
Cashier: "Oh that's so great, I would love those hours, and summers off, you're smart girl.."

Second scenario:
Dry cleaner to me:  "make sure you enjoy the weather"
Me: "I'd love to but headed to the library to hit the books"
Dry cleaner: "what are you studying?"
Me: "I'm studying to become an Urban educator"
Dry cleaner: "Oh, a teacher?  That's so sweet..."

Third scenario:
Friend of a friend at dinner:  "oh I was teacher, then I went to law school and now I'm a lawyer"
Me:  That's great.  I am in a program that..(get's cut off)
Friend of friend: "so we were on this big trial and...."

Sweet?  Love those hours?  Summers off?  I thought this would make me so much more angry than it did but then it clicked.  I get it.  My reward is in the commodity which I will harvest which is great young minds!  Teaching a child how to read or develop a love for math is so much more rewarding than getting some dirtbag off in court, or making a huge spread on a trade.  I don't even CARE what people think!  Other people talk about their work, and their travels and the money they make, or the rewards they reap so they can feel good about themselves.  I get it.  I did it.  But getting to see children develop and grow before your eyes, and knowing YOU contributed to that growth, well I will take that any day over a $50,000 bonus.

Some of you may want to call my bluff on that last statement.
But you can't.
Because I already did it.

Good luck to all my teacher friends and family as you head back into the trenches this week.  I know you are as excited as I am!!

I'm a Wildcat!!!!

I got my residency school....Johnson School of Excellence! The Wildcats!!! North Lawndale on the west side of Chicago which I am partial to because it's the BEST side!

I am excited, nervous, happy and scared all at the same time.  My MRC(that's mentor resident coach Marni :)) is this amazing woman named Tamiko.  She is the real deal.  I don't really know any of the other residents at my school site but am getting to know them quickly.  They all seem great.  I get to meet my mentor teacher on the 19th.  Man, talk about pressure for first impressions!  

Anyway, a little history about my school and neighborhood since some of you had asked:

Johnson's formal CPS name is James Weldon Johnson Elementary School.  The school has approximately 440 students and serves students pre-k through 8th grade.  We are a receiving school for Pope Elementary, one of the closed schools. Enrollment has grown since the school was turned around by AUSL in 2009.  

In terms of achievement, 65.7% of the students meet or exceeded the state standard (ISAT Composite).  64% meet or exceed state standards in reading.  This is up more than 20% in the 3 years since the school was turned around.  Per the CPS 2012 School Progress Report, student growth as a whole is above average.  

North Lawndale makes up 3.21 square miles on the Westside of Chicago.  With population averaging around 35,000 and median income approximately $13,000 it’s no surprise for the next set of facts.  North Lawndale has a history of violent, property and  quality of life crimes (drugs, prostitution), with crime rates staying consistent over the last 13 years. 38.6% live below the poverty line, and 18.5% are unemployed.  That’s over 8% above the national average.  Sadly, over 30% have no high school diploma as well.

Once a thriving neighborhood, in the late 1960s and early 1970s a series of economic and social “disasters” decimated the industry and retail along Roosevelt Road.   Leading to the demise of the community were the riots that proceeded Martin Luther King’s assassination.  This destroyed many of the businesses along Roosevelt road and began the accelerating decline of industry.  This led to 75% of the businesses in the community closing or leaving, including International Harvester in 1968, Sears Roebuck & Co. partially in 1974 and then completely in 1987, Zenith and Sunbeam in the 1970s and Western Electric in the 1980s.

North Lawndale was the founding site of the Vice Lords street gang.  In the 1960’s they tried to turn themselves into a positive influence on the neighborhood but it was short lived.  

An interesting architectural fact is North Lawndale is home to over 2000 historic beautiful grey stone dwellings, the most in the city.  

So...in addition to ALL THAT, I have 11 That E-LE-VEN projects/papers/presentations due in the next two weeks. But so does everyone else in my cohort, (43 what's up!) and the camaraderie in the group is fierce. (WWHHHAAAATTTT??) I would take a bullet for these people, they are passionate, getting it done, and LOVE KIDS! Our first true opportunity to commiserate over cocktails will be next Thursday after our last class and one of the presentations. I am sure it will be "colorful".

My Literacy class ended for the semester.  Ironically, it turned out to be one of my favs. It really is the basis for everything education when you think about it, I mean if our kids can't read, what the hell else can they do?

Special ed class is killing me....but the two books we had to read were fabulous.   My Social Justice professor has officially recommended 1000 books to read, all of which sound amazing and applicable to my future life as a teacher.  

Holy crap, I'm a teacher.  I literally get teary eyed every time I think or say that.  I don't know if it's because I am so excited to be here finally, or scared as hell I am going to screw up a kid's life.....eh, let's go with the first one.

SHOUT OUT to my mentor and friend Femi who's getting married this weekend.  Blessed to have such an amazing role model in my life.  I hope I can be half the teacher and educational leader she's is!  

Last, for all you out there who are still asking, "why the hell did she decide to become a teacher?  Watch this.... Boom.   

http://youtu.be/RxsOVK4syxU