TFA Chicago Day 4

Hey Everyone,

It’s hard to believe that today was my second to last day at Urban Prep. The week has absolutely flown by which I think is a testament to the variety of things we’ve been able to do in this awesome city during and after school. This morning, Grant and I arrived at Urban Prep at the usual 7:30 and were once again greeted by students, teachers and administrators ready to tackle the day. Having missed my typical morning coffee, I can’t say I had as much zeal as all of them. It’s worth noting that after only a few days at Urban Prep I can say that I feel welcome there. I did not know what to expect when I walked into the building on Tuesday. In my head, I envisioned people giving us snide looks, wondering what these new white college kids were doing at their school. I also hoped that people were welcoming and happy that Grant and I were interested enough in TFA and the strides that schools like Urban Prep are making in revamping urban education to take a ten-hour bus ride to Chicago. I’m very thankful that we’re experiencing the latter of the two scenarios.

Today was the first day students really dove into their second semester of chemistry. Mr. Rock was accommodating to Grant and I and offered us the chance to help kids if the situation presented itself. However, today’s activities were more or less solitary and no one really needed the assistance. We also worked on building the final exam with directions from Mr. Rock. In the end it was a 135-question test that was not easy by any means. Adding that it’s worth 25% of the students’ final grade makes it a daunting exam to say the least. At Urban Prep, 80% mastery of the course material is the school’s goal for all students. This goal isn’t designed to satisfy political mandates such as No Child Left Behind. It’s there to ensure that students can achieve 80% mastery or better when they go to college as so many Urban Prep kids do.

On another note, I was thinking about how I’ve been sharing my experiences with you all but haven’t been sharing much about other group members’ experiences…selfish I know. I guess this break is a little different than most because everyone is on his or her own during the day except Grant and I. After getting back to the church today, Joe was telling us about a really cool thing that they do at his middle school. Joe helps teach 8^th grade at a heavily Hispanic public school whose students face many of the same social problems as Urban Prep students. For an hour or so today, they had a period called advisory where the guys and girls split up into different rooms. They proceeded to talk about current events and their lives in general. Specifically, it was a time for them to share things that had been bothering them such as the pressure of impending high school entrance exams. Joe said the students shared a lot of the same feelings of stress and a support group atmosphere developed. This idea of fostering a supportive and friendly atmosphere in the classroom seemed like an amazing idea to me. Not only were kids able to get things off their chests that they may not be able to do at home, but doing so with the students they learn with produces a collaborative vibe that can only help them in the class room. At least for me, the mood I’m in affects how well I pay attention and retain information. I’ll be back tomorrow with some more stories from group members as well as my own. Have a great night.

Jason