Week 41: Graduating

Girlies <3

The team

Graduation ceremony!

Service Rocks party

 This week was full of: paperwork, a picnic in Douglas Park, the fire circle, and graduation.

Joys: see previous posts <3   

Week 40: Releasing

Soaking up the last days

Right

My freshmen :-)

One of many hallway hugs and photos

Celebrating the end of the year with admin

:-D

Best moment

Woohoo!

This week was full of:  putting on the school Talent Show, reading An Awesome Book to my classes, getting showered in cards and appreciation, watching the seniors graduate (complete with Rahm Emanuel), and finishing an irreplaceable year.


Quotes of the week:  
"See Ms. Lewis, that's why everyone loves you and Ms. Serrano - you'll stay late to help kids and you don't give up.  Other people get irritated with kids."  - A sophomore

"I just want to say thank you for all the help you gave me, and for always listening to me when no one else did.  P.S. I will never give up." - A card from V <3


Joys:  Hearing the classrooms and hallways burst into applause when an announcement came on over the intercom to thank City Year; getting hugs at graduation and seeing how ecstatic the parents were for their babies; seeing 2 freshmen boys and the school secretary getting down to Dougie at the talent show; surprise appreciation from admin and teachers.

Week 39: Prepping

Before

After

My snail

So many volunteers!  Note the news cameras on the White Sox player painting Alabama

This week was full of: prepping for White Sox Service Day!

Joys: bonding with Adrian while tracing the murals and chatting with volunteers while painting the playground.

Week 38: Online Algebra-ing

Kiddos on a field trip

Go, Andrea, go!

Art by a favorite junior

This week has been full of: taking our freshmen on a field trip to see a play, our last PT, a team day to the cultural center and navy pier, showing 'Crips and Bloods' to the juniors, and watching Andrea paint our CY graffiti boards.  :-)

Quotes of the Week: 
"What?  You pregnant?  Girl, congratulations!  What are you gonna do?" - A freshmen on a phone with his friend, also a freshmen

"They're all a part of me.  See, he's an outcast, and I'm an outcast.  His clan rejected him, like me.  But he's still persevering." - How T describes his artwork


If I had a superpower...
I would use it for good.  My power would be to make violence go away because now there is so many things going on.
I would want to be able to change people's thoughts on life, because I think the way that people think is a big reason for the situation that we're in.

"Yeah, I learned my lesson in jail, and want to stay on track now.  And it brought me and my momma closer."  - D, after he told me about his experience.  Love this kid. 

Joys:  D passing his online algebra class!  So happy he can graduate on time.  A moment to remember.

Week 37: Leading

Juniors on a field trip making a meal for senior citizens

My freshmen with Ms. Minaj

Announcing the scholarship winners

This week was full of:  being the Team Leader for a week! Chaperoning a field trip with some juniors, Nicki Minaj visiting our school, fights in school breaking out, watching a gang video with J, and starting to help D, a senior, pass his online algebra class so he can graduate.  

Quotes of the Week: 

How much did being in the Get Schooled Challenge motivate you to come to school?
"What's the Get Schooled Challenge?"


During a discussion with juniors about The Fallen, a book about a boy who has to decide whether to take revenge on the guy who killed his little brother or say no to violence and break the loyalty of his friends:  
Me: "...you know, there are parts of this world where you would never have to make a decision like that.  For example, I have never seen a gun."
Juniors: "WHAT?? Never?" "You've never touched one???" "I see guns, I touch guns, I use guns...."
I was shocked by the extent of their shock.  The idea of a violence-free world is just unfathomable to them.  "But see, Ms. Lewis, in this world, on the west side, that's how we deal with things."

"It's crazy that people get killed over this."  - J, a freshmen, while teaching me how to play dice.

Joys:  Watching C, a junior, help Ms. Peaches with crafts at the senior citizen home; being IMed by one of my 4th graders from last year.

Week 36: Piñata-ing

Science Class Walk

Piñata time in the courtyard

Last ceremony for our lunch kids

This week was full of: creating Talent Show Workplans, possibly the last three evening meetings at the office of the year, going for a walk with a science class, and our last VIP lounge.

 Quotes of the Week: 
 "I became more independent this year seeing the examples of Mr. Washington and Ms. Lewis." - D, a lunch freshman 


"Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects.  He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them." - Greg Mortonson in Three Cups of Tea

"'I request America to look into our hearts,' Abbas continued, his voice straining with emotion, 'and see that the great majority of us are not terrorists, but good and simple people.  Our land is stricken with poverty because we are without education...'" - Syed Abbas, a Pakistani, making a speech in 2001 in Three Cups of Tea

"F** these n***.  F** them all."  - Graffiti inside the subway train.  A startling reminder of how disgusting and ignorant people can be.  I was fuming the whole way home and hoping my students don't board the train. 

Excerpts from kids' Goal Books
- travel the world
- have a big house with a dog and 2 kids
- become a forensic scientist
- learn how to speak in a new language

Weeks 34 & 35: Busy-ing

Celebrating accomplishment with the Camp Committee

This week was full of:  
Once again, being too busy to update the blog.  So many meetings! 

Quotes of the Week: 

"Can my goal be about someone else?  I want to motivate my older brother to start coming to school more."  - A lunch freshmen

"Hi, Ms. Lewis!" - A middle-schooler I met last week at camp then randomly saw on the street (he remembered my name!)

Week 33: Camping

A new buddy

Archery

:-)

Life Map Puzzle Activity with some of my kids!

Talent Show

This week was full of:  Camp City Year!  During our kids' spring break, we run a day camp to keep them busy and learn new sports and teamwork skills.  This year's camp was called The Olympic Challenge: Find the Champion in You!  We had about 100 kids at the west side site and almost 100 at the south side site.  I served at the recruitment director, so after months of prep our duties this week were to register the students, keep attendance records, check in with campers and team leaders, and run around putting out fires.

Quotes of the Week: 
[see surveys & tyshawn about me]

"Can we volunteer and help at the freshmen camp next year?" - Some of my boys when they found out they won't be able to attend next year



Joys: This whole week was awesome.  Meeting students from other schools, seeing my students try new things and thrive in a different environment, playing Base Defense on the staff team against the kids, cramming into a car with other staff members, and the community feeling that built over the week with our campers.

Weeks 31 & 32: Cramming

These weeks were full of: Being too busy getting ready for Spring Break Camp to update the blog; passion day; talking with a junior about how gangs offer protection; camp stuff.

Quotes of the Weeks: 
"...and if you reach your target score, come see me for a coupon from the administrators for a pizza party and a dress down day..." - Right before taking the NWEA test

"Well he'll be able to have extended time to take the ACT... if we would have put the request through earlier, maybe you could have read the test to him, but now it's too late..." - The Special Education teachers discussing an awesome junior who reads at a 2nd grade level.


Joys: Reaching our quota for the number of campers to recruit!

Week 30: Racing

Girls figuring out how much concession snacks would cost during The Amazing Race.

This week was full of:  Putting on The Amazing Race math event, planning and holding the Recruitment Liaison Supercharger to recruit students for spring break camp, scrambling to get my kids to turn in all their work before the quarter ends, unity rally, filming a lesson for my teacher's National Boards, and finding out last minute that we need to pack up our entire room and move to a temporary location since construction is starting. 

"I noticed how much they wanted to go to school, and I do get to go to school but I don't like it......." - V, after showing him clips from I Am Because We Are, a documentary about Malawi. 

"One thing I wouldn't change about myself is my attitude.  Some people think I have a bad attitude, but it's just because you can't let your guard down." - A, a freshman 

"I'm having a good day because I was at school every day this week." - D, a freshman.  Finally!

"No, I'm not going to the school dance!  What time does that end, 11?  I'm not taking the bus home then... did you hear what happened last night?  You didn't watch the news?  They went shooting up all the bus stops on 79th..." - T, a junior,  who lives on the south side

If you could change the world, what would you change?
The violence. - A freshman.
The violence and teenage pregnancies.  - D, a freshman. 
The economy. - A, a freshman.
The statistics of African-American males.  - V, a junior, an African-American male. 

"See, the ingredient is to care about people, and to love them.  That's the ingredient, across the board." - Jim Brown, from Crips and Bloods: Made in America, a documentary about gangs, racism, and poverty.  If you haven't seen it, go watch it right now.  It's on netflix. 

"You find so many of them that I don't think have ever had any love.  And that's the main thing - love.  Whether they're right or they're wrong, or they're good or they're bad - love." - Stan, referring to teenage runaways that stay with him.  From Off the Grid, a documentary about people living in the Arizona mesa.

Joys:  Hearing kids who don't usually like math talk about how much fun they had racing around the school to solve math problems, and really good discussions with a couple lunch groups.

Week 29: Re-energizing

Interested students crowd around the Youth Police Officer at lunch

This week was full of:  Inviting a local Youth Police Officer to visit lunch and recruit kids for their programs, playing trash can ball with the juniors, the first CY Ambassadors meeting with selected juniors (run by Ms. Serrano), our Candyland-themed VIP lunch for improved freshmen, a couple fights at school, our first orientation meeting as the future Senior Corps members next year, having Jana visit our school one day, and a much needed team dynamic discussion.

Quotes of the Week: "If I were a teacher, I'd take control.  Just say what I mean and mean what I say."  - J, a junior, on how to be an effective teacher.

"See, I can't walk in his hood, and he can't walk in my hood, because if they know you're not from around there, you're in trouble."  - V, a junior, with his best friend L
"Ms. Lewis, did you hear about the shooting last night?  Someone was killed right there... and we were just talking about that yesterday with you..."

"Let me tell you, these black people, if something starts, they're gonna get it done.  It's not a good way, but that's how it is."  - J, a junior, in class

"As a black male back then, I was told I was a failure.  And I believed it.  Do you know how much that can mess a person up?  I was labeled and put in special education.  I had teachers who told me I could never fly a plane.  Guess what's in my pocket right now - my pilot's license." - A sub at our school

"You're asking if I want to become a cop?" (boys crack up at the absurd thought) "See, you don't stay where I stay, Ms. Lewis, so you don't understand."  "There's a cop who lives on my street, and he gets in a lot of trouble with the people on our street just for being a cop."  

"Ms. Lewis, what happens when I go to get a job and I have 3 offenses on my record?"  - J, a junior

"Every day, that's my diet, a spoonful of hatred. You see? And it's just a question of when is this going to erupt. And upon whom is it going to erupt? Am I gonna attack myself? Am I gonna attack my brother?" - From the movie Crips and Bloods: Made in America (highly recommend!!)  

"Why do you want to serve?  You've all changed and grown since the last time I asked you that same question on September 1st, right in this room."   - Jewan, at our Senior Corps orientation

Ls:  Open communication with team members.  Always.

Joys:  Hugging a junior and seeing him light up when he returned from a couple weeks of recovery after a bad car crash.

Week 28: Discussing

Relaxing after school

This week was full of:  Starting to realize that the end is near.  Our last round-table discussion with Jewan, our last Leadership Development Day at TJ, a grant-writing workshop, and one really late night at school. 

Quotes of the week:  "With all the upcoming events, there are really only 8 real weeks left.  End the year strong...." - Jewan

"The new set of eyes that you all bring is invaluable.  Don't hesitate to share ideas or concerns."  - Teachers at the panel discussion

"We've been together for going on 2 years.  It's about that time." - E, a freshman, casually discussing getting a tattoo of his girlfriend's name.  

Basically anything by Rafe in Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire

Words of Wisdom by my freshmen: 

"You become what you want to become.  It's all about how hard you work."  
"Whatever you do, do it with pride."
"Education is the key to all things."
"You have to start somewhere to get where you want to be."

What is your favorite season?
"Summer (except for the violence)."  - A freshman

Joys:  Watching J work so hard on his painting after first being nervous to start, hearing teachers talk about their relationships with corps members, and collecting ideas for next year.

Week 27: Sunshining

Made for me by a 9th grade boy :-)

This picture does nothing to capture the atmosphere, but Lisa announcing after the super fancy Ripples of Hope dinner that we raised over $500,00!  I was seated next to execs from a bank who are on the CY board, and the director of City Year Milwaukee

This week has been full of: working at the office on Pulaski Day, observing a student in Ms. H's class, our school Data Dialogue Day where teachers discussed test results, discussing race and poverty after reading "The Lesson" in class, and starting a new play (A Raisin in the Sun).  


Quotes of the Week: "I used to live in K town, but I like it here better cuz there's more action.  At my old school we would make groups to fight because there's only one high school, but here we can just fight the other schools... my uncle's been hurt, he got his head busted, my cousin too... I was hit with a bat once, but it wasn't bad..." - G, a freshmen, on the bus to school

"You stay away from Ms. Lewis, she's my friend!" - G to another student the next day... oh boy....

"He's my baby,  I've had him since he was one day old.  His mom was on cocaine and all that, so I took care of him..." - A proud parent during a phone call home

"... and then the mom told me that her son hasn't been at school because she just lost her job and can't afford the bus fare to send her kids to school every day..." - A fellow corps member speaking at the Ripples of Hope dinner

"WHERE is everyone?  Where are we supposed to be?!" - Phil and I, during Ripples of Hope

"That's something else I have trouble with, too." - S, a junior, about telling time on a clock 

"Ms.Lewis is a wonderful teacher. She's there when you need her, and willing to stay after school with you as long as it takes to help you. She won't rest until you understand it. She's pushed me to learn and I have nothing but respect for her" - An anonymous student on getschooled.com

"... pants, cool... shirt, cool... heart, cool... cy chi town..." - A student mumbling in class

L:  Give some students 5 minutes of genuine attention and they'll do almost anything for you.  It makes me wonder about their previous experiences that they respond so quickly to interest in them.  However, it's also reassuring that love can go so far.

Joys: Buying E McDonald's because I lost a "bet" we made - if he moves closer to the front and away from his friends, his grades would go up (and they did!); running into M at the bus stop on the way home; J purposely missing a basket so I wouldn't lose by as much <3  

Week 26: Service Projecting

Painting Douglas Park Fieldhouse on Saturday!  My mom and sister joined us <3

Working hard on that fruit dream :-)

Team Service Day - making food at a woman's shelter!

This is the longest this student has gone without yelling or running around the room

This week was full of: filming the Camp City Year music video, two service days, breakfast with our IJ team, CCY, VDIE and EOC meetings, inviting a junior to eat lunch and motivate some of my freshmen, meeting with the Youth Officer at the local police department to discuss ways to partner, and leading classes with a sub (actually, 3 different subs came and swapped places within a two-hour period...?)

Quotes of the Week:
"...I probably won't go to college though.  If I have to go to Junior College first, I just won't go.... My nephew is 13... yeah I talk to him a lot.  I tell him not to mess up, like I did.  Now all my friends are going off to college except me...." - S, a junior.  He recently got a tattoo down his arm for his sister who died (his nephew's mom).

"I'm mean."  - N, a freshmen, responding to "tell me something about you I don't know."  

"Grades come first, man!" - M, a freshmen, when his friends were bugging him for staying after school to finish a paper.  He's been transforming so much this year - I'm so proud!

"I was at my friends house and I stepped outside and heard 'pop! pop!' from a gun shooting off, so I ran back inside for a while... finally I ran to the bus..." - N, a junior, in a light-hearted, casual conversation with friends about weekend activities.

"I've visited some colleges but I have to find one that lets babies in the dorms... I walk a mile to school every day, walk home, check on my grandpa, then go to work until 10 or 11... it's easier to motivate yourself than to wait for other people to motivate you." - Y, a junior, speaking to my freshmen.  She even motivates me!

Me:  What do you do in your free time?
S, a Junior:  Mmm, sometimes I write down words to practice, I need a lot of help in spelling, too...

"City Year and us!  Beautiful young people and so dedicated to what they do.  A very diverse group with great goals for their future..." - My Mom, on facebook <3

Excerpts from Letter From Your Future Self assignment: 
"A couple of friends have lost contact due to me becoming a famous rapper." 
"The crazy thing was that you had a choice to go into the MLB or NLF."  
"The thing you have to keep doing to be successful is think you are the stuff to be the stuff."
"I’m trying my best to remember what I have always stated, that education is the key and I’m gone always stay on top as I follow my dreams."  

Joys:  Starting to read with S, a junior, who needs a lot of help (our first spontaneous lesson was the sound that t-i-on makes); an absurd community meeting; introducing my mom and sister to everyone; finding out that I'll be a Team Leader next year for City Year!

Week 25: Listening

Playing "Guess the Leader" at the VIP lounge honoring students who made improvements.  This month's theme - Black History Month

Leaving Comcast after a day of resume and interview training

After School :-)

This week was full of: the latest VIP lounge, Monday off for President's Day, training at Comcast, and running the highly-anticipated Recruitment Liaison meeting! 

Quotes of the week:  "Excuse me, did I hear you say you work at a high school on the west side? .... I used to live on the west side, and do you know that my brother was found shot and killed in his apartment next door?  Do you know that I am now homeless, and living in a shelter? ... I used to work for Chicago Public Schools as a substitute, and let me tell you my advice - when you look for a job, don't work in those areas.  A lot of teachers who work in those high-violence areas burn out very quickly.  I knew teachers who did."  - A woman on the bus

"Ms. Lewis, I've never seen so many students working together and playing together like this!  It's amazing!!" - A sophomore during morning greeting in the gym :-)

"Alright, by June 16 we're going to be experts at Double Dutch... and then bust it out at a school assembly... and have our hair braided... and start free-styling..." - My team

Week 24: Dedicating

Robert Hughes, former Notre Dame football player, speaking to our kids :-)

My lunch kids at the Dedication Ceremony... cracking up at Ms. Serrano making faces behind the camera

My girls

This week has been full of:  Our students' Dedication Ceremonies, new rotations with the Juniors so working with Ms. B, interviewing with Jewan for a position next year.


Quotes of the week: 
"I dedicate my hard work this year to Ms. Lewis, because she's been helping me out a lot this year... because she pushes me to work hard...." - A few of my freshmen at our Dedication Ceremony <3

"Ms. Lewis, tell her what I made my dedication to!" - D, a freshmen, proudly in the background while I was chatting with her mom on the phone.


"It's not about the cars and the money, it's about what's on the inside... things were hard when my brother died, but I had a goal..." - Robert Hughes came to speak at our school, a former Notre Dame football player currently being drafted who grew up near my students (woohoo to Andrea for setting it up!)

"PITW #300: Take your lacy plan seriously." - Apparently a random guy flashed this handwritten sign to some other corps members at a bus stop.  So funny.

"Stand tall." - Ran into Paula, my former professor/current mentor, on the train back from Michigan

Joys: Watching Hannah ribbon dance.  Running into a student at the bus stop on his way from a doctor's appointment, holding his little baby boy wrapped up in a blanket... he seemed so mature and responsible, a proud daddy, 15 years wise.  <3

Week 23: Reading

Relaxing at Phil's on Team Day :-)

Good morning, Chicago!

Waiting at the bus stop in an almost-blizzard to go to the office and keep working.

The first official Art Club meeting was this week!

This week has been full of:  Starting to meet informally with three junior boys during lunch, eating lunch with a freshmen who asked voluntarily (who will sometimes not even say hi to me), a really long day at CTA entering data, spending another sick day reading, and a team day to relax at Phil's apartment!

L: I'm excited by a new way I'm trying to sneak in vocabulary: I pick a word that will appear in the Do Now sentences all week, so they naturally ask what it means (rather than having an unrelated lesson).  After discussing it a bit all week, Friday's assignment asks them to write a sentence using the word. 

Quotes of the week: 
"They shouldn't split us up like this.  We know we're in the dumb class.  Don't they know how that makes us feel?" - T, a junior

"....I mean, it's kind of hard right now... I just moved in with my mom, and she's been locked up almost my whole life, so we don't really know each other...." -  A junior, during informal lunch.  I'm rooting for him so much, he wants to be a DEA officer :-)

"Ms. Lewis, you forgot to get us for lunch!" - A junior, confused about which day it was... I was getting to know a group of three easily-distracted, mischief-making boys pretty well, then schedules changed so they are no longer my students.  I offered to start meeting with them once a week at lunch so we could continue to talk about goals and grades and life, but I wasn't sure how they would react (and they were really excited!)

Joys: I round up 5 freshmen after school to do the reading homework together (and a couple visitors); we ran into T, a junior, on the bus home and had a nice chat; J stayed after school for two hours and actually wrote a paper!