About Me- Erin Fisher

I am a senior math major and education minor. I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland with my blended family. I have a mom, dad, stepmom, half-brother, and half-sister. Although my circumstances may not be ideal I love both my families and consider myself very fortunate to have two loving families.

I went to Walter Johnson High School and ran cross country and track. I've always wanted to be a teacher, but recently I changed my mind. My original plan was to go to grad school after college to get my teaching degree, but now I want to get a job using my math degree. Even if I get a math job, later in life I want teach high school math. Currently, I work as a math coach at Math Success and as an RA at Centreville.

Unfortunately, will not be able to read all of your posts until late January because tomorrow I depart for Spain. I have only been out of the country to Canada, so I am looking forward to this opportunity.

The article I found is about closing the achievement gap. Currently, public schools are funded by property taxes meaning areas with high real estate values have more money for their public schools. In contrast, poor communities have public schools with fewer resources. The article calls for federal action in order to fund schools so that there is not this imbalance based on living areas. This is just one solution for closing the achievement gap.

About Me - Morgan Reeves

I'm a junior family science major from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. I was born in Germany since my family was stationed there at the time. I don’t remember anything about being over there, so I would love to go back one day. I have one older sister, making me the baby of the family. But I would say I’m pretty independent when I need to be.

I plan on working with kids in the future, so education is something that is really important to me.  I have been on 2 alternative break trips in the past and this is my first time as an experience leader. Last year I was a participant on the Chicago Urban Education trip and had such a good time I had to go back.

In my spare time, I really enjoy doing anything that is relaxing but I also love exploring new things. I have the dream to travel to every continent and to see as much of the world as I can before I die. In the meantime, though, you’ll probably find me on Netflix catching up on old episodes of Doctor Who. 

I found this really interesting article about the performance gap in Chicago schools. The Nations Report card was recently released and it showed that the gap between the black and white students and the poor and rich students is widening in Chicago. The good news is that CPS has four main groups (Latinos, Blacks, English learners, and those with disabilities) that they are going to focus on in efforts to try to close the gap. On a positive note, even with the widening gap, CPS is seeing its current series of reforms actually pay off. 

About Me - Jeremy Bennie

For a recent class I had to write a "Where I'm From" poem to talk a little about myself.  I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to share where and what it is that has made me what I am today, so I decided I would share it.

"I am from the middle.

The middle of a loving family

Who I value more than anything.

The middle of three boys,

An older brother to whom I always look up

And a younger brother of whom I am always proud.

The middle of nowhere in Massachusetts

In a town where second homes and

In-ground pools were the norm.

The middle of the hockey rink

Where I learned my love for sports.

The middle of a long back road

Part way through a nine-mile training run

To get ready for the cross-country season.

The middle of a high school cafeteria,

A sea of affluent white kids

Expected to go to college.

The middle class,

Having always lived in comfort.

The middle of the kitchen

Cooking Christmas dinner

With my mom every year.

The middle serving

Of many delicious Italian meals.

The middle of pictures

Amongst the many that line

The walls of my home.

I live in the middle

But there is nothing average about my life.

I have been so lucky in the opportunities I have had.

I am surrounded by people who love and support me.

And I expect myself to be the best for them

and make the most of what I have been provided."

Now a little about Chicago--this is an NPR report on a high school in Chicago called Harper High School.  After learning I was going to be participating in the AB experience in Chicago focused on Urban Education, my mom shared this with me having heard it when it was first put on the air.  I found it to be a really insightful look into Chicago's education system.

PS There's a second part too if you're interested!