Mitch Rivers ’11 - I departed the hostel Monday with no small amount of trepidation before my commute to Von Steuben. Our illustrious tour guides, Dr.’s Pittard and Iazetto (sp) had strongly encouraged us to take a “dry run” of our hour-long commute the day before…I decided to take a nap instead.
Fortunately I navigated Chicago public transportation quite well and arrived only ten minutes late. I spent a fair bit of time wrapped up somewhere in the Twilight Zone of bureaucracy at the school before I decided to just leave my paperwork in capable hands and head for the classroom. I had remained in contact with the math department chair, James Edstrom, and he was excited to see me arrive.
We made a tentative schedule of what I would be teaching and whom I would be observing. I then started doing just that — observing students, teachers, staff and the culture of Von Steuben. Most classes seemed to range in size from 20-25 students, and there was a lot of diversity between those students. Racially, there seemed to be about 50% Hispanic, 20% Black, 20% White, and a variety of other races.
The students were hard to describe as a whole, because each one of them embodied different ideals and attitudes, but I can say that there was a fairly high level of participation in the classroom. Students at Von Steuben want to be recognized for their knowledge and achievements, and they have no qualms about asking questions and making sure that they are “getting it right.” I was impressed by many of the students in higher level classes, and I see a lot of potential for the numerous college-bound kids in the senior class.
I was keenly aware of the teachers’ sentiments towards the students — I felt that they cared greatly about the quality of their students’ education. The other teachers that I had talked to were aware of issues relevant to Chicago and their students — worried about the opportunities their students would have after graduation and worried about preparing their students for statewide testing.
Speaking of testing, a great number of students were taking AP exams today and will continue testing throughout much of the week. Von Steuben has a strong commitment towards preparing students for higher education. However, it seems to me that an exorbitant amount of instructional time throughout the year is consumed by preparation for statewide and district-wide testing. As a future math teacher I think tests are a very important part of learning and assessment, but I think that retesting over the same material—combined with all the obstruction to classroom activities that this entails—is a waste of time.
I’m looking forward to a good week and some urban teaching experiences. I would really like to explore more of the Chi-Town nightlife. Who needs sleep in Chicago?
One of the highlights of our first day in Chicago was meeting alums, Bill Andrews and Art Howe, for dinner at the Asian restaurant, Tamarind. Students enjoyed talking with Mr. Andrews and Mr. Howe over dinner and learning more about life in Chicago from two true “insiders.” 
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.
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. 
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.