The Hood Rocks

I enjoy working with kids; in particular, the smart quick-witted teenagers. They make me laugh with their cornball dad jokes & slang words that I'm absolutely clueless about. However, there are moments where I just want to scream.

Most students don't listen to the substitute teacher.

Yesterday was a perfect example. Rather than doing the classwork assigned by the regular teacher, they did the following:

Walk around the classroom (they did listen to me, but get up five minutes later).

Play video games on their Chromebook.

Sing Christian/gospel songs & do praise dances.

Play the video if you want to know what the classroom sounds like ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Miss me with the write ups or class removals. It won't change the behavior & the admins (aka principal) won't do anything unless if it's serious. Besides, it's typical adolescent behavior. We were all brats at somepoint😁

I've had way worst experiences. There were times the kids directed homophobic slurs towards me. There were also moments some kids used racial slurs with the hard "e-r" to provoke me (it didn't; it ain't the first or the last time somebody said that to me. Try harder, boo boo). I've also had kids try to fist fight my 6ft 7in ass. That took the love of God to walk away from👊🏾🥊🤜🏿🤛🏼

Has anyone ever had so many sentimental moments on the L (Chicago Transit Authority) that you began to personify it? The Blue Line is like that bff. It was the first train I rode in the city. It was exciting.The Blue Line welcomed me in the big city by twisting & grinding in new neighborhoods that peaked my curiosity & put the fear of God in me at the same time.

Big Blue was the train I rode after fun nights in Uptown & Lakeview (via the Belmont bus); it was the friend that held the after party at their house after the club closed & I can party with random strangers (in a literal sense).

It was also the train I was riding when I got the call about a death of a family member. The harsh roar of the train provided a brown noise to keep me from bawling while the sway of the car rocked me back & forth. Kinda like a friend telling me it was gonna be okay.

The Blue Line helped spark my humanitarian side that I did not know existed. I encountered so many unhoused folks that shared their lives. They humanized an often over-looked topic of housing affordability.