Interview with 9 yr. old Asean Johnson on Chicago school closings

Wesleyan

When I got into Wesleyan, it wasn't as exciting as I expected it to be. I wanted to yell and shout that I got in to all my friends and family back home, but no one knew what Wesleyan was or it's eliteness. Most people at home only know about the Ivy League schools and if you didn't get into one, you were just going to another regular school. Although I'm a first generation, college was never important to my parents. I've always been the one to push and challenge myself academically. Now that I'm at Wesleyan I'm able to reflect on my past educational experiences and see how certain decisions changed the outcome of my life. If any one of these steps didn't happen I could've been in Chicago, with a teen pregnancy, on foodstamps, like many of my old friends. It's sad to see how schooling can change the course of your life. I believe that a lot of youth in Chicago that have incredible potential are stuck in a cycle of complacency with life because the schools systems on the south side of Chicago aren't doing their jobs at helping kids become successful. A lot of kids don't know what success is for people who look like them because everywhere they turn, everyone's struggling. The only way we are going to break the cycle is by addressing all the issues in the school systems. Lack of funding, violence, and the lack of resources are only a few things that need to change before the lives of Chicago black youth does.

College Process

I knew the college process was going to be stressful because where I went depended on money. During the college process, I thought that I would be a strong applicant, but my ACT and SAT's said otherwise. I remember feeling defeated after seeing the scores the schools I wanted to apply to required and the scores I had. That's when my college counselor told me that scores didn't really matter for "people like me". That because I had made it to Loomis, I was already at a higher advantage than other black kids my age. She told me that schools would look at my background and understand that I was not as privileged as other students who got SAT/ACT prep for years and can take the standardized tests as many times as they wanted. Although I knew she said all those things to encourage me to see myself as a strong applicant with a unique background, it only made me feel angry. I was angry that I wasn't smart enough to catch up and surpass my peers in the 4 years of high school, I was angry that schools would be looking at me as a charity case, and I was angry that I was in this perpetuous cycle where I felt like no mattered how hard I worked I was always 3 steps behind my more privileged peers.

Loomis Chaffee

I remember how hard I had to fight to convince my mom to let me go to Loomis, little did I know, I was in for a major shock. When I arrived at Loomis I immediately felt out of place. The way I spoke, dressed, and wrote, were so different than a lot of my peers. I felt out of place the first day of school. I was at a lunch table filled with white kids when the subject changed to SSAT scores. Everyone went around the table saying their scores: 95%, 87%, 99%, 83%. When It came to me, I responded with "oh I don't remember mine". That was the first in a long time that I felt like I was the dumbest one in the room. Although Loomis did a lot to make sure everyone felt comfortable and well prepared by offering tutoring, I knew I was behind.

Usually when freshman come in they start with Algebra 2 Trigonometry. This class wan't taken until at least junior year in high school where I'm from. I tried my hardest to stay in the class, I had tutors, met for extra help, but I couldn't catch up. My teacher suggested that I move down to Algebra 1 (A1). At Loomis, A1 was known as a class for the dumb kids essentially. It was for people who couldn't pass math/ needed to built their understanding of Algebra. I spent half a semester failing Algebra 2 before I finally allowed myself to move down to A1. Taking A1 has a way of making people feel inferior. Other kids would brag about how they were in Geometry advanced as a freshman, when I couldn't even survive the regular classes. With time I gained my confidence back in the classroom and not only catch  up in math, but doubled in math sophomore and senior year as well.

How I Became a Pelican

When 8th grade rolled around, it was time to start thinking about high school. I naturally thought hat I would follow in my siblings footsteps and continue my 4 years at Kenwood. MetroSquash had a different plan for me. They began introducing the idea of boarding school to one student who was 2 grades above me, two years prior. His name was Joseph. MetroSquash sought out the academically competitive students in the programs and encouraged the idea of boarding school. They provided test prep for the SSAT (an exam made for boarding schools), transportation to boarding schools fairs, and helped convince parents to consider the option. Joesph was the first student from MetroSquash to attend a boarding school , Hotchkiss. The year after him Yazmyne went to Choate, and that's when it came to my year. My year was the creme of the crop. There were so many "qualified" students  from my grade who had the chance of getting into boarding school (8 in total). I would say that I took the most convincing to apply to boarding school. I was perfectly fine with the life I lived in Chicago. The only thing that changed my mind was when my coach Max bet me that if I got into Loomis Chaffee (his alma mater) he would buy me a new squash racket of my choice.

When it was time to take the SSAT, there were only four students that still entertained the idea of boarding school. MetroSquash told us that scoring at least in the 15th percentile was great. Schools like the ones we were applying to "understood that we were disadvantaged compared to the majority of students applying as well". So when I scored in the 36th percentile, I was ecstatic. The others scored in the 45%, 13%, and 9%. Later I was excepted into Loomis Chaffee, which I would say is the most significant turning point in my educational career.

Squash

Squash changed my life. The first time I was introduced to squash was from my 6th grade friend Nubia. Nubia convinced me to join her at this after school program she attended called "MetroSquash". MetroSquash was a non-profit organization whose main goal was to bring squash, a typically white preppy sport, to low income communities. There were programs like this all over the country: Detroit, New York, New Haven, and San Diego just to name a few.  This non-profit provides free squash rackets, shoes, transportation, plane tickets, tournament fees, and more! Nubia told me that MetroSquash was half academics and half squash. While half the group went to the courts to play, the other half stayed and did homework, got tutoring, etc. This was the first time that I was in an environment where my grades mattered. MetroSquash always wanted midterm grades and report cards. You had to maintain a C- average in order to be eligible to go to tournaments. I remember telling Nubia "fine, if I go I'm only gonna do my homework. Nobody's trynna play no squash." About a week passed of me going to Metrosquash and doing my homework until Nubia finished with practice. That's when my first coach, Max, approached me and said "You can't just sit here and do you're homework. You have to at least try to get on court". The next day I did, and the rest is history.

Kenwood Academy

When I got accepted into Kenwood's Academic Center (AC) program I was overjoyed. My sister had graduated from there, I had a brother who was a senior, and another who was a freshman there. The AC was made up of 80 7th graders and 100 8th graders. The students there attended the high school classes and received credit towards early graduation. Kenwood was a step up in a good direction, at least in the academic center. Kenwood itself use to have a reputation for being one of the most successful selective enrollment schools on the south side of Chicago. When it became a neighborhood school, it invited the neighborhood kids into the school as well. Hyde Park, the neighborhood Kenwood is in, is a divide between wealthy white folks, and poor low income black folks. When Kenwood became a neighborhood schools, all of the "bad" kids that use to be forced to go to terrible schools like Bowden and CVS were now allowed to attend Kenwood. The influx of black kids resulted in students and teachers leaving the school. Kenwood lost a lot of funding and eventually the teachers went on strike. Students were the people most effected by the change  in direction Kenwood was taking. Despite everything going on, my educational experience was a pretty good one. I know that going to Kenwood got me further ahead and that the opportunity I got is offered to so few that it's ineffective in the larger scheme of things. Overall my 7th and 8th grade years at Kenwood were great experiences. My educational experiences u to that point combined with my unique identity and my drive for success made me slightly more appealing to high schools than some of my peers.