Learning to Ask Questions

Being a good student is not easy, but very important, and coming to school as many days as possible helps in order to keep up with the homework and the different assignments that the teachers may give out. There will be many assignments, but I must try hard not to get too far behind. It will be very hard to catch up. It’s not easy to have to keep starting over by waiting for the next six weeks to begin again. To be a good student, I had to ask for help from my teachers and the social workers. When I first decided to finish school it was very hard. I was ashamed at first to ask a question, but now I ask for help if I have a problem with a particular subject. That was the struggle I overcame.

I had to work in order to help take care of my children. Then, I had to manage a home and go to school, that’s three jobs! It was not easy being away from my family when I was working. However, I needed money, and I needed my education. I have started and stopped many times, because of work or family problems. I had to start learning all over again in order to read, write and do math problems. My academic struggles with math, even though it was not easy, in the end made me more confident about learning. One particular problem was renaming fractions. Renaming fractions have many different steps in order to solve the problem. I had to do it many times before I understood it. In addition, I had lots of help from my teachers. My teacher, Mr. Nathan, asked me to show him on the board step by step the way to do the problem of renaming fractions, so that he would know whether I understood it. I showed him that I could do the problem and he said, “That’s good.”  What I learned about a lot of problems solving, be it math, writing or any other academic problem, and was that sometimes the subject must be repeated many times. I learned that if I asked for help when I needed, I would get the help I need.

I continued to try. Each time I started again it was hard, but I also noticed that my academic struggle had gotten lighter. The help that I received from my teachers and social workers has helped me to continue. Asking my teacher more about the subjects that I need to learn has changed my habits from the way I used to learn. My desire for learning is much stronger. Right now, I am dealing with learning how to write better, like doing book reports and writing assays on different subjects. The struggle goes on in the academic field of learning. I will have to muster up some strength in order to get my GED.

In conclusion, to be a better student you cannot be ashamed to ask the teacher or the social workers for help with the problems you may have. If you are patient, your teachers will help; that’s what they’re there for. If you have a personal problem the social workers will help you with that, they are there to listen. Finishing assignments, coming to school on time, and doing your homework will help with being a good student.

Annie

More Updates

In honor of Black History Month, the students at FAST West have been working on presentations on various people and events important to African-American history.  Some of their written portions will be appearing on the blog soon.  These pieces will be expository writing instead of narrative--instead of telling a story, the writer aims to explain a topic.

Stay tuned!

The Deep Love of a Mother and Her Child (Evan's Story)

My grandmother was my care provider for nine years, because my mother was always on drugs that played a big part in my life growing up. I was a teen mom at the age of 15. My grandmother gave me up to DCFS at the age of 13. I don’t have any family support that really cares about me and my son. I was homeless for ten years, in my life. Going place to place, some nights I didn’t have any food to eat. I slept in abandoned buildings, cold cars and even on the train. No one really cared about me at all. I have always been alone to fight all my battles. I never wanted any sympathy for my situation; I just wanted a support system and love.

Evan, my first son, was born August 2005. He was removed from the Maryville group home where I stayed for two years. He was taken when I was 16 year old, during the year of 2006. DCFS came and took him. They took him to a place on Montrose Ave. a place for infants, girls and boys. The worst place a child can go. What happened when my son was taken from the group home was that they were accusing me of a lot of arguing, allegations of neglect and abuse. This was because the home we lived in didn't want me to have my son; they were trying to take a lot of our kids out of the home.

When DCFS came and took Evan they kept him from me for 8 years. That was a very hard time in my life. I felt lonely, rejected and miserable. During this period, I had to battle with depression and that emotion affected my self-esteem and progress in high school. My social life also was affected by this unfortunate situation. It took a lot of perseverance and faith to keep pushing myself through this time in my life. Although I didn’t always feel confident about the outcome, I continued to fight to regain custody of Evan.

It was very difficult to fight the allegations that were put on me. It felt like a game of chess. That I could not win. I still feel like the outcome was unlawful and if I could I would have continued to fight the judgment in higher levels of court. However, I really didn’t have enough money to keep up the fight. I tried to find a pro-bono lawyer to take my case, but they all wanted money and none of them could guarantee that I could get my son back. Even though there were errors in the case, since the state was both my representative and prosecuting the case against me. It was a no win case for me.  

Now I am trying to move on with my life. There is always a feeling of incompleteness that I struggle with. However, this situation continues to motivate me to become successful. I have come a long way despite this and other obstacles in my life. I have my own apartment, I have a second son, and I am focused on getting my education for my children and also for myself. This unfortunate situation didn’t break me down, it made me stronger and more determined to do and expect better things of myself. I will not let the decisions of others define my character or define what I turn out to be.

Takara

Don't Go to School with Your Friends

Being a student is a difficult, but important job because you are in school trying to get your education and doing all the things you need to do. The reason school is important is because you need to get the education you need in order to get a better job, so you won’t have to settle  for any job that’s not worth it. In the past, when I was in grammer school, I liked school because it was kind of easy and I always passed to the next grade. When I was in high school, it was kind of hard, because I knew a lot of people and every time I saw them we talked and they always interrupted me.

The reason they interrupted me was because every time we switched classes, and we saw each other in the hallway. One of my friends would find me, and then we would start talking and after we finish talking we would be somewhere else like in the bathroom or in the library ditching class. Then when the next class came around we would go to it and then it was time for lunch. We would go to lunch and then after we would go home and not come back to school.

When we did stay all day in school, we would have to turn around and fight because it was always like projects against projects. We were always into it with other projects. So we would have to fight other people if it wasn’t everyday it would be every other day. Then the police would come and break it up. They would have locks on chains or cans in a sock to hit you with. When we were out fighting somebody would get hurt and then some of us would get suspended.

When I got kicked out of school, this is what I had to overcome. I have learned my lesson by not going to the same school where I know a lot of people that go there that will interrupt me and get me in trouble. This experience has made me a better student by getting me back in school and continuing my education. So I can improve both for myself and for my child too. Now, I go to a school where I really don’t know anybody that can get me in trouble and interrupt me. I was working hard in school at first and then I fell off because I knew a lot of people. The thing that I learned from is to stay away from negative people that can distract you and stop you from doing what you are supposed to do instead of doing the wrong things. On the other hand, I can hang around positive people because I know they won’t distract me and get me to do the wrong things. They want me to do the right thing like going to school and continue to get my education and not let me miss any days of school.

You can learn from my experience, to be a better student, don’t go to the same school where you know a lot of people. Because if you do, they will distract you and you will not learn what you are supposed to learn. So you could get all the education you need, and you will become a better student.You will not miss any days because you will not know anyone at the school. So they won’t distract you. It is better to go to a school where your friends don’t attend to and you won’t have to worry about anybody distracting you.

Takeya

The Pythagorean Theorem

Being a good student is overcoming the difficult challenges you encounter.  As a student in Fast West, just like in life, I have encountered many challenges. The hardest struggle for me so far was learning how to do the Pythagorean Theorem.

Pythagorean Theorem was hard for me to learn at Fast West because the numbers became letters. So understanding the letters and where to put them was kind of hard to get at first. It took me a month to get it. By February, I had it down pat. With the help from my math teacher Mr. Ben and the time I spend at home studying, I achieved one of my small goals of learning the Pythagorean Theorem.

Pythagorean Theorem was very hard for me to understand. It was the first time I ever heard or saw something like that. So learning it was very challenging. For example, it’s hard to know when to put the number in for the letters or when to square root. It all goes back to knowing the basic math skills. Pythagorean Theorem is used as the same basic math skills I already knew. Even though it looked crazy, after Mr. Ben broke it down to me it was easy as multiplication. I’m a better student because I took the time to learn it even though it was hard. Now when I face something new and challenging I know I will be able to overcome it.

In the future, I will use my experience with Pythagorean Theorem to show my girls how to never back down from something challenging. If you ever run into a challenging math problem don’t go in to it thinking you can’t do it. Take a deep breath and remember you have the math skill to learn it.

               

              Pamela 

My First Best Friend I Ever Had

I did have a best friend. Her name was Shamara. I met her in the Rockwell Gardens (public housing complex). She was a friend that if I have a problem she was the one that I could come to. We hung out every day 24/7, and we would go out to party, club and out to dinner sometime. But when the state knocked down the building we started hanging out in her grandmother’s house. Her grandma was always asking her about me and my daughter, like if I’m all right or if I’m doing well. But when her grandma passed away, I couldn’t go to her funeral because I don’t do funerals; they make me have nightmares. But Shamara told her for me ever if she couldn’t hear her she knows that we care about her always.

I did not see Shamara ever since the state knocked down her grandma’s house, which was also part of Rockwell Gardens. She was staying on Chicago (Ave.) with her friends and I was on Kilpatrick (Ave.). I had started school, so we didn’t see each other very often.

Her friends always said that Shamara was looking for me, but I would never see her. I saw one of her friends that said she is staying with Shamara and I told the friend to give her my phone number and tell her to call me and she did. We met at the store two blocks from her house. We talked about what she was doing. She said she was going to school at Malcolm X to get her GED. We planned to get together the following weekend, and that was the last time I saw her alive.

The other day I saw her mother. She said, “You know my daughter got killed December first of 2013, two weeks before her birthday.” She said that Shamara was going with this boy that she knew on Chicago Ave, and she said some boys were out to kill him and he was her baby’s father. And that night she was walking with her boyfriend and he saw the boys and they saw him and they started to shoot him. He got shot in his leg and then he pulled Shamara in front of him and she got shot in the back. She was five months pregnant.

A lot of people came to her funeral, because she was a good person and she made her friend’s feel good about themselves. I wasn’t able to go to her funeral because I did not hear about it until I saw her mother two weeks ago.

Brenda

How I Met My Best Friend

My friend Kim and I became friends when we were 10 years old. Our parents introduced us over a family dinner. My mom told us to get ready to go to dinner. We got ready to head up north for our family dinner. It was out of the blue that we were going out to eat. When we got there, we were shocked to see that we were at somebody’s house. Mom said, “I would like for you to meet someone.” The person my mom introduced us to was her boyfriend Ira. Ira had 5 kids of his own there, one of whom was the same age as me. Her name was Kim. At first we didn’t get along at all because we were forced to be there.

Soon after that dinner, they were married. Kim and I were the same age, so once our parents were married, we were forced to play together, which made us dislike each other even more. We came up with a plan to break our parents up. The plan we came up with was for us to keep fighting every time we were around each other. We yelled, took each other’s stuff, hit each other, but our parents were like, “That’s what siblings do.”   

After a year, one weekend Kim came over crying because a girl from her school took her lunch money, and we sat in my room and talk about it. I was like, “you should’ve knocked her out.”

Kim said, “I told the teacher.”

“And what did the teacher do?” I said.

“Nothing,” Kim said. We laughed as we were coming up with plans to get the girl when she went back to school. As we sat there in my room laughing and joking, we realized we like a lot of the same stuff.

Over the next two years, Kim and I were glued to the hip. We even went to the same school in the eighth grade. Our plan never worked. It’s been over 20 years. Kim and I are still friends, and our parents are still going strong.

 As time went on, we became so close that at one point we were roommates. I had my daughter Jai and Kim was pregnant; we were loving our lives for a few months. Until I got pregnant with Jazzy, that’s when we went our separate ways. We went our separate ways because my kid’s father had asked me to marry him. Kim’s relationship was moving her away to North Chicago.

Today we are still friends. I am the godmother to her son, my baby boy, the son I always wanted. “Lol” Our kids still spend the summer together.  After 20 years, we can still call on each other and be right there for one another no matter what.

Pamela

Stopping the Generational Curse of Teenage Pregnancy in My Family

My story began when I noticed that my daughters were growing up to be young ladies. They didn’t look like the little girls that were jumping rope in the front yard. They were now 12,14 and 16; I knew I had to talk to my daughters about the changes in their bodies. I knew they might know some things about sex, but I wanted to make sure they heard it from me.

I was a working, single parent with six children total. Being a single parent has many challenges. That’s why I didn’t want my girls to have to go through that. I remember when I had my first child I was just 15!!! WOW, I was a freshman in high school trying to take care of an infant and continue high school. That was one of the hardest things I had to do. My parents would not help me at all. As I looked at my daughters a fear came over me that it could happen to one of them.  And because of me being a teenage MOM, I wasn’t going let my girls follow in my foot-steps.

I knew it would be hard to keep an eye on them 24 hours a day. By now I had two in high school and, where there are girls, there are BOYS. I had the mother daughter talk with them, but it seems that they didn’t take it too serious. My middle daughter would make statement that “I don't like those ugly boys.” What I had said to her went in one ear and out the other. There were a couple of girls that were friends of my two older girls that were pregnant; one of the girls was best friend to my oldest daughter. That made me a really mad woman. I was determined that my girls would not have children too early. I wanted them to finish high school and go to college. I would use threats and intimidation. It wasn’t nice is all I'm going to say.

I knew that eventually, that one day, one of them would meet some boy that they would like. Somehow I heard about this prevention program that parents would allow teens to pick up contraception after their parents have signed them up. Now I told them, “Just because you have protection doesn’t mean you are allowed to be having SEX.” I would still beat the ---------- out of them. After all my efforts, two of my daughters did get their high school diploma without having any children. I am very proud that my girls waited for the right time to have children.

They are all grown up and have their own children now. I just didn’t want them to struggle like I did having children too soon. 

Sheila

First Time Parent

A struggle I overcame, well to start, I never finished school. I dropped out in the 10^th grade young, dumb, and thinking that was cool. Why? I really don’t know, young love was something like amazing to me thinking someone really loves you.

Then you get pregnant and find out it wasn’t love, it was lust. Then for nine months you realize you’re really alone now, feeling kind of mad that you got pregnant and wishing then that you could start over. But it’s too late, now you have something growing inside of you. Knowing you are too young for this, but realizing it’s time to grow up. You’re having a baby. Sometimes you don’t want to acknowledge it, but when your stomach starts growing and something is moving around in you, that is really amazing.  You say to yourself, “I’m going to be a mother”.

I remember thinking, “What is this going to be like?” I would think about a pretty little girl and dressing her up. Then I remembered when my little sister was sick and she cried so much that I couldn’t stand it. She was very hot with a fever, and vomiting all over everything. I felt sorry for her and wanted to cuddle her up in my arms and stop her from crying and make her feel better. Then I thought, “That’s something a mother has to do!” And babies crying in the middle of the night and changing pampers, “OH MY GOD!” It was driving me crazy just thinking about it.

Now I’m nine months and very big, soon to have this baby.  I was getting scared thinking about being in labor. I was terrified because some of my friends started telling me about when they were in labor and what happened and how it hurt “WOW”. Two days later, I went in labor. My water broke and I had labor pains for eighteen minutes before I delivered a 9lbs 6ounce baby boy; it wasn’t as bad as people say. I’m not scared anymore. He’s here now, and I’m a mother.            

Tonie

My Friend Jessica

It’s amazing how some friendships are made. How a friend can have a big impact on your life. Like Jessica and I. We’ve been living near each other for about ten years, but we never met. Today, we are the best of friends. We have been for seven years now.

Our friendship is miraculous. How it became what it is today. I had seen her before, but yet we never met the whole time. We lived on the same block for a couple years. She stayed maybe six houses down from me. We attended the same elementary school. We both volunteered at Columbus Park. We even attended the same high school. We had mutual friends from both schools.

We finally met in high school, but not until the end of my sophomore year. We actually met outside of Michele Clark High School. My boyfriend (at the time) was her cousin. Jessica and I hung out with him and some other people a few times as a group. I am more into art and she was into partying. But, then she and I found common ground with music and family. That’s when our friendship begun!

The good thing about her, she helps me stay on track. I can be a tough cookie and hard to deal with. For instance, my attire, she helped me move from this boyish style to wearing dresses, heels and eyeliner. The very first time I wore a dress on my own was at the age of 16 ½. I never felt the need to look like a young lady. She indeed was a big impact on my life.  She helped me with school, daycare, and a job! She’s a shoulder to lean on and cry on. A person to talk with and chill to be girly girls. To tell my secrets, worries, dreams and funny things.

I am happy to have met Jessica. Who is Jessica? She is my best friend. She and I are crazy cool.  Dramatic, but who isn’t? She’s this and I’m that, but when you put us together were all that!

Tanyette

WRITING WAS NOT MY FRIEND

Writing is what I struggled with for a long time. I would avoid writing at any cost. I have made many excuses when it came down to writing. But when I started attending FAST west learning center, I only needed twenty points on the GED test. My focus at the time was only passing science; I did not have to write at all.

I am now starting over; I now have to take the whole exam over. I can’t avoid writing at all now. So one day in class Mr. Nathan said today we will be writing a narrative essay as soon I heard him say that right away I begin to say I can’t do it. So, he sat me down and encouraged me that I could do it. I sat there and sat there feeling defeated in my mind; unable to put the words in my head on paper. But guess what I surprised myself I was able to write my first essay, then another one and another one. I am ok with writing now. I am still learning.

I have overcome my writing block because there are such great teachers here at FAST west that will not let you give up on yourself and they do not give up either. They will sit with you explain step by step until you get. Now I can feel better when I am writing now and knowing that the test won’t be as hard as it seemed in the past. I can finely stop saying what I can’t do and just do it and not make any room for excuses. THANK YOU SO MUCH Mr. Nathan for believing in me.

 I didn't know that I had the ability to write.  With help and practice it has shown me that I can do anything. Only if you just try it and if you can’t figure it out, just ask for help and know you can overcome anything if you put your heart and mind to work. 

Gloria

Updates

We have begun to add some of the biographies of the authors to the Biography page. Please check those out! The other pages are being updated soon as well. All students are working on one last personal narrative this week and then we will begin a phase of persuasive pieces.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan