Several exciting updates and convos have recently reminded me just how incredibly and ridiculously awesome the experience of teaching really is, and especially how awesome Teach For America is for continuing to give more and more young gunners the chance to wallow in self doubt for at least the first semester and gain 20 lbs and assume they applied for the “wrong reasons” and wish they were still in college before realizing that they too can become a great teacher and change lives!

I MISS IT.

I should be over it by now, but I’m not! No way. Everyday I see updates and reminders of my former students and I just love how exciting their lives are, post-chemistry and post-high school… not like they weren’t very exciting then, but it’s certainly different now.

Class of 2008

EXHIBIT A) When I started teaching in Chicago, it was with a corps of about 55. Only 4 years later they have placed a corps of 400 teachers! That’s a massive increase. When they say “significant gains”, they aren’t messing around.

College Tour 2008

EXHIBIT B) I just spoke with a TFA hopeful on the phone for a half hour, and almost started crying at the end of it when I realized that my oldest students are just ONE GRADE YOUNGER than that guy! THEY (read: some) WILL BE GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE SOON! AAAAAHHHH!!!!

Class of 2007

EXHIBIT C) Just because CPS’s chief Arne Duncan was swooped up by Obama, doesn’t mean that Chicago is heading back to educational status quo. Oh no. We just got word that the Exec Director of TFA Chicago is now on some type of super team to compete for new federal funding and boost CPS ever higher. You can do it!

COLD DUNK TANK @ Spring Day 2008

Last year we had a great inaugural East Coast Halloween experience at the Cambridge Brewing Company with the very same couple that we will see get married next Saturday! They weren’t even engaged at that point, and I consider it a mystical coincidence that one special Halloween all together in Boston will be followed by another spooktacular event in Chicago - their wedding! Where shall we convene next year? In fact, we were actually a group of four couples at CBC that night and ANOTHER couple in the mix just got engaged a few weeks ago. I’ll suggest they get married on 10/31/10 just to keep our frightful tradition going.

I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten into the ghoulish spirit this far in advance, but I can’t pass up the chance today to visit the spooky Salem, MA for the first time. A friend from high school and her husband recently bought an adorable home in this provocatively historic community and we will get to celebrate it all tonight. They do Halloween BIG in Salem, on the order of weeks of celebrations and tourist-hungry events leading up to the day itself.  We probably have a limited number of Halloweens left before we’ll be responsible for ridiculously dressing up our future progeny and no longer having the sole responsibility of entertaining ourselves. Must indulge while we can!

I just can’t wait to celebrate Halloween properly at next weekend’s somewhat unorthodox 10/31 wedding in Chicago. We can’t refuse such a good opportunity to see the autumnal beauty of our favorite city AND wish our dear friends well as they legally commit to a life together. Two of my favorite events (Chicago travel and weddings) all wrapped up into one fun weekend! It will be BOO-tiful! Get it?