Spy of the Month

What do you do when you’re not volunteering for 826CHI?

Sometimes I tell students that I'm a professional skydiver. Technically, this isn't "true." No one's ever paid me to jump out of a plane. And so I haven't ever done so. It wouldn't be the professional thing to do without a proper wage and all! 'Volunteer' sky dive, you say? That's for idealists! When on the ground, I can be found quietly reading a good book, or not so quietly enjoying a delicious meal.

Word on the street has it that ... oh, the word was written in chalk right before this weekend's rain ... umm ... it kinda looks like MSW? Does that ring a bell?

Mysterious Suspicious Woman? Well, yes. I'll also be going back to school to learn about clinical social work in this fall. If all goes well, I might get a Master's in Social Work (MSW) added to the letters after my name.

Oh man, underneath that smeared MSW, there is another set of letters, ELL ... we think? What's that all about?

These past two weeks, I've been involved with the Animal Word Laboratory, a summer camp workshop for students who are English Language Learners (ELL) and reluctant readers. Kendra, myself, and a bunch of fellow awesome volunteers work one-on-one with the students in order to build their literacy skills. We read, write, draw --and, occasionally dance like flamingos-- together. We've had lots of fun, and the kids have astounded me with their curiosity and creativity.

What’s been your favorite moment at 826CHI?

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the abbreviated version of the Burr School Talent Show (those kids could lip-sync me under the table any day!). Or pretty much every single (amazing!) Admiral Moody Field Trip. My very favorite moment at 826, though, was when the boy I was tutoring, who had refused to write on a previous occasion, got so involved in the story we were writing that he refused to leave! The kids who love reading and writing are always joys to work with, but it's especially exciting when I have a breakthrough moment with a kid who was less than enthusiastic at the beginning.
 

What is your favorite thing about 826CHI?

The pay, definitely. And the lifestyle that comes with it. I work hard to play hard. I have in addition come to appreciate the 'human factor.' That is, the people that make 826CHI the awesome place it is. The kids I meet here are uproariously funny, insanely creative, and, sometimes, frighteningly perceptive. And they want to be here! The staff and volunteers do a great job making 826CHI fun, and the kids love it. So it's a great place for everyone.

You are one of the most dedicated members of Globiblio, the 826CHI bookclub that reads books from all over the world and eats food from around the earth. As such, do you have a book or a dish you can recommend?

The Year of the Hare, by the Finnish author Arto Paasilinna, was really good. I'd most likely have missed this if not for Patrick's globibliophilia (it may not be a word, but I like it). I also highly recommend The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, and pretty much anything by Italo Calvino or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
 

What’s your life ambition?

Being spy-of-the-month was my life's ambition. Now, I'm not so sure. I guess I'll continue working with kids, add some more letters after my name, travel as much as possible and continue volunteering with 826. But I'm afraid that once you've been anointed "spy-of-the month," civilian life seems just a little bit ho-hum in comparison.

Since the peanut butter jar's lid is being mailed to the drain in the pool, what's to be done with the knuckle boarding the camel's hump?

The camel was swimming in the gene pool when it got stuck in a peanut butter, and has not been seen since the board covered the drain, so the knuckle has been flummoxed for quite a while. Obviously.