ROSELAND
Compiled by Brittanee Rolle, Neighborhood Captain
I
’m not a resident of Roseland in the traditional sense, but it feels like home each morning I ride in on the Metra to teach sixty-plus high school seniors—sometimes more like home than the many formative places I called home in Atlanta. From the very moment I set eyes on my school building in Roseland, where Teach for America has placed me for my first year of teaching, I knew it was home. I purposely went without a car because I wanted to feel the neighborhood. I wanted to sit next to parents kissing their children goodbye as I held the door open on the bus for us to march into school together. I wanted to see the students running out of the gas station licking their fingers from hot crunchy curls and super donuts. I wanted to learn the name of the cashier at the dollar tree and know what park my students were referring to when I read their journal entries for the day. I wanted it to be my home. Those first two years were full of love and hope for that neighborhood. I loved the children, the parents, and the little hole in the walls that provided me with sustenance when I forgot my lunch at home. I was reminded of what it could be when students connected texts to their environments or when I watched our eighth graders cross the stage adorned with accolades. But, I was often told I had on rose-colored glasses. Colleagues would encourage me to get a car instead of riding the bus because of my safety. Friends and family from back home would ask me how many bullets I dodged that day. I would even hear students talk about “getting out” and “never coming back.” I felt naive in those moments, like my head was in the clouds. But there was a knowing I couldn’t shake. Even when I left to teach in a different neighborhood for a year, I always knew I would return—which I did. In my heart, it felt like home and if home is based on the place you spend most of your time, it
PHOTO BY NEAL ANDERSON
actually was my home. During the long dark winters of the school year, I’d spend every hour of daylight in Roseland teaching students. I’d stay after school for games and often run down to the nearby Popeyes to sustain myself through the evening, knowing I wouldn’t see my home in Hyde Park until 8pm or 9pm. I’d come on the weekends to do copying for the upcoming lessons for the week or to cheer on my advisory boys in the football game. I’ve often heard it said that love is spelled t-i-m-e, and I joyfully gave just about every hour of the past six years I’ve taught there. But, I wanted to share that love with my students. I’ve always wanted them to see what I saw. My desire grew stronger when school shut down in March and was confirmed to remain closed for the upcoming semester. I realized just how important Roseland had been to me all these years and to my students. So for this year's BoSS for Roseland, you get to see the neighborhood, in its raw and spectacular existence, through the eyes of its youth. Each entry is written by a student who either lives in or goes to school in Roseland. They went through six weeks of learning about journalistic writing and composed a piece for a Best in Roseland. My hope is that you can feel and see the love I’ve always known from the moment I arrived. (Brittanee Rolle) The youth writers in this section were compensated for their work via a donation from Eve Ewing. Neighborhood Captain Brittanee Rolle is a high school writing teacher on the South Side of Chicago. She believes one day the South Side will be known for having amazing young writers. NOVEMBER 25, 2020 ¬ SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY 69
