By Ed Finkel/LISC Chicago
Generations of middle-school students have taken shop class and home
economics, but few outside Ames Middle School in Logan Square have
learned to repair bicycles for course credit. By the end of this school
year, 500 Ames seventh- and eighth- graders will have rotated through
the three to four week class, connected with LISC/Chicago’s Elev8 program and taught by Tony Hughes of West Town Bikes.
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Alex Wilson of West Town Bikes goes over the day's lesson plans. Photo: Gordon Walek
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The class, which began during the 2008-09 school year, meets in hallway
space bathed in natural light from courtyard windows and partitioned
off with metal gates on either end.
About 15 desks are
arranged in one half of the space for lectures and discussions, while
another half-dozen or so tables sit in the other half, with toolboxes
on top and bikes resting on nearby stands.
"We focus on
mechanics, safety and fitness – mechanics mostly,” Hughes says.
“Anything from how to patch a flat, changing a tire, adjusting brake
cables and shifters. We talk about bicycle law, just to inform them
about their rights and expectations.” They also talk about the reasons
people ride bikes, summed up with the acronym FEEET: fun, exercise,
economics, environmental, transportation.
When it comes to
safety, Hughes impresses upon students the importance of wearing a
helmet – and finding one that fits well. “Helmets are very unpopular,”
he says. “I don’t blame them. I hated it, too. We’re trying to bridge
that gap, though, and explain the benefits.”
Students learn
about using the correct lane, biking with traffic, and watching out for
car doors; Hughes notes traffic safety rules will be handy when these
students start to drive, just as repairing bikes could lead to
repairing cars.
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A student examines a bike schematic before getting busy with tools. Photo: Gordon Walek
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Hughes discusses the fitness aspects – how your heart beats faster,
your legs get exercise, and your body works up a good sweat – and he
incorporates that directly into the class when the weather allows it.
“They’re like, ‘We get to ride bikes during school. It’s fun!’ They don’t even think about the health aspects.”
Those who take the class during the winter months don’t get that
experience, although students sometimes wistfully wonder whether the
school hallways might not be usable for the purpose. “They ask,” Hughes
says with a grin. “They definitely ask.”
For those who don’t
get the chance to ride during class, a map on the classroom wall shows
which local streets have bike lanes and the locations of nearby bike
shops so they’ll know where to turn as the brisk winter weather eases
off in March. Hughes says more than 90 percent of students already ride
bikes.
The Ames bike program got started as an after-school and
summer program for students from four local high schools in partnership
with Elev8 lead agency the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, says
Alex Wilson, executive director of West Town Bikes. The school day
version of the program, funded with $34,500 from Atlantic
Philanthropies, seemed like the logical next step.
“Much of our
program helps complement the academics,” Wilson says. “Students have a
direct correlation between what they’re reading and writing about, and
working hands-on. ‘I’m looking at a diagram, and oh, I’m working on a
wheel now.’ It helps a lot of learners. Sometimes it is [working]
hands-on that teaches them.”
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Hughes says inserting into bike repair in the curriculum provides practical hands-on skills comparable with shop and home economics. Photo: Gordon Walek
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Among those in the class are English-language learners, including one
recent arrival from Guatemala, who seem to follow along just fine, says
Hughes, who does not speak Spanish. “They can still understand the
particulars,” he says.
On one February day, students are
learning to adjust brake cables – part of the middle piece of the “ABC
quick check” that Hughes teaches them: Air, Brakes, Chain. They work in
groups of two to three, which Hughes says fosters teamwork, and he
hovers about them asking questions and making suggestions amidst the
cacophony of chatter, laughter, MP3 beats and clanking tools.
“You need a different cable for this; let’s swap this out,” he tells
one student. “How’s it coming over here? You guys have still got to do
your front brake pads,” he says to another group. Later, Hughes asks
someone else, “Is that a size 9 wrench? OK. You need to loosen that
bolt. OK, now let’s see if we can pull that cable tight.”
And then there’s a darkly humorous conversation about chain whips:
“That’s what it’s called,” Hughes says. “That’s not what it’s for.” A class clown answers: “If that’s what it’s called, then that is what it’s for.”
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The class meets in a section of a hallway partitioned by two cage-like structures. Photo: Gordon Walek
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All kidding aside, students cite various benefits in taking the class.
“If your bike breaks down, you know how to take it apart and put it
back together,” says Abigail Montalvo, a seventh grader. “Before, I had
to haul my bike to a shop.”
Eighth-grader Miguel Perez
appreciated learning how to put a wheel together and can imagine
employing that newfound skill. “I can put it together for anyone, maybe
somebody who needs a bike and doesn’t get around much.”
Stephanie Salazar, a seventh grader who has ridden bikes since she was
little, found installing brakes to be easier than she would have
expected. “I could put these skills to use,” she says. “It helps to
exercise. It’s better than being in the car.”
Seventh-grader
Julian Aguilar says he won’t need to buy new tires as often. “The most
useful thing I learned is rotating the tires. I can save money,” he
says. “I learned it’s much better to ride a bike than drive a car. It
helps the environment.”
