I’m now 5 months deep with Macro Connect, Inc. and people are finally beginning to understand what I do. Given the overwhelming amount of negativity associated with the long hours, low pay, and poor performance doled out by the education system, I am inevitably asked the question by friends and colleagues in some form or another: “How great is it to not be teaching?”

There are definitely things I don’t miss, like lesson planning and grading. But WOW, do I miss the kids. The attitudes. The personalities. The unbridled optimism of never knowing the constraints that limit your creativity. I’ve been searching for something to fill that void, and thanks to Alexandra I have finally found it. Hello, Downtown Youth Boxing Gym.

No, we don’t beat up kids. Instead, we help to provide the much-needed academic capacity to make the gym’s vision a reality. At the gym, kids from ages 7-17 train and box for free alongside a highly qualified trainer (95% of the student-athletes live below the poverty line). In return, they’re required to stay on top of their academics, attend tutoring, and adjust their attitudes.

A couple weeks back I was rewarded on day 1 with everything that I was missing. I’ve been back a few times each week and will continue to go back thanks to a 5th grader.

Meet G. G has trouble focusing for long periods of time, which is not surprising when you consider the backdrop of kids punching bags and using each others’ bodies as punching bags. Still, he’s sharp when he buckles down, and when confronted with a tricky question, G couldn’t care less that I’m certified to teach secondary mathematics: “There are 79 kids in your grade. If you go on a field trip and the buses only seat 12 students each, how many buses would you need to order?” He’s adamant that for 79 kids, we only need 6 buses.

“Where are the last 7 kids going to sit?” (me)
“They need to triple up in seats.” (G)
“There are safety regulations for things like this. You could get fired.” (me)
“Fine. Then 7 kids aren’t allowed to go.” (G)
“Does that seem fair? Parents are going to be furious.” (me)
“The kids need to create a way to ride on top of the bus. If they can’t figure it out, they can’t go.” (G)

Genius, but I’m still trained in learning sciences and not about to let this slide. Over the course of the next half hour, things get so heated that I’m arguing like an elementary schooler. Ok for him, probably not so much for me. Pretty sure there were moments where Alexandra considered stepping in and mediating this cafeteria-like-snack-pack dispute.

In the end, I won. Sort of. “If I have to play by your rules, you need 8 buses. I could have fit them all on 7…” A backhanded correct answer, but still a correct one and something to go alongside the opportunity for mentorship I’ve been waiting for all along.