Mr. Ryan Gartland is a second-year social studies teacher, originally from western Michigan.  Despite his short tenure at our school, he has already made a large impact on Whitney Young.       

Mr. Gartland has traveled all around the world, and this spring, he will be leading a trip to Russia.  Not many American citizens have the chance to travel to Russia, but Gartland is a fluent Russian speaker and will serve as an experienced guide for this upcoming group. When asked about his travels, and what he thought was the best country to travel to, he made it clear how varied and complex the world is and how travel can help people see multiple sides of all different cultures.  “When traveling, it depends on what you are looking for.  Italy is best for food, Japan is the most peaceful, China is the most exotic, and Romania is the most unpredictable,” said Gartland.  Regarding travel, “there is something for everyone, you just have to find it.”  

In addition to being a seasoned traveler, Gartland is former athlete.  At Michigan State, he played club rugby.  To many Americans, rugby may seem mysterious or confusing, but Gartland is hopeful about the state of rugby in the US.  “Rugby is an interesting hybrid between American football and soccer … it wouldn’t surprise me if in 20 or 30 years, with rugby gaining popularity, it could displace American football.”  When asked why, he responded that the tackling form in rugby is different than football, making it a safer alternative.  Despite the fact that this may be hard for many to imagine, Gartland made some interesting points.

Mr. Gartland says he feels pretty comfortable at Whitney Young, and his students certainly think he fits in pretty well, too. Allison Geary ‘18 says, “He is very involved with his students and you can tell that he is passionate about what he is teaching.” In fact, all of the students we asked said he was passionate about his job.  Jacob Salazar ‘17 says, “Mr. Gartland always has a lot to say.”  Davia Murray ‘17 also added that, “…his work may be a little overbearing at first, but he is very open to constructive criticism. Honors United States History was a lot of fun for me, which included engaging conversation and lots of jokes.” It seems most students would agree that it was a good decision by Gartland to move to CPS, and many hope that his teaching career will continue for years to come.