Catching up with ...

Cedric Small

At the 2000 AGLOA Nationals, we sat down with Cedric Small from Detroit. Cedric played Academic Games at Bates Academic and Renaissance High School in the 1980s. He was a member of the Mr. Steve's Neighborhood team that dominated the junior and senior divisions in the late 1980s.

Cedric, you're a teacher now at Renaissance?

Yes, I teach tenth grade and eleventh grade English and Academic Games.

How long have you been teaching at Renaissance?

This is my seventh year.

You graduated from Renaissance?

Yes, I graduated from Renaissance in 1989. I went to the University of Michigan. I graduated from there. Coincidentally, a job was open at Renaissance and I ended up getting the job. I didn't plan on working at Renaissance. I didn't aim for that because I didn't think it was realistic. Just coincidentally, like I said, at the last minute … I had actually signed on to go to Mumford, and at the last minute, someone retired, and I got the interview, and I got the job. 

Before Renaissance, you went to Bates? Is that how you got started in Academic Games?

Well, as a seventh grader, at Bates, we had Academic Games built into our math classes. So, I remember the enthusiasm with which the kids would look forward to Fridays when we played Equations. We had class tournaments set up. 

Everybody did it, but then there was the Academic Games team. So I wasn't in that, because I didn't know about it, but I really liked Chris Holstein. He was my math teacher and I associated Academic Games with him. I knew about what they did. A couple of my close friends, Ian Buchanan, Robert Boler, and Toby Rhodes were also in the class, and so through my association with them I became more interested. So as a seventh grader I announced that I wanted to get involved. I couldn't get into the class right away, but I ended up making the team for the states. Mr. Holstein was really impressed with the way I picked it up so fast. The next year, I was in the class and I ended up on the first team. I was on the first team for the state tournament and the Nationals, so that was my first year at Nationals.

So you've been involved then in Equations, On-Sets, Wff 'N Proof, LinguiSHTIK and Presidents. Did you ever get involved in either of the others?

As a player I was never did Prop or World Card. I remember a couple of years after I graduated, Rod and Dorian and those guys at Renaissance … It seemed like a revolutionary idea at the time, but they said, "These other games that we don't play, why don't we play them, too?" It was as though they felt kind of bored with what was on the table and wanted that challenge. Since then, Renaissance has, but as a player I never played Prop or World Card. 

Of the games, do you have a particular favorite?

Not really, people assume I'm a math teacher because I love math, but I really love Presidents, which is unusual, but just because of the unique perspective it gives. I've always liked history. It sounds like I love everything. English, math, and history I really like, but the perspective Presidents gives you on history. As a teacher still, I learn so much about history through Presidents every year. From the first time I picked up a Presidents book in seventh grade until now, I continue to be fascinated. I continue to learn. 

You must have a wealth of great stories to share?

In telling you about the start of my career or my involvement in Academic Games, I remember the experience of that first year at the Nationals, when I won individual Wff. I really didn't understand what was going on. I just got thrown into this thing. I went really far in Equations. I went to the finals. I won Wff, and it was until after we got back to school, and everyone made such a big deal out of it, that I realized what had happened. That youthful, innocent enthusiasm that I can remember … I think back on that very fondly. 

It's a lot different now. When I sit there and watch my kids in the playoffs I'm a nervous wreck, as opposed to when I was there, oblivious, innocent, ignorant. I wish I could regain that. 

I remember another time in high school, after I had lost Equations, I still wanted to play so badly. You [Mike Steigerwald] were sitting around judging, so I challenged you to a match and I got blown away. I just remember still wanting to play. That's why I love Academic Games, because it foster such an enthusiasm about learning. 

Now, you've mentioned Mr. Holstein. Do you want to talk about him some more, or any of the other personalities that have influenced you?

Well, obviously I'm very grateful to Mr. Holstein because he pulled me aside and said, "Hey, take this an run with it." I kind of approached him and suggested an interest, but I think he saw something in me and he continued to feed that. To this day I maintain contact with him at our Michigan tournaments. It's like we think alike. A lot of my thoughts have come from him, or the way I learned the game. There's a tie there. Whenever I can't agree with anybody and we can't think of how to shed light on this, I go back and I ask him. He always gives me a way to articulate what I'm feeling. 99% of the time we seem to agree. 

Steve Wright also had a great influence on my playing career when I came to Renaissance. Bates was really strong at that time in the math games and Wff ‘N Proof, but not at the language arts games. I thought I was pretty good at Ling., but when I got to the ninth grade, I really learned how to play Ling., and that was Steve Wright. As an English teacher, people have an assumption about your knowledge on grammar issues. In comparing the grammar I've learned in LinguiSHTIK to the grammar I learned at the University of Michigan, this [LinguiSHTIK] is up here [holds hand above head] and this is down here [hand at table level.] When I know an answer, people assume it's because I'm an English teacher, but it's because I played Ling. I'm grateful for that. 

You teach at Renaissance. You coach at Renaissance. That probably doesn't leave a lot of time for other things, but what do you do apart from those?

I play video games a lot, as often as I can. We usually do practicing on Saturdays, and it's fun. I remember as a player, we would practice on Monday nights and Saturday mornings. It never was a chore. It was like a party. That's one of the things I'm so grateful for, because instead of associating with the crowd who's drinking and hanging out late at night and being in the wrong places, I was hanging out with "nerds" up in the old main building studying math, and loving it. 

Even now, I have the kids over, and we'll play Academic Games, but then we'll play video games. We haven't so much in the recent past, but before that, we would go to movies together, go cart racing, laser tag. We do that type of thing outside of school as much as inside of school. I really try to keep my work at work as far as teaching. We get done at 3:30 and I go home at 3:30 and do other things. I try to keep a good balance. Then on the weekends, separate from Academic Games, I do crazy things. I turn into a werewolf.

I'll wrap up with one very general question. Do you want to make any other comments about how Academic Games has affected your life?

Just in associating with a certain type of people, just in being involved in Academic Games, I've really felt blessed to be able to come back to Renaissance and continue. As a twelfth grader, when graduation was imminent, I was really sad about the fact that I was going to lose ties with Academic Games. I made up my mind that I would coach somewhere, but to be able to come back and coach, and not miss a beat, was just one in a million. Every year I continue to learn. Every year the World Card theme changes. I get involved with the kids doing research. I like to learn. I love to teach. I can't see not being involved. 

 
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