Classes at Life Academy
Life-changing skills and more livable streets
By Robert Prinz
“Thank you for teaching us to ride bikes. I was scared but I did it. My teacher did help me balance and it was hard so I tried to lift one leg up and the other one too. I did it. I walked a bit fast with the bike and tried
to turn and I did it. I stood the bike carefully and I did it.” — Miguel
All of the classes offered through Bike East Bay’s free education program are rewarding and powerful, and some are truly life-changing. One such experience started in 2018 when special education teacher Caitlin Christensen invited us to Life Academy in Oakland to teach her class of
17 middle and high schoolers with special needs how to ride a bike.
“The Learn-to-Ride class is amazing, especially for students with special needs. It helps them to learn in a safe and supportive environment.” — Nora Dye, Learn-to-Ride instructor
In early 2019 we returned to Life Academy for another amazing
Learn-to-Ride session, with a group of instructors including Nora Dye.
“Some special needs students might have trouble focusing or engaging
in school,” Nora says, “but biking is a whole body experience which can be therapeutic and rewarding.” Over the course of the three-hour class, Bike East Bay instructors worked step-by-step with each student on the basics of balancing, pedaling, and steering. To make sure it was a convenient, comfortable environment for the students, we set up class right on the school blacktop, and brought in a fleet of bikes so everyone could ride. Having plenty of instructors on hand meant that each student got the patient attention every new rider deserves.
“Thank you Bike East Bay for giving me a chance to ride a bike…I had fun with my friends and even made new ones with [the] teacher who was teaching me how to ride.” — Henry
Our mission at Bike East Bay is to create healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safe, fun, and accessible for everyone. That means not only providing a great environment for learning how to ride, but better streets to ride, walk, and live on — around Life Academy and beyond.
For two years in a row, Bike East Bay has partnered with Life Academy to get students up and running on bikes. However, Life Academy is located on 35th Avenue, a designated high injury corridor in Oakland with a long history of crashes. Even with great riding skills, students still need safe streets to bike on.
Earlier this year, as the second Learn-to-Ride class was being taught at Life Academy, the Bike East Bay advocacy team was at work to bring bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements to the 35th Avenue corridor: expediting a street safety grant to add bike lanes near Fruitvale BART, and street crossing upgrades around Life Academy. Those improvements are important first steps in making the neighborhood more accessible for everyone trying to get to school: those just learning to ride, expert bike riders, and pedestrians alike.
“I want to go to the park and ride the bike there. It will be fun…thank you for coming to our school.” — Julan
Learn about the latest updates coming to Oakland: BikeEastBay.org/OaklandBikeways
