Homoskedastic

jbizzle329:

Music Educators: On the Chicago teachers strike:

grayer:

musiceducators:

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed below are solely those of Nick Errico and do not reflect the opinions of MusicEducators or #education

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I’ve been holding off on commenting on the matter because my view goes against most of my colleagues on…

Do you think that the teachers on strike weren’t thinking of the students? The ridiculous evaluations and money shifting schemes of the CPS hurt students. The CPS shifted funds away from schools to promote charter schools and make it appear that there were no funds.

All this aside, I can’t fathom why you think teachers should suffer in silence. At the end of the day, teachers should have enough money and time to have a comfortable life. They shouldn’t be penny pinching just to get by. 

Teachers shouldn’t have to live the life of a martyr. This isn’t a profession where you should sit down, grin, and bear it. I didn’t become a teacher so I could carry a cross to Golgotha. Teachers aren’t hurting students; CPS is hurting students.

Tell me what we are getting “shafted” on?  I’m curious to know if you know the facts. Also, how are we breaking the law? We have a contract that has a strike clause. Senate bill 7 says we can strike. Check it out.  I’d also like you to elaborate on how we are hurting the children. Are you watching and reading all the propaganda CPS is putting out. It’s a bunch of lies or misinformation.

As far as evaluations go, that is a monster in its own right. 40% of my students’ test scores were to decide if I was a good teacher. There are parts of the evaluation system that could rate me as unsatisfactory if a child acted out. I’ll link it here so that you can read the part about evaluations that are so unfair to a teacher. And then you tell me if you’d like your job to hinge on that.  By state law, some of our evaluations have to come from test scores. Fine. So be it, but not 40%, especially if you aren’t supporting giving a quality education to all children, not just the ones in the rich neighborhoods.   They are at the table negotiating a better evaluation. If you’d like, I could go into detail about our evaluation system, but I’ll wait.

You mention professors at your school chose to not go on strike because they had a duty to their students. Do I not have a duty to my students because I decided to go on strike. Do 29,000 other educators not have a duty to their students as well? I’m taking an educated guess here that you’re an adult. You are someone that can take care of yourself. You can seek out help, feed yourself, find housing, safety, and know right from wrong. Unlike you professors, I work with children. These are people that have no control over their surroundings. They can’t advocate for themselves like an adult can. Who is going to make sure they have text books? (That was something we had to make sure was in the contract) Who is going to make sure there is a counselor or social worker in the school to make sure they are O.K. the night after a parent was taken to jail or they witnessed violence.  Who is going to make sure they get a proper class size and they are sharing the carpet with 40+ kids.  Who is going to make sure that the district puts a nurse in each of the schools? We have to fight to get one for our children with diabetes.  Who is going to make sure that walls are repaired, fans are in place on a hot day, funding to watch them on the playground when schools are understaffed and there is a mandated teacher lunch? Who is going to make sure that their environment is conducive to learning. I know that sitting in a classroom of 35+ students  on a 90 degree day  sharing a textbook on an empty stomach and worry in my head would not be the best learning environment. They need a voice as well as their families aren’t able to advocate for them

Explain to me exactly how I am defeating the purpose of being a teacher. I think I am teaching my students about democracy. Why should one ruler/mayor and his school board decide what is good for all?  Especially when only 1 of them has experience in education!

You’ve also missed the point that this strike is about education reform. If you have questions about that (I think you do), shoot them this way. I’d love to educate you on the state of my district and what every other district will have happen if we don’t stand up to “The Man”.  Also, we are striking because they have been in negations since November 2011. The board called our bluff rather than negotiate.

And like Grayer said: Teachers aren’t hurting students; CPS is hurting students.