Chicago's School Boycott

There have been a lot of discussions about the plan to boycott school today. It was started by Rev. Senator James Meeks. This boycott is to draw attention to the inadequacies in school funding in Illinois and other areas. I understand the purpose of the boycott, but I have to question the timing/motives. For those of you who don't know, Chicago teachers and other city employess must live in the city. I don't have a problem with that at all, but there are many educators who live in the city, work for the school system but they send their children to private schools. Now, I know it is probably a bit much to ask people to send their children to a public school, but my question is this: How can you expect others to buy into a school system when the educators who have been hired to educate our children don't send their children to these schools? Now should I no longer have faith in this system? If the 'teachers' don't send their children to these schools, why should others? It makes me question the teachers heart. Maybe this system is good enough to pay your bills, but not good enough to educate thier children. Isn't that like an oxymoron?

Another issue raised is how many of the legislators don't send their children to public schools. Once again, I ask, how can you ask others to support a system when the lawmakers, the same ones you have elected don't support public education? A few years ago, I was watching a news program with a legislator(I think he's was from Georgia)who had moved into a different district and there was a stipulation that stated all students must attend the neighborhood school. This neighborhood school was a poor perfoming school. Well, the local school board decided to make an exception for this man and his family and allow his children to attend a "better" school. This legislator said no. If the school board says his children has to attend the local school, then that's where they will go. I could not believe it. Someone with a position of power and chose not to abuse it.

The final thought I have on this issue it this, Rev. Senator James Meeks children are not in public school and have never been in public school. One of the representatives (Mary Flowers) who supports this boycott, sent her daughter to school. Now, I ask again, how can we ask others to buy into a system when the people organizing this boycott don't?

Critics believe children should not be involved/used for political gain. Nonetheless, how can you invoke a change if children are not involved? The last time I checked my history books, the Little Rock Nine were teens when they integrated Central High. Now, I also ask this question, how do we prepare our children to fight for a cause if they are never shown what to do or given an opportunity to do so? If I am not mistaken, when those students had a sit in at the Woolworth counter, they were college students.

Many of the school officials and legislators were pushing for the students to go to school, well let me tell you, I had a good number to show up, unprepared! When I asked them, they said "they didn't know they were going to need pen and paper to do work." Excuse me, but what is the point in coming to school if you are not prepared to do any work? So, all of this hoopla about going to school was a bunch of hogwash if you ask me, but who's asking.

Overall, there were students and their parents who did participate in this boycott. I applaud them for it, but my question is this: What happens after the boycott?

Educate or else pt. 2

Ok, I am not sure if many of you have heard this but the Rev. Senator James Meeks and Rev. Ira Acree along with other Chicago area ministers are calling for Chicago Public School (CPS) students to stay home from school on the first day of school (September 2). The reasoning behind this is the deplorable condition of many CPS schools. He is wondering why some school districts in Illinois get more money to spend per student than others. Some school districts receive $18,000 oer student whereas some get 1/2 of that. Well, of course there are many critics to this, but I ask if no one is trying to invoke a change, when will they? Are we supposed to sit here and wait for someone to do something?

Now, having said that, I was watching Oprah today and there was a show about the state of the public school system in America. (I know the show was a rerun, but the information is still relevant.) There were two young guys from the D.C. area who were disgusted with the condition of their school. They took pictures and somehow Anderson Cooper did a special and the school was featured on it. Now this school was about 15 minutes from the Capitol Building and looked wonderful on the outside. When you got to the inside of the school, it was horrible. Shortly after that show, the school district approved money to make repairs to the school.

Now back to this school boycott, why is it that people want children in schools that aren't working? Also, why send the child to school and they aren't going to do their best? I know people believe children learn at various rates (I don't argue with that), but how can a child learn if they don't bring materials to and from school? I don't get it. All of these school officials and some of the politicians are fighting for these children to go to school, but make it a place that is inviting for the children.

Allow me to paint a picture for you, you need to use the restroom (really bad) and you go to and their is no toilet tissue, what do you do? Or, there is toilet tissue but you don't have any soap or hot water to wash your hands. Can you imagine the fecal matter you are now carrying around? Or let's just assume the toilet tissue, soap and hot water works but the restroom is disgusting. There are feces on the toilet (that seems like it's been there for a while) and tissue/paper all over the floor. Do you still want to go to this school?

Ok, we are out of the restrooms and we are now entering the classroom. There might be new desks or some that are decent. If you don't have any decent desk, be glad you have enough for everyone to sit in. As soon as you enter the classroom, your teacher has to assist with clearing the hall. This may take up to 5 minutes. Once this is accomplished, it's going to take another 5 minutes to ge the class under control. Once the class is under control, you might have to figure out how to regulate the temperature in the class. It may be too hot/cold. If it is too hot, their is not an air conditioner to turn on to cool off the room. If it is too cold, you can't adjust the heat. Now how are you supposed to work under those conditions?

Let's just assume that the temperature is just fine in the classroom and the desks are brand new and shiny, however, there is a problem with rodents and roaches. I mean the roaches and mice come out like they are trying to learn something. Maybe the teachers should teach to the roaches and mice, they're always there.

I think America has misplaced values. We pay athletes millions of dollars and many of them are uneducated. If we are taught in school that education is the way to go and it will pay off in the end, how true is this for all? I mean, why would a child want to go to school to better him/herself and they can live off a pipe dream of becoming an athlete of musician. If we reall want children to buy into this education dream, we have to make it better for all. We can't keep separating schools based upon the haves and have-nots. I think children in urban and rural areas suffer the most when it comes to education.

I also think educators need to be paid a fair sarting wage. I think the minimum starting pay should be at least $75K. Now, I know some people may not agree, but allow me to pick up my brush again: Remember when I told you about the restrooms, rodents, etc.? Most often than not, the educator has to or chooses to provide these things for their students. God forbid if there is a female educator, because she will provide personal products for the young ladies. Sometimes these young girls don't have the means to get these items or they don't keep any in their lockers.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the cafeteria. Most of the time the food is not worth eating. It is not quality, wholesome food. The fruit/veggies leaves much to be desired. If you want a salad, it's iceberg lettuce, a cucumber and tomato. I know many teachers often bring snack for their students because the food in the cafeteria is not good or they have run out of food. So when you find and educator who says he/she is not compensated fairly, they aren't lying. I mean in what other profession do you know of that employees have to provide the majority/all of their materials/supplies to get their job done? I mean, most offices provide ink pens, staplers, computers, printers, ink, fax machines and things of that nature to perform the necessary task.

I guess America is too busy trying to fight battles that doesn't concern US and we can't even take care of our own. The sad reality to all of this is, the majority of the people who make the decisions regarding school funding either don't have children in school, their children are in private schools, or they don't have children. It is time for America to place a value on education and not entertainment.

Educate or else

I am truly disgusted with the education system in America, particularly in Chicago, Illinois. The majority of the schools are underfunded and no one seems to care. Illinois ranks 49th out of the 50 states as it relates to school funding. What is really interesting is this, the legislators aren't really concerned. The Rev. Senator James Meeks (Illinois) just made an announcement on Fox News Chicago about the first day of school. He is calling on parents to keep their children out of school and board buses to go to these affluent suburbs like Winnetka and enroll in schools there. The whole point is not to discourage or take away from these schools, but it is to tell the legislators that it is time out for this inadequate funding. One of the schools New Trier just received approval from the state to rebuild its school and this will cost about $1 billion. Oh, the other discrepancy is New Trier spends about $18,000 per student and most Chicago Public Schools (CPS)receive 1/2 or less of that per student. The average ACT score at New Trier is 27 and in CPS it is 13.

I can't really imagine legislators thinking that there is nothing wrong with this picture. I read an article in one of the newspapers about a week ago and it was talking about the legislators voting themselves a raise. Let's get real here, you want a raise for what? Is America really serious? If our legislators don't do anything soon, I think the situation will get worse. Right now, Black males have a 1 in 4 chance of going to jail, whereas white males have a 1 in 23 chance. Prisons are bulit based upon the reading scores of minority males (specifically Black and Spanish speaking) in the 3rd grade. What this basically says is "Read or go to jail." I know in Illinois, most prisons spend a minimum of $20,000 to house a prisoner for a year. Will someone please tell me why Illinois will spend at least $12,000 more to keep a child locked up with no possible chance of truly being rehabilitated (if that was the case there wouldn't be so many repeat offenders)? America needs to wake up and smell the cocoa beans. When you have children living in deplorable situations and the possibility of them changing their situation seems hopeless, why should they want to go to school? When the most successful person in their neighborhood is the local drug dealer or pimp, why should they go to school? The street life is has more to offer than the classroom.

I wish the legislators and administrators would come into my classroom unannounced. I want them to see the horrible desks in my room. I want them to hear the things I have to hear on a daily basis. I want them to go into the restrooms that are lacking toilet tissue and working hot water. Can you talk about the germs/feces that the students are spreading around. I couldn't imagine wanting to do work when I look at the facility.If the facility is run down, what message are we sending to our students? I try to make the room as aesthetically pleasing as I can, but sometimes it is difficult. I make signs of positive quotes by famous/notable people to try and encourage my students. Sometimes they read them and most times they don't.

Now, I'm no rocket scientist but it looks like something is wrong with this picture. It seems like Illinois is living in 1958 and not 2008. I can't believe this is happening. Shoot, who am I fooling, I can believe it. Everyday when I go to work, I am reminded of the inadequacies in education. It is crazy. I get tired of people placing the blame on the teachers. WAKE UP CALL: I am only as good as the resources available to me. Just imagine if we were having a relay race and the person who finished first won $1000. The race isn't fair if you have running shoes and I don't. I feel like that is how many of the public schools in Chicago and other urban areas are. Now on most days, I really like teaching; however it is difficult for me to want to stay in a profession that is not taken seriously. I think it is unfair to punish the students because of the decisions their parents may have made.

This past school year our focus was on the American Dream and is it attainable for all. Everything we read pertained to people either coming to America or already living in America trying to make their lives better. Some of the books read were "A Raisin in the Sun", "The Jungle", and excerpts from "Fast Food Nation." We also read a number of articles relating to this topic. One article read was written by Gregory Mantsios and it is titled "Class in America: Myths and Realities." This article discusses how the economic opportunities afforded to one varies by class. The writer gives an example of three young people who all start out with similar dreams for their lives but their socieoeconomic status dictates their future. Most of my students didn't know that the economic class they are born into pretty much is an indicator of their future. The three people showcased had very different opportunites afforded to them because of their parents socieoeconomic status. It is unfortunate that this is the harsh reality.

This article also discussed how poor white people have better opportunites than poor Blacks or Spanish speaking children. A good number of poor whites live in middle-class areas and are able to reap the benefits of a middle-class lifestyle. As it relates to people of color, they often don't have those same opportunities afforded to them. I had a client who once told me that her sister was able to receive public assistance and she was able to complete school and eventually get off of it. I know for a fact when a lot of Black people try to get or keep public assistance while in school, they are often denied. This tells me that the system is designed to set minorities up for failure.

I know some of you may be wondering what does this have to do with the school funding situation. It has a lot. If the legislators and administrators would put the student's best interest first, some of this tomfoolery will end. The truth of the matter is this: All students will not go to college (for whatever reasons). We need to stop fooling ourselves. The administrators keep cutting fundamental vocational programs with the false pretense that all kids will go to college and graduate. The current graduation rate for CPS students is for every 100 students going to college, only 6 will graduate and out of the six, only 3 will be Black males. We will need painters, carpenters, plumbers, hairstylists, mechanics and other trades that are being eliminated from many of the vocational programs. The fashion program was just closed. Now let me ask you this: Don't you wear clothing on most days? I know you wear them at least 4-5 days out of the week (depending on your work week). If you choose not to wear them, that is a choice, but when you leave your house you have them on.

Another issue I have with the government is they offer programs for white teachers to come and teach in the inner city for 3-5 years and in exchange they will either repay/forgive most of your student loans. Now you might think this sounds like a good program, but the downside to this is many inner city schools lose teachers almost every year. Oftentimes these teachers are planning their escape before they get into the school. In my opinion, this is just another way to hold poor students back. I am not suggesting that all the teachers that take advantage of these programs are not the best, but a good number of them are. Some of them don't really teach and they participate in social promotion (just passing kids) because they don't believe in these kids. The ones who do care often get burned out because of poor administration.

For those of you who wonder how teachers become bad, just go into any of these schools and observe what is going on. There isn't a whole lot of instruction, just a whole lot of frustration. It comes from every angle. The students come to school carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They might be on the verge of getting put out, maybe someone is touching them inappropriately at home, most of them come to school hungry. There are a myriad of more issues these children face and no one really know how to address it. The teachers are frustrated because they are trying to teach a class and there are so many distractons. The administratuon wants teachers to do so much paperwork. If you are at a school like mine, you will come to know what's important. I do have a few books for all teachers to read and if you have a heart for children, they will truly change your way of thinking/teaching. The first book is "The Failures of Integration: How race and class are undermining the American Dream" by Sheryll Cashin. The second book is "Black Students, Middle Class Teachers" by Jawanza Kunjufu. Last, but certainly not least, "Keeping Black Boys out of Special Education" by Jawanza Kunjufu.

Although I recommend these books for educators, anyone should read them if they are truly concerned with the way the education system is headed. Even if you don't have children/grandchildren in school or if your children go to private school, you still pay taxes and a small percent of your taxes go to fund schools. For those of you who don't think this has no bearing on you, it does. If it doesn't have an affect on you now, it will later.