Do you agree with the teachers strike in Chicago?

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   Christine Mirandaposted 11 years ago

   Do you agree with the teachers strike in Chicago?
   
   The Chicago Teachers Union is on strike for the first time in 25 years. It is the 3rd largest school system in the US. The school board agreed on a 16% increase in salary over the next four years. So what, may you ask, are they striking about? Smaller classroom sizes and better school conditions.
   
   As a volunteer in my children's classrooms for over ten years now in the same schools I attended at their age the difference is shocking.  The Chicago teachers are proving not everything is about money.
   
   

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2. 54

   whonunuwhoposted 11 years ago

   Perhaps the biggest travesty in this country is the lack of concern by the powers that be about education and the development of our youth. Every political hopeful always uses education as a stepping stone into office, only to shun any and all educational improvements after the election. We see this from the top of the chain to the lower reaches in local towns. It is sinful and thuggery at its worse in how teachers, students, and school facilities are treated in most states and local systems across the country. Casinos and beautifying city lawns as well as driving big limos. seems to be most important to local and state government. Then who screams the loudest when things do not go well and there is a protest someplace which may effect political aspirations? Who gets the most dramatic attention and focus when a mentally incompetent public servant goes awry, and which in blasted nationwide on T.V. screens everywhere? Wake up and smell the coffee...no one wants kids to be intelligent, they my have too many questions about whose in charge and might protest. Only a few get national coverage of some fantastic school program but this is such a small grain of sand in a river of hope and only serves to bolster election returns. Sorry about the negativism, but it can't be helped. I was a teacher for twenty-five years and saw this up, close and personal.

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   1. 68

      Christine Mirandaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Instead of being a society of "the more education the better" we've become a society of "lets do the bare minimum for our schools." Thank you for your comments.

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3. 81

   dashingscorpioposted 11 years ago

   I personally think the real reason for the strike is teachers don't want the system to change. The government has been putting more pressure on them to get results and improve our nation's children's standing scholastically in the world.
   The government has been looking at test results of the students to determine which teachers are the "best or worst". Teachers and schools that don't (measure up) will be eliminated. The notion of "tenure" status for teachers is disappearing. Years (served) in the school system will no longer guarantee a teacher a job.
   The government has also been leaning towards giving parents the option to use vouchers to place their children in schools with a reputation for graduating students that go onto college. One such example is Urban Prep Academy. For the third year in a row, (every senior) at Urban Prep Academy, the only all-African-American, all-male charter high school in Chicago, has been accepted to college.
   However the knock on such schools is they only accept or work with the kids who (want) to succeed.
   I recently read the average class size for schools in India is 75! Japan has 40-50 students per teacher. Both countries are kicking our ass! Therefore class size is NOT the problem with public schools and teachers need to stop telling that lie.
   The (real problem) is bad parenting skills along with a lack of parents working with their children's teachers to ensure the students accomplish the goals set.
   Parents who use voucher programs or are williing to get onto a "waiting list" are the same parents who sit down and help their kids with homework, hire tutors, and (insist) their kids do well. A lot of parents today are "hands off" when it comes to educating their children. Most of them view school as a (free day care) center. If a teacher has the balls to try to discipline or punish a child for unruly conduct the parents, school system, and court system attacks the teacher. (There is no unity among the adults when it comes to eduacting students). The government is NEVER going to issue any blame to the parents AKA (the voters).
   Yes, we should demand more from our teachers but we also must demand more from their parents as well as the students themselves! One man's opinion! :-)

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   1. 68

      Christine Mirandaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I believe there should be a way to evaluate teachers, however, you can't expect to keep cutting funds to education and expect high quality education.  Interesting statistics on classroom sizes overseas. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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   Old Empresarioposted 11 years ago

   Not really. I support strikes of labor unions as they relate to corporations and private industry. I simply call that the free market at work. But I do not support uprisings of tax-funded bureaucracies in any level of government. What happens if the police or the national guard decided to stage an uprising as well? The teachers are setting a precedent with regards to the power of a government bureaucracy over an elected politician.

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   1. 68

      Christine Mirandaposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting point. It seems the battle for more education funding always has and probably always will be an uphill battle. Thank you for answering.

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   2. 0

      Old Empresarioposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If someone wants a good public education, they should move to Europe. The US is a commercial republic with an economy based on consumerism and military industry and a society based on theocracy. Those factors will never coincide with education.

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5. 64

   WritingPromptsposted 11 years ago

   It's nice to know that it's not all about the money - but about providing good conditions for children to learn and teachers to teach.
   
   In general I support the right of any group to strike. That's the one thing that people can do, refuse to work if pay and conditions are not good enough.  Without that they might as well be slaves.  I suppose they could just quit instead of go on strike, but that would leave us in worse shape as far as getting the work done.

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6. 82

   kathleenkatposted 11 years ago

   I don't agree with it. I think it is awfully selfish of them. Don't you think, if there was money, they would get smaller classrooms if they COULD? There has been research for years about how kids perform better in smaller classrooms.
   
   But they can't even perform when these teachers are DENYING CHILDREN AN EDUCATION. School still hasn't started for these kids, by the way...
   
   Don't like your job? Quit. With unemployment so high, there will be several people in line for it that probably would love to have your job.
   
   Think of the children!

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7. 68

   Deborah M Jonesposted 11 years ago

   Until school districts have 99.9% graduation rates, ensuring it's children can achieve the basics of reading and math, then no raises should be given whether the teachers are unionized or not! If there is no red line, then the school district administrators and district school boards are patronizing their teachers with benefits and salaries they do not deserve. This is a kin to malpractice in many other professions.  See Chicago area teacher pay statistics:
   http://deborahmjones.hubpages.com/hub/H … chool-Year

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