CPS teacher strike and Illinois area....

[Jiro]

Q&A: What's behind the Chicago teachers' strike? - CNN.com

Q. Why are teachers objecting to evaluations tied to performance?
A. The union says student performance is directly linked to conditions in the home or neighborhood, making it unfair for teachers to be punished if students don't do well in the the classroom for those reasons.

Q. How many jobs will be lost under the evaluation plan?
A. As many as 6,000 teachers could lose their jobs under the evaluation system, according to CTU President Karen Lewis, who has called the system "unacceptable." The mayor's office, the city and school officials have questioned that job-loss figure.

Q. How is the public reacting to the strike?
A. The reaction is predictably mixed in the pro-union town. Parents have had to juggle work schedules and lay out money for child care, but many remain supportive of the union's action.

 

[Jiro]

Teachers get insurance and retirement plans, sick days, and vacations that coincide with their children's days off. It's not like they have no benefits. They also don't have the same risks as police officers.

How is their evaluation any worse than others? Please explain.

police officers don't get fired as easily as teachers do when it comes to evaluation.

when it comes to job security, you're much better off as police officer than teacher. many police officers live to their retirements.

 

[Jiro]

It's not free. It's paid for by taxpayers. Even taxpayers who don't use public schools.

hence the quotations " " but it's still much much much cheaper leaving your kids at public schools than getting babysitters and whatnot.

The schools are available to the teachers' kids, too. So the child care expense argument is a wash.

teachers' kids go to their own schools' daycare.

I hope that they are getting more than child care during their time at school.

well - considering the fact that teacher is a multi-role position - babysitter, nanny, educator, mentor, etc... all that for an average of $49,000 a year as a starter for a while..... with lack of job security....

it's a wonder why our education system is failing...

 

[Reba]

police officers don't get fired as easily as teachers do when it comes to evaluation.

I meant, explain/describe the teacher evaluation. I know what categories are included in a military performance evaluation but I don't know what's exactly in a teacher's eval. Please edify us.

 

[Jiro]

I meant, explain/describe the teacher evaluation. I know what categories are included in a military performance evaluation but I don't know what's exactly in a teacher's eval. Please edify us.

According to what I see, seems like it's based on student scores.

To put it simply.... low score and no improvement, you're out.

 

[Reba]

hence the quotations " " but it's still much much much cheaper leaving your kids at public schools than getting babysitters and whatnot.

The point was that taxpayers AND teachers both have child care expenses. Not just teachers.

teachers' kids go to their own schools' daycare.

Huh?

well - considering the fact that teacher is a multi-role position - babysitter, nanny, educator, mentor, etc... all that for an average of $49,000 a year as a starter for a while..... with lack of job security....

Lots of jobs are multi-role without job security, and pay a lot less. So?

it's a wonder why our education system is failing...

Who or what do you consider responsible for that?

 

[Reba]

According to what I see, seems like it's based on student scores.

To put it simply.... low score and no improvement, you're out.

If that's the case, then do you agree with that means of assessment?

 

[dereksbicycles]

It must be tough to be a teacher. I'm pretty sure they get lunch breaks. I would think they've 30-35 hours every week to work with kids. Rest is left to parents or care taker. The sad thing is that teacher cannot force parents to make kids focus. Teacher can only do so much!!!

It cannot be right to fire teachers because of kids' test score. Like, you know, if you're coach of Bears and they go 3-13 as opposed to 10-6, you're fired. Life's not fair and I'm sure teachers know that. Everyone gets the short hook or as it seems those days.

 

[Jiro]

The point was that taxpayers AND teachers both have child care expenses. Not just teachers.

taxpayers don't have to worry about child care expenses since they "dump" their kids at schools and expect teachers to do it all and still blame them for their kids' problems

Huh?

You do know that handful of schools do have its own daycare centers?

Lots of jobs are multi-role without job security, and pay a lot less. So?

do our teachers really deserve this?

Who or what do you consider responsible for that?

parents. and us.

 

[TracyK]

Former Illinois Junior High Teacher

Hi all - I'm not even sure where to start on this. I couldn't quote from all of the misinformation posted in these comments so I am just going to bullet out some thoughts.

1) I am a teacher certified in the State of Illinois.

2) Whoever said you only need two years of college is incorrect. There is a bachelors degree requirement (4 years @ 40K a year) and you must certify within core subjects for grades 7-12.

3) If you are employed in the city of Chicago in public service (police, fire, EMTs, teachers) you MUST live within the city limits. While you may save on commuting costs, your salary (especially starting out) barely covers the basics of city living.

4) In addition to health benefits, salary, safety, and evaluation requirements, Chicago teachers are being asked to extend the teaching day by 90 minutes AND add 10 additional days of school. Originally, this additional work time was to be imposed with NO change in wages. 180 days * 90 minutes = 16,200 minutes/270 hours PLUS 10 additional school days. Essentially this is a pay cut for all teachers.

5) If you are a teacher in Illinois and you announce your retirement with 3 years notice, your salary for those 3 years increases substantially. This is to boost your retirement pay (which is a % of your final 5 years average salary) and compensate for low wages during your career. This is negotiated by the union. As a result, comparing the average salary is a skewed statistic, because it includes salary boosts of retiring teachers. This is a primary reason the salary numbers do not match between the city and the union.

6) Comparing a small business to teaching is apples to oranges. If you provide better service your small business thrives, you make more money. If a teacher provides better service there is no financial incentive to do so. This is another pitfall of unionization.

7) The pitfall of viewing a K-12 education as free child care (which admittedly many parents do) is that we compare teachers to the role of babysitter. This diminishes the professional respect for teachers, and diminishes their perceived value to society.

8) Whoever wrote, if you want to make more money go get a business degree. PLEASE re-think this. We NEED smart people to be educators. We need to change the role of teachers so that smart people see teaching as an option, instead of getting teachers who cannot make it through more lucrative programs at university.

9) Teachers spend more time with MOST people's children than the children's own parents. They have the capability to mold our future. We need to support them and compensate them accordingly. We need to acknowledge the work they do and how difficult it is. They are on the front lines. A couple of weeks ago, in my small Illinois town, a HS student brought a gun and shot it in the classroom. A teacher saved the lives of many by subduing the student, he is a first year teacher making 28K. To even see the other side of 70K, he will have to teach for 35 years, and keep going to school to get more than a modest annual raise.

10) My thought is that we have a much greater problem in this society - how we fund and value education. One of the greatest books on the subject is Savage Inequalities.

11) Look at the salaries of coaches in college compared to professors. What is celebrated in schools? Sports success! How many extra curricular sporting events vs. academic events? How many hours does the average parent spend taking kids to camp, practice, games vs hours spent on homework?

12) I left teaching after 5 years and doubled my salary in the private sector. My husband and I would not have been able to make ends meet with two educators in the family. Something is wrong with that picture!

I do not have the answers. But, I think our country is in desperate need of a major educational reform. From top to bottom, parents, government, students, funding everything needs to be analyzed.

It is past my bedtime I should have never jumped on my soap box. But just some food for thought. Serious dialogue needs to occur and action needs to be taken. This is what the Chicago strike brings to my mind. We are all in this together - poorly educated students bode poorly for our future as a country....

If you could read this thank a teacher. tlk

 

[Jiro]

If that's the case, then do you agree with that means of assessment?

no. it's deeply flawed. it won't work in where poverty and crime are rampant. it certainly doesn't work in inner city either.

But it would work very well in lofty suburb and we both know Chicago ain't no lofty suburb.

 

[Foxrac]

According to what I see, seems like it's based on student scores.

To put it simply.... low score and no improvement, you're out.

What is effective method to do evaluate teachers to detect if they are bad or lazy teacher?

 

[Reba]

taxpayers don't have to worry about child care expenses since they "dump" their kids at schools and expect teachers to do it all and still blame them for their kids' problems

Same for the teachers who send their kids to school. So, again I say, the child care issue is a wash (tie). All working parents, teachers and not teachers, have the same situations.

You do know that handful of schools do have its own daycare centers?

If it's a handful then it's not relevant to the question because it's the exception, not the rule.

do our teachers really deserve this?

Does anyone? It's part of life.

parents. and us.

I can see what you mean about parents. I don't understand the "and us." What do you mean? "Us" who? All taxpayers? What are we supposed to do about other people's kids?

 

[Foxrac]

My VR counselor told me that having a master degree in education is required for all new incoming teachers who teach at high school (9-12), the change is due to No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB Act).

 

[TracyK]

Oh, and 13) Basing a teacher's pay on the students' test performance only addresses one contributing factor of academic success. Other factors: socioeconomic status (many of the Chicago students are well below poverty level), parental involvement, academic materials available BOTH in and outside of class, reading level (yes you could have a student testing in YOUR 7th grade class who is reading below grade level SIGNIFICANTLY - you get them and they impact YOUR evaluation).... the list goes on.

 

[TXgolfer]

and....? that still doesn't answer my question where you get the $75k figure.


Taxpayers save money by leaving their kids at schools.

Teacher's kids don't go to school? Weird.

 

[Reba]

no. it's deeply flawed. it won't work in where poverty and crime are rampant. it certainly doesn't work in inner city either.

But it would work very well in lofty suburb and we both know Chicago ain't no lofty suburb.

If that's the case, then every inner city teacher would be fired, and every suburban teacher would be retained. Is that what happens?

 

[Jiro]

Same for the teachers who send their kids to school. So, again I say, the child care issue is a wash (tie). All working parents, teachers and not teachers, have the same situations.

If it's a handful then it's not relevant to the question because it's the exception, not the rule.[/quote]
moving on....

Does anyone? It's part of life.

No. Teachers play the most important roles in our lives. They're basically our substitute parents. If you disagree, well I don't know what to say.

I can see what you mean about parents. I don't understand the "and us." What do you mean? "Us" who? All taxpayers? What are we supposed to do about other people's kids?

We should do something about this for our teachers. What's happening to our teachers in this country is wrong and abysmal.

 

[TXgolfer]

I dunno about you but there are over 25,000 teachers. Apparently, plenty of teachers were fed up with it. And I dunno if you realize this but more and more teachers are no longer pursuing teaching jobs because they were underpaid and under-appreciated.

Yet, there are still plenty willing to take those jobs.

 

[Jiro]

If that's the case, then every inner city teacher would be fired, and every suburban teacher would be retained. Is that what happens?

Exactly why Chicago teachers are on strike. See Post #41.