The Strike Continues...

...and I am most annoyed with the CTU.  They have a contract that seems quite reasonable, and in some cases more than reasonable.  I understand wanting to "mull it over" before signing it, but at this point get the kids back into class while you mull it over.  I spent last night and this morning reading the Summary of Terms sheet posted on CTU's website.  They summarize the things they like and don't like.

Two things they don't like is the longer day and longer school year.  It seems to me if schools around the nation have days longer than 5.45 hours and 180 day school years, then CPS can and should, too.  Not to mention, of the now 7 hour day, teachers will only about 6.25 hours working.  They will be getting a 45 minute duty-free lunch.  That's a shorter day than most professionals work.  I do recognize they teachers are spending some time at home doing things like grading, so I think this is perfectly fair, but it's certainly not unreasonable as CTU seems to think.

Anyway, I've marked up the Terms sheet with my opinions on the big issues.  I'm neutral about many things in it, so those parts are simply unmarked.  I've underlined in green things I like and struck out in red things I don't like, and I've added a few comments along the way.  The evaluation process seems more than fair, and overall this contract seems quite reasonable. 

My last little point to note is that I'm happy to see that CTU agrees to make up the days that have been lost to their strike.  Now, I want to make my opinion known that those days should be made up on single day holidays (Columbus day, Presidents day, etc) throughout the year, and not with an extra 1.5 weeks at the end of school.  Without our Labor Day start to school the kids already get out 2-3 weeks later than all of the school districts I know (suburban and Louisiana).  Adding time at the end will keep them in school pretty much until July, which really isn't fair to them or parents!

Teachers' Strike Day 2

Today went pretty well for us, but we all wish the teachers would go back to work.  I'm definitely on the fence about the strike.  I think it's terrible because it impedes the education of our children.  I understand that they want a fair contract, but I also think that they need to make some concessions, too.  I am generally pro-union; I've even belonged to a union in the past.  However, everything I'm reading reports that CPS has conceded on this point or that, but nowhere has the CTU given an inch.

As a parent it is even more frustrating when union president Karin Lewis says things like "I've got to go back to the silly part of my day [referring to the negotiations]. . .Y'all continue to have fun. Show each other some love." (Read more on today's happenings)  Never mind, that kids are missing out on their rights to an education, or that parents are having to find and pay for ways to take care of their kids while they're not in school; y'all just have fun! (I do like that the Tribune reporter spelled "y'all" correctly).

Okay, I'm done ranting.  We actually had a pretty good day, and if I lived somewhere where my girls weren't going to a really good school, I think I could get the hang of homeschooling.  We were a little more laid back today, but we still did some good work.

I let them start the day with playtime because I need some time to prepare tutoring lessons for this evening.  Best to get that out of the way first.  Next, we took a walk to the library where everyone picked out chapter books, and we had an impromptu photography class along the way (pictures below).  Then, we had a brief lunch and started the real work.

I found some grammar sheets for Hummingbird to do, and I helped Bumble Bee practice writing her name (she's great at tracing, not so much at freehand).  Her goal is to be able to write her name and get a library card of her own, so this may not take too long.

Next came math, Hummingbird worked on the computer with Math Trainer.  She answered 100 of 102 multiplication facts (from 1x1 to 5x5) correctly!  Tomorrow we push her up a notch...  Bumble Bee and I worked on a pre-K workbook -- counting & circling objects, tracing numbers, and determining sets.

After math came social studies.  Hummingbird suggested on our way home from the library that she would like to learn more about the Star-Spangled Banner. So, I found some color sheets and informational sheets online that she worked on.  I also wrote down 7 questions for her to research online with Daddy while I was out this evening.  They completed all but one of those.  Tomorrow she'll finish that, and we'll add some state flags (Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, & Indiana).

We didn't get to the science experiment today, so tomorrow we'll learn about air pressure and crush a can.  I'll probably post a video of that one.

Karen Lewis says the union is in this strike "for the long haul." I worry that with their utter refusal to compromise, like the Tea Party, we may indeed miss a large chunk of school time.

As we started out we met a striking teacher and her daughter.
As it happens they are neighbors to Hummingbird's best friend from school.

By Hummingbird

By Bumble Bee

By Bumble Bee

By Hummingbird

By Bumble Bee

Despite my frustrations with the current day, I am reminded each time I look at the calendar that things could be so much worse. As I go to sleep tonight, I will be praying for those whose lives were so devastated eleven years ago.

Strike Day 1

I'm exhausted.  Summer vacation is over, so we're not really willing to let the girls sit idly wasting brain cells while the teachers strike.  So, we had our first day of homeschooling today.  It actually went well, but I managed to catch a severe cold, so I am now wiped out.

 So, here's what we did today...

We started the day with breakfast and cleaning the bedroom, especially the desk area.  I knew we would need a good spot for Hummingbird to work.  Then around 8:30 we did an hour long French immersion lesson.  I've started teaching part-time with Multilingual Chicago, so the kids are good practice for my classes.  We read La Chenille Qui Fait des Trous, and sang a song about the days of the week & ducks.  We also talked about the weather and numbers, ending the hour with a game of Bingo in French.

Next, we had a short art class.  First, we made sun catchers.  The girls came back from their summer adventures with this craft, but we never got around to it.  The paint was dried out, so we improvised with sharpies and glitter glue.  Upon finishing that, we took a walk for a photography lesson.  The girls each took pictures of the strike in progress.  We had to see it for ourselves, as the teachers were shouting outside our windows by 6:30 this morning.

By Hummingbird

By Hummingbird

By Hummingbird

By Hummingbird, only blurry one...

By Bumble Bee (she spotted the striking kids)

By Bumble Bee

By Bumble Bee

By Bumble Bee (her teacher)

Hummingbird was interested in practicing the zoom feature.  Thus, most of her photographs were from behind the teachers, and half a block away. 

Bumble Bee, on the other hand was up close and personal.  She spotted the kids and was curious to know why they were striking.  The teachers started marching to another nearby school while she was taking pictures, and we even saw her teacher.  I was worried they wouldn't like us taking pictures, but most of them smiled at us.  Her teacher even paused to say hello, and let Bumble Bee snap a quick shot.  We do like Bumble Bee's teacher, and I can't wait for her to return to class & relieve me.

Back to our schedule, we had P.E. & recess at the school playground after art class.   Then, we came home for lunch followed by spelling work for Hummingbird and puzzles for Bumble Bee and Grace (she's 2 and she's with us two days a week).  After puzzles, we put Grace down for a nap, and Bumble Bee took a bath and learned about what floats & sinks in water.  She really like this, and was very quick to grasp why the different objects floated or sank.  Math work followed spelling for Hummingbird while Bumble Bee finished her bath.

Next came reading time.  After 6 books, I was ready to collapse, so Bumble Bee got about 40 minutes of TV time, while Hummingbird continued her reading of Socks by Beverly Cleary.  Our day was almost to the end.  Hummingbird had to do a little social studies.  She played games on the Little Passports website and read up on the various countries visited by Sam & Sophia.  I made her name each country and its capital.  I even learned something new.  I never knew the capital of Australia is Canberra.  I guess I always assumed it was Sidney.  Bumble Bee had free play with Grace.

By this time it was late afternoon, and we had a science lesson.  Daddy made it rain in the kitchen!  He questioned Hummingbird about the water cycle & why it rains.  Then, he heated water in a tea kettle to steaming.  He held a pan of ice over it, and as the steam hit the pan, the water condensed.  The girls loved this and wanted it to rain on them.  Daddy was obliging and moved the pan over their heads so little bits of "rain" could fall on them.  This brought many giggles and squeals.

So, we got through one day.  I don't quite know what to do tomorrow.  Daddy has agreed to do another late day science experiment.  He's going to crush a can under atmospheric pressure...  I'll let you know how it goes.

The girls had fun today, but after years of wishing she could be homeschooled, Hummingbird decided today that she'd rather leave for school.  I know many of you out there homeschool, so if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. 

CPS Teachers on Strike

I'm am a very disappointed parent right now.  I am especially disappointed in the Chicago Teachers' Union. 

CPS offered many concessions giving the CTU what it wanted on some big issues.  School board President David Vitale said the district changed its proposal 20 times over the course of talks and didn't have much more to offer.  Here's a link to the current CPS offer.  This includes a 16% pay increase over 4 years.  Chicago teachers' salaries are nothing to sneeze at.  According to a CPS spokesperson, the average pay for teachers, without benefits, is currently $76,000/year (the highest in the nation).  And these increases will occur at a time when CPS really doesn't have the money for them.

Despite major concessions on the big issues, which apparently were agreed upon, CTU has decided to strike. Some of the factors stated for the decision to strike include job security, dissatisfaction with Health Benefits, and a new evaluation process.

What doesn't CTU like about the Health benefits? They reject a wellness program, which seems to me a great option to improve health and lower overall health care costs. The wellness program even includes an option for opting out of it.  They also dislike a slight premium increase for families (as opposed to single and couple teachers).  

Another "big" thing CTU mentioned in the strike announcement was the new evaluation proposal which would mean that approximately 30% of their members would be discharged in 1 to 2 years.  I don't know exactly what the new evaluation process would look like, but it seems to me that if 30% of your members can't pass evaluation, they probably shouldn't be teaching our children.  I certainly want my children's teachers to be good enough to pass their evaluations.  And as they spoke out against this new process, I couldn't help but notice that one CTU representative (or teacher) couldn't even speak properly.  Speaking of the evaluation process, he said, "Us educators have a real stake in that."  If you don't know when to use a direct object pronoun versus a subject pronoun, what are you teaching our children?!  Don't get me wrong, my girls have had some great teachers over the past few years. However, let's keep good teachers and compensate them fairly, while getting rid of teachers who can't do their job effectively.  

Even if teachers get what they want, the only thing this strike will really do is hurt students.  It will hurt them as they miss out on classroom time this week (and in the weeks to come?).  It will hurt them if 6,000 unqualified teachers remain on the job.  I'd rather see more teachers like those at Skinner North, who are qualified, enthusiastic, and take a real interest in teaching our children.  Those teachers worked an extra 1.5 hours a day for our children last year against the wishes of the CTU leadership because they care about our children. I'm proud of the 10% of CTU teachers who voted against a strike.  I only hope that the rest find a way to compromise quickly so that our children can get back to school.  In the meantime, we'll be running a homeschool here...

First Week of School & Teacher Strike?!

 The girls started school this week.  Hummingbird has always liked getting away from Mommy since the first day of preschool.  This year she didn't even want me to drive her on the first day.  She was adamant that she wanted to ride the bus.  She's already reaching the point of being embarrassed by Mom...  Dad waited for the bus with her, and got her off to school successfully.  Her biggest disappointment was being late for what we call "second breakfast."

Bumble Bee's first day of preschool was a mixture of excitement, tears, and fun.  She woke up excited about school, probably sensing some of Hummingbird's excitement.  When it was time to go, though, she got nervous.  I think the crowds of kids and parents started the nerves.  By the time we got into her classroom, she was clinging and begging to go home.  When I finally extricated myself, half of the kids in her class were in tears.  The teacher, her aide, and another staffer were trying to calm them.  And eventually they did.  She had fun reading, playing, and singing.

The second day, she was moved to the afternoon with a new teacher.  The PM schedule was much more manageable.  That first day we had to get Hummingbird to the bus at the same time that Bumble Bee was supposed to be dropped off at school.  Well, the second day was rough at first, too.  And so was the third.  Today was the worst of all.  She started crying to stay home before we even go out the door.  Again, as all week, she had fun at school once she calmed down.  And she has made friends with the other little girl in class who cries, Solilie.  This class has fewer children (about 6 boys and 4 girls from what I can tell), and they're not as nervous about school.

All that effort to get her accustomed to going to school may be wasted... The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) is considering a strike.  That is just what Bumble Bee doesn't need.  More on that later if it materializes; for now, I'm just hoping it doesn't.