Back to Back to School--Chicago Teachers' Strike Recap

After 7 days on the picket lines, CPS and CTU reached a compromise on the Chicago teachers' strike and classes resumed Wednesday.   We still have a long way to go, to create a stellar school system that's fair and fabulous for all neighborhoods.   Public support for the teachers was huge.   The city had to take notice at the public outcry to fix what's dysfunctional, provide basics, limit over the top standardized testing and stop selling off our schools for private profit.

One of my favorite stories about the end of the strike came from my son's 6th grade teacher.   When news of the strike's end came on Tuesday, Mr. Z and his wife were at home, doing a happy dance and singing that the strike was over, when they heard a little voice from the other room saying "Boooooo."   Their pre-school daughter wasn't quite as elated to be going back to school as her dad was.   

Our kids had mixed feelings.   They were glad to get back to friends and back to school-especially my studious son, Du-Jay, who read, wrote and kept up with school work every day we were out.   The kid even took homework to RIOT FEST!   I figure that's how the kids of punk parents rebel, eh?

Still, we had a great strike break.   We spent family time at the free lakefront archery range and the beach, walked the picket lines with the teachers, kept up with reading and educational games, and Sage went to 4 days of camp at Girl Scouts' Journey World.   We're very relieved the walk out didn't last for weeks like the last CTU strike in the 80's, which dragged on nearly 20 days.


ChiIL Mama will be celebrating the end of the strike with some sweet back to "back to school" features including:

• Pinch me I'm dreaming:   Back to School With Dream Dinners

• Back to School Funky Fun With Gutzy Gear

• Back to School Back to You With Kmart

Brief Basics of What We've Won Via CTU:

Chicago Teachers Union members’ determination and your support during the strike forced the Board of Education to agree to:

• Hire over 600 additional teachers in Art, Music, Phys Ed and other subjects
• Maintain limits on class size, increase funding for smaller classes
• Add a parent voice on class size committees
• Make textbooks available on the first day of school
• Increase racial diversity in hiring at CPS
• Lessen the focus on standardized testing – keep the focus on teaching instead of tests
• Provide more attention from school Social Workers and Nurses
• Increase funding for Special Ed teachers, social workers, psychologists, classroom assistants and counselors in schools with high caseloads.

The strike is not the end of the fight for the schools Chicago’s students deserve. We need a better school day, not just a longer one. We will keep working together to stop the Mayor’s plan to close 100 schools.  The Board of Ed will continue starving schools in low income neighborhoods, denying them air conditioning, libraries, playground facilities and resources unless we fight back. We need your help to continue the fight for Educational Justice in Chicago.

We are in this together – for the schools Chicago students deserve.

(from CTU's web site) 


How You Can Help Via Raise Your Hand:

We are happy to transition back to school and finally settle into a routine. As you know the House of Delegates of the CTU voted to suspend the strike but they didn’t yet vote to approve the contract. Most everyone we heard from expressed great relief that their kids are back in school. There remain different opinions regarding the purpose of the strike and what it signified or didn’t. The press keeps asking who “won” and who “lost?” People have asked what the kids got out of it. These are complicated questions. If nothing else, the events of the past ten days have worked to elevate the discussion around public education in this city and nation, which is a good thing. We think this will prove to be an intangible positive but we don’t think it can be distilled to a “win” or “loss”.

Regarding some of the details, CPS added two extra weeks to the school year this year, so our kids will not have less school than they had last year. Many are happy with that change. We do not know when or if the missed days will be added to the calendar but will let you know as soon as we find out.

Despite some of the wins touted by both sides, RYH still has the same concerns we had two weeks and two years ago.

• There is still no sustainable plan to fund education; We would like to help get a state-wide referendum on the ballot in 2014 to ask the public if they want a graduated income tax; We want to look more at TIF reform to see how changes can be made to improve funding to the school
• There is still no mechanism to employ democratic decision making in how policies are formed at the district level with our mayoral-appointed school board. We need policy experts, teachers, parents, community leaders, etc. to help shape public education here. For too long in Chicago, decisions have been made in a vacuum. That’s why we’re continuing to work on an elected school board campaign.

We hope you will sign up to help on one of these campaigns this year. We need your help. Consider making a donation to help power our efforts this year. We have a multitude of costs and need support to take trips to Springfield, create materials and signage, run our website and much more. Think about making a $10 or $25 donation to help us fund these campaigns this year and please email us at info@ilraiseyourhand.orgto help join the effort to transform public education.

UPCOMING EVENTS

9/27 (1pm) Last chance for public input on new CPS Arts plan; Art Institute, Ryan Ed. Ctr., 159 E. Monroe 1pm. Free but preregister here.

9/27 - (6pm-8pm) RYH co-sponsoring a discussion with Jonathan Kozol at NW Law School on his new book: “Fire in the Ashes: Twenty Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America. He is the author of "Savage Inequalities" and a nationally known voiceo on the perils of corporate education reform.

Northwestern Law School - 375 E. Chicago

9/27 (7pm) Author

Kevin Kumashiro (contributor to CREaTE piece about teacher evaluation) is having a talk on his new book:

Bad Teacher! How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture.

Revolution Books, 1103 N. Ashland.

(from http://ilraiseyourhand.org/)

Why Charter Schools Aren't A Great Idea

Check out the free documentary, "The Inconvenient Truth About Waiting for Superman", which provides an insightful analysis of charter schools.



Teaching Rahm from Right

We were embarrassed that Mr. Rahm Emanuel spent 1 million dollars to spin the strike, with an ad staring himself.   Think how many school supplies that would have bought in underserved communities!!    Check out the full story here on Huffington Post.




ChiIL Strike Coverage

Check out my CNN op-ed here and our photo filled strike coverage here.

Strike Day 5-neighborhood march

Strike Day 4-photos from the picket lines

Strike Day 3-Chicago Teachers' Strike Day 3--Books & Sites To Explain Strikes To Kids of All Ages

Strike Day 2

Strike Camps

We've got our beloved teachers back...Now how 'bout those striking Blackhawks?!

Chicago Teachers' Strike--Day 7 #CNN #Photos #Riotfest

Even at Riot Fest all weekend, teachers were never far from our minds.   I saw this bag on a teacher who was shooting the fest with me in the photo pits.


Teachers were there as audience members. photographers, and even musicians in the bands!   

Above, keyboardist for the aptly named band, Deals Gone Bad, sports a red Chicago Teachers' Union Tee.


The strike is still on, although there is lots of good buzz about an equitable resolution soon.   If you missed it before, I was quoted by CNN about the strike HERE on September 14th.

Today they're running my op-ed piece in favor of the teachers!   Check it out here.

My View: We’ve got your backs, Chicago teachers

By Bonnie Kenaz-Mara, Special to CNN.

My 9- and 11-year-old Chicago public school kids are getting schooled in politics, union organizing and grassroots protest in a very visual way this week. The streets of Chicago are running red as teachers wearing crimson shirts take to the streets for the first strike in a quarter of a century. They're joined by red-wearing parents, kids and supportive community members.

This isn't an “us vs. them” fight. Our teachers ARE our friends, neighbors and parents with their own kids in public schools right next to our own.  Where is Mr. Mayor?  Maybe he missed out on every one of those 50 prior meetings that Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union had because he was so busy chauffeuring his kids to a well-funded, private Lab School.

Read the rest of my CNN piece here.

Union whistle seen at Riot Fest

Chicago Teachers' Strike Day 5-Free Fun at Old Town School & March Details

Riley teachers in Avondale march their neighborhood streets to huge cheers from families on porches and honks of support!

Kids and families cheer their local teachers on in Chicago's Avondale area, as striking Riley teachers take it to the neighborhood streets and march through their district.

Friday

4545 N. Lincoln Ave at noon

Some Old Town School of Folk Music teachers will be leading a FREE sing-a-long/play-a-long Friday for all the families affected by the strike. It's been a hard week for so many people in our community. Let's all get together and sing some songs. Meet in the East building lobby at noon. Everyone, young and old, 

are welcome. We'll have extra instruments if you don't have one.

Friday: Please report to your home neighborhood school and canvass the neighborhood from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Saturday: 12 noon rally with all of our allies at Union Park off Lake and Ashland, bring families and friends. This will likely be our biggest mobilization to date!

Click here to sign up for the Saturday rally!

*Catch 22:   A vote today at 2pm could end the strike, with both sides closer than ever on a fair compromise.   Certainly we hope for this outcome, so our teachers can get back to teaching and our kids can get back in the classroom.   

However....CNN approved a strike op-ed of mine to run Monday...but only if the strike continues :(.    If the kids are still off, we were also planning to go on a family camping trip Monday as well.   So a resolution before Monday would be a bit bittersweet for our family.   The teachers have gone this far, so we don't want to see them give up too many of their reasonable demands.   Still, we have our fingers and toes crossed for an equitable solution as soon as possible.

Chicago Teachers' Strike Day 4 #photo feature #marches

ChiIL Mama's original pixs from the picket lines

Day 4 Actions:

The kids and I donned our red shirts and hit the picket lines with the teachers early this morning.   

Many of our area teachers have banded together at Goethe--one of the schools the city has kept open mornings as a holding pen for kids without other options.   Parents who support the strike are encouraged not to send their kids, as this involved crossing the picket lines.  

We heard the city had prepared thousands of breakfasts and lunches for the few open schools where no teaching is slated to occur--just mass babysitting.

As of Monday at Goethe, only 3 children showed up there for "school alternative".   In our area, teachers were picketing outside of Alderman Moreno's office and marching on Western-Milwaukee-Rockwell late morning.

Parents brought the teachers a plethora of breakfast food and snacks including giant chocolate muffins, tables full of doughnuts, and even hard boiled eggs with salt n pepper shakers.   There were also Tic Tacs, homemade baked goods, and boxes and boxes of coffee.

The crowd of picketers on Fullerton got loads of reaffirming, supportive honking from the high traffic artery.   They enthusiastically waved back and cheered every time the light changed and a surge of cars laid on their horns in solidarity.

Despite frustration that the negotiations are dragging on, and an eagerness to get back into the classrooms and back to their kids, the teachers are in good spirits.    We met one pregnant teacher whose baby is due within 3 weeks and she was hanging in there on the picket lines with everyone else.

Another CPS teacher who is a single mom of two and a good friend of ours spoke candidly.

     "Times are so uncertain, and let me tell you, the last thing I want to do is walk up and down a picket line every day - I'd rather teach!!! - but a stand simply needed to be taken!!!!  I am so hoping there is a resolution soon - I can't survive too long without a paycheck - it's already a stress as it is. But I know of others that are a hell of lot worse off, and then even worse, there are kids "learning" in terrible conditions across the system."

One CPS art teacher made a fabulous DIY T-shirt with the Chicago flag, apples & a heart.   She was joined by other knitters who were making red, protest ribbons for the trees, red paper chains, and other projects to pass the time.

Thursday March/Rally Plans:

Thursday: Start the day as we have Tuesday and Wednesday—6:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the holding center to which your school is assigned. At 3:30 p.m. meet at the Hyatt Regency at 151 East Wacker Drive to picket the first billionaire Board of Education member, Penny Pritzker. Her Hotel in Hyde Park has received over $5 million in TIF dollars, which could’ve been used to help parks, libraries and schools. Penny also appeals her property taxes (which goes to the schools) every year despite her wealth.

Friday: Please report to your home neighborhood school from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and canvass the neighborhood from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Saturday: 12 noon rally with all of our allies at Union Park off Lake and Ashland, bring families and friends. This will likely be our biggest mobilization to date!

Click here to sign up for the Saturday rally!

NOTE:
The union is not on strike over matters governed exclusively by IELRA Section 4.5 and 12(b).

CTU Strike Headquarters is located at Teamster City.

On Van Buren between Ashland and Paulina on the north side of I-290 - the Eisenhower Expressway.

Use Ashland Avenue exits from I-290 in either direction. 

The CTU Strike Hotline (with regularly updated recorded message) is 312-329-6209! 

Sign up for text messaging:
Send a text to 69238 (MYAFT) with "CTU1" as the body of the message.

Post pictures at Flickr.com/groups/strike2012

If there's a day 5 Friday:

Logan Square Neighborhood Association has organized a We Love Teachers

rally tomorrow (Friday) morning at 9:45 AM at the Logan Square monument. 
Parents, kids, and teachers from at least 8 Logan Square schools will be
there. They are asking that kids bring heart-shaped valentines to give to
teachers.

Wear your red and see you out there!

Resources

CTU site

Strike Central-info and resources

Many schools have no playgrounds at all or crumbling infrastructure.   Many have no libraries and sweltering classrooms where kids are so hot they not only can't concentrate on learning, some have actually passed out.

The quantity of required, standardized tests is ever increasing and spiraling out of control.   This is stressful for the students and prevents teachers from creatively teaching and engaging the kids in an interesting, fun way.

Chicago Teachers' Strike Day 3--Books & Sites To Explain Strikes To Kids of All Ages

Strike a Pose!   Teachers, kids and parents band together in solidarity on the first day of the Chicago Teachers' Strike    



The first day of the strike, our 9 & 11 year olds were awakened at 7:30am by a nasal voice on a computer calling to tell us school was cancelled until further notice.   Did they go back to bed and sleep in?  Nooooooooo.   They promptly pounced on us and wedged in.   I took the snuggle time to ask them what they understood about the strike and what had been been explained to them.

Our younger daughter's teacher is a union rep, and both kids had been given a pretty good overview of the main sticking points--smaller classes (not 55 per class in high school if Rahm gets his way), basic libraries, playgrounds, support staff like nurses and counselors, fair pay for longer work days, and not selling our schools to for profit charters.

Since this is a great learning opportunity and so directly impacts the kids, I wanted to make sure they knew the meaning and intent and impact of the strike and didn't just see it as an extra bonus vacation.

We've compiled resources from an on line group and our school activist parent friends on how to explain strikes and the labor movement to a variety of ages. 


All Ages:
Wear red in support of the teachers.

Rallies are happening daily until the strike is resolved at 6am and 3:30pm outside of the Board of Ed 125 S. Clark Street

Come to the picket lines and walk with teachers or bring them some snacks.
   
Honk support when you pass picket lines in the car and tell your kids why.

Our Mama friend, Sabrina says: 

In looking for resources to talk to my child about the strike, I came across several excellent websites with projects, stories, games and songs about the history of labor in America for kids of all ages:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubIWyT7nGdU
Short animated video "Brief History of Labor Unions."

http://www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lid=745&type=educator
Excellent simple explanation of labor history geared to grades 3-5, with games, songs and activities.

http://www.cft.org/index.php/committees/309-committee-curricula.html
Extensive collection of resources including downloadable books, coloring books, puppet shows and activities for K-12.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/labor-day/
Crafts and activities for the younger set about labor and history, with lots of stories.

http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union2.htm
How Labor Unions Work - a simple intro for older kids (and their parents) to how a union works.

Little Ones:

Read  Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type!   by Betsy Lewin.   

Amazon Says:
Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows like to type. All day long he hears
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
But Farmer Brown's problems REALLY begin when his cows start leaving him notes...Come join the fun as a bunch of literate cows turn Farmer Brown's farm upside-down! This package includes a paperback book along with a CD of country music star Randy Travis reading this New York Times bestseller!


Our Mama friend, Sarah says:   We LOVE Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type! The cows and hens go on strike (no milk! no eggs!) because Farmer Brown will not honor their request of electric blankets (it's so cold in the barn in the winter). It's hysterical, and simple, and I'd highly recommend it to all (even 2 year olds!).

Sarah also has opinions and insight on the issues:

This is the most amazing lesson in civic engagement, and political science. I want to teach my daughter about labor history, too, how little children used to have to work, etc.

Don’t forget: spread the word: the media is BASHING…and there was a LACK OF PARENTS at the two schools I went to, and the rally. PLEASE WEAR RED, and PLEASE support this strike!

REDUCE CLASS SIZE – The mayor has threatened to put as many as 55 children in one classroom!

PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES CHILDREN NEED – The school board refuses to hire more social workers, nurses
and other clinicians at a time when youth violence is skyrocketing.

INVEST IN ALL SCHOOLS – The school board denies funds to schools in low-income neighborhoods. Our students need equal access to high-quality learning opportunities in every neighborhood school!

SUPPORT TEACHERS AS PROFESSIONALS – The school board so far refuses to give your school’s teachers, paraprofessionals, and others a fair contract.

STOP CHARTER EXPANSIONS, turn-arounds, and school closings.


The Union leaflet says: smaller class sizes or at least enforceable limits, more social workers, counselors, nurses and school psychologists, more art/music/PE/world language teachers and playgrounds, a functioning recall policy, air conditioning and recess facilities for ALL students, an end to arbitrary school closings and appropriate supports for special education teachers and their students.

It's about way more than teachers salaries and benefits. This strike is about teachers standing up for children. I know Ash's Penny's Kindergarten currently has 36 kids! That's INSANE!!!!!! Seriously? This is SERIOUS SERIOUS SERIOUS. Rahm is BAD for children and education...not just for teachers.


Our Mama friend, Kit suggests:    For younger kids, I really like Si Se Peude Yes We Can!. and These Hands 

Mama Danielle says to check out:Animals Strike at the Zoo! It's True


Older Kids:

Our Mama friend, Kit suggests: 
For older kids, I really like Which Side Are You On?

We also played some labor songs. Ella Jenkins has a great collection of labor songs for little kids. Dan Zane's recording of "I Don't Want Your Millions Mister" is great, and of course we played "Bread and Roses" though I couldn't find a recording by a children's artist so we used Utah Phillips. 

Here at ChiIL Mama, we adore Ella Jenkins and Dane Zanes and have shot both of them in concert.    Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL....early and often for strike updates--personal, political, poignant and fun.

Please feel free to add your own strike related book, song and action suggestions in the comments section below.