“This next assignment may be challenging for some of you,” said Laurie Mulvey, one of my favorite college professors. “What I want you to do is create a sign that says ‘Free Hugs’ and then go to a safe location and hold it up. Give wholehearted hugs to those who take you up on it. But, most importantly… notice. Notice…
What’s Happening to School Nurses Not Directly Hired by CPS? A Nurse Tells Her Story
For many years, the issue of school nurses in Chicago Public Schools has been a sore point for kids, parents and the nurses themselves. Last year, according to WBEZ, the district had only directly hired 300 school nurses, though it operates more than 500 schools. Since the mid-1990s, CPS has been contracting with private nurse staffing agencies to fill the…
High School Students: Codecademy Offers Free Scholarships Now
For a motivated high school student who wants to learn job-ready skills related to computer programming or data science, online boot camp Codecademy is offering 10,000 scholarships for high school and college students. Codecademy offers free courses all the time, but its paid Pro level comes with live help from advisers via chat. It relies more on text than on…
Learning Differently From Home: One Mother’s Story
Diana Chacon, of Chicago’s McKinley Park neighborhood, is the mom of 6-year-old Leo, an active, curious boy who happens to have ADHD. I spoke with her yesterday about how she and Leo are learning and managing from home. Being home all day is tough, especially for a child as sociable and physically active as Leo. “He misses his friends. He…
Here’s a Virtual Hug for All You Instant Homeschoolers
Fellow parents, we can’t morph into teachers over a weekend. Let’s give ourself some compassion.
Tales from the Front Lines of Teaching Remotely: Lara Elementary
Editor’s note: Chicago Unheard is inviting teachers and parents to share their stories of learning while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. Patricia Hernández teaches English Language Arts at Lara Academy in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Lara is a high-achieving neighborhood school serving a predominantly low-income, Latinx population. More than half of the students are still learning English and 16 percent…
How This Teacher Is Handling The COVID-19 School Closures
Because Illinois’ COVID-19 school closures will run right up until my two-week Spring Break in April, I, like many of you, am about to embark on a month-long separation from school period due to coronavirus concerns. Whatever your feelings are about the virus or the decisions to temporarily close schools, this will be the reality for many teachers in the…
Chicagoans Speak Out Against Keeping CPS Schools Open in the Face of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Last night, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a new set of measures to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. Those measures did not include closing schools. Chicago Public Schools announced they will keep district schools operating as usual. Currently, only Vaughn Occupational, where a staff member tested positive for coronavirus, is closed. According…