Tag: CTU

Parents = The Primary Teacher

Parenting is a pretty tough job. It demands all of you- then even a little more. Their child seems to be their world and they do everything necessary to help them survive. However, once the child enters school, there seems to be a dramatic shift. As a former public school teacher, I often wonder why was it that so many…

When is Student Appreciation Week in Chicago?

This week is #TeacherAppreciationWeek and if anyone tells you this week isn’t necessary, they’re clearly out of their mind. Teachers play a huge role obviously in the development of our children and help shape our children’s character. There are plenty of teachers who go above the call of duty in the name of education. They rise early to prepare for…

I’ll Tell You What Parents Resist: Low-Performing Schools

The Walton Foundation won’t be funding charter work in Chicago any time soon. That news came to charter school and school quality advocates as an undeniable setback for a movement that has engaged thousands of parents and provided access to college and careers for multiplied thousands of students in Chicago. But it also seemed to set anti-charter advocates like Diane…

A Walk-Out Isn’t Going to Help the Kids and Families in Chicago Public Schools

It’s Election Day in Illinois; the greatest emblem of participation in our democracy and civic life. I guess that’s why it struck me as extremely ironic when I read on the Chicago Tribune website that the Chicago Teachers Union has doubled down on its plan to implement what amounts to a one-day strike on April 1st. It seems that the…

Teachers Unions Need to Stop Playing the ‘Class Card’

I’ve heard it too many times. As I’ve worked to create greater access to high quality schools for the children in the most underserved communities in Chicago, it’s one of key arguments they use: “The big corporations are trying to make a profit off of our children…” “The big dollar school reformers don’t really understand what’s going on in poor…