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Subscribe to RSSAs Chicago teachers enter day two of their massive strike, parents and students are struggling with unexpected days off. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
CHICAGO – Felicia O’Connor, a young mother with a child in tow, approached the picket line. She asked the picketing teachers if they “know how long this thing will be going on?”
She leaves for work each day before the sun comes up and said she was unaware of the late night Sunday decision by the Chicago teachers’ union to hit the bricks.
Now she is stuck with trying to sort out childcare for her 6- year-old daughter, Michaela. She didn’t get an answer to her question from the teachers.
“They don’t know anything. I don’t know anything. We’re just out here blank and I have to go to work,” O’Connor said.
She wound up leaving her daughter in good hands at a local Boys and Girls Club for a few hours while she went out, in vain, in search of a day care. She’s already missed one day of work and hopes her employers will show some understanding.
“Education is important. If my child is not in school, getting the education she needs, you know what… I don’t know, it is just irritating right now," she said.
Parents in Chicago, like Felicia O'Connor seen above, scrambled to find accommodations for their kids after 26,000 teachers and support staff walked out in the nation's third-largest school district. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Picking sides
Two days into this work stoppage by the city’s third largest school district, and one finds folks starting to choose sides.
Chicago teachers strike day two: Talks stuck on evaluations
“I haven’t had a raise in seven years,” said one middle-aged woman who walked past me as I stood watching teachers march outside the headquarters of the Chicago School Board. “They’re already making more money than I am.”
“I support the teachers because I support my kids,” said a young mother who stood and watched teachers march for a few minutes. “My daughter was in a class with more than 35 kids last year; this year it is up to 41.”
About 26,000 teachers and support staff launched a strike on Monday morning – all dressed in bright red t-shirts and carrying placards – demanding a new contract between the teacher’s union and the city’s school district.
Other parents complained about a lack of school supplies or decent air conditioning for their kids on sweltering Chicago days.
One can likely assume the longer this thing drags on, the more entrenched each side is going to get. “Day One” of the strike came with a bit of a party atmosphere. By “Day Two” on Tuesday, teachers had already started fingering the mayor and chanting, “Hey Hey Ho Ho Rahm Emanuel has got to go.”
NBC Chicago's LIVE Blog: Chicago Teachers Strike
In Chicago, 26,000 teachers and support staff walked out in the nation's third-largest school district after a weekend of unsuccessful eleventh-hour contract negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago's public schools. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.
Bigger city issues
Parents also have other concerns that are more a reflection of the city we live in. This has been a particularly deadly year on the streets of Chicago, with the homicide rate up about 30 percent from what it was a year ago. The overwhelming majority of the dead are young minorities. To give kids a "safe haven" during the strike, several churches have opened their doors.
“There's so much violence skyrocketing in the city of Chicago. We want our kids to be in a safe place,” said Sergio Ramirez, who runs a “safe haven” in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood.
Some 80 percent of kids in Chicago’s schools are provided with breakfast and lunch at school because they come from impoverished backgrounds. The job of teaching here, and administering an education system, has many more challenges than just ensuring kids are learning the 3Rs.
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Leave a Comment:
Stike will last as long as there is a UNION. This is the only answer to the question. The union and their lacky's will have their hand out forever....
I do not think people have been educated enough to realize what is going on and how bad the schools are. You need to draw them a picture. Show them how much a Union Rep and a teacher make. How much a school board member makes and a teacher. How much a school superintendent makes and a teacher. Post how many students each teacher has in a class and no teacher's Aid.
I support the teacheres all the way.
This article should be titled " When will the babysitters return because I'm sick and tired of watching my own kids"......at least that is what a large portion of the parents are thinking.
Never mind that the teachers are not 'teaching', at least they can babysit....
Let the teacher's stay on the picket line! We all know they aren't accomplishing much in the classroom.
Most women with children in this city WORK and work hard at making their kids do well at school. My son has autism, has taught himself to read and write, taught himself to play piano, taught himself counting and basic math and has already been thrown out of two schools because he's "not teachable". He just turned 8. My friend has two jobs so that she can afford to send two kids to private school (she's a single mother). So I don't know where you live where people just send kids to school to be babysat. The lazy kids who do nothing in school, the teachers have no problem with here. The kids who have parents who show up whenever they're called, ASK for homework for their kids, ASK for report cards (my son hasn't gotten a report card in two years from either of his past school), and the kids are SHOWING they can do the work are the ones the teachers want out of their classes because then they have to teach the kids.
My Pickett Sign............
Get rid of the Unions!
Make the Teachers earn their paycheck!
Hold the Parents accountable for their own kids!
can anyone say " got a job " or better yet..."got a pay check "...people out of job should be so lucky !!
It's about time that teachers have a reality check. They have been put on a pedastal for so long, that they don't have a clue that everyone must perform or lose their job. The children are getting hurt because they aren't getting the best from the teachers. They can't get fired...Well I say get rid of them I'm sure if you do a national search there are enough teachers that can't find a job that would be willing to take the places that will be empty after this strike. Of course that won't happen because the Unions are too powerful and it's an election year.
looks like a lot of inner city minorities are going to lose their taxpayer funded babysitting service for a brief time.
Those teachers DON'T care about the kids. My son has autism and has been KICKED OUT OF TWO SCHOOLS because they said they can't teach him. He just turned 8. The first school was kindegarten, and the second time was when he was in 1st grade. The aides in his class and on his bus speak to him in Spanish (he's not hispanic). Last year he was at home more than at school because due to his autism he wasn't allowed on school trips and he was suspended from school very often.
BTW, he's TAUGHT HIMSELF to read, alphabetize words, count, beginning math, piano, and knows the states on a US map. This is the kid that they kicked out of school TWICE because they don't think he can be taught. So, this year he's in 2nd grade and in a third school and has only been there a week. I wanted to have a discussion with his teacher about what I can do to get him on the honor roll and she doesn't feel like "pushing" him. Chances are next year they're going to want him to go to another school. I have to get my kid out of this school because I honestly don't think they even want to teach autistic kids at all.
I was a public school teacher in Virginia for over 7 years and currently have two young children in a Florida Charter School, which I am extremely happy with, especially since it has an "open door policy". I completely disagree with the CTU's decision to strike. If they cared about those children and keeping their jobs, they would be in the classrooms, regardless of the class size and troubled students, and so thankful that they even have a job in this economy, especially being paid such a high rate already. Emanuel is absolutely doing the right thing . . . failing schools need reform, NOT EXCUSES! I hope that he replaces many of these teachers in two weeks as there are plenty of unemployed teachers out there. Also, there does need to be some competition to increase standards and to reduce class size. An affordable way to do this is to offer more charter schools and vouchers. Emanuel should flip many of those public schools to charter schools. Here's an article that explains how vouchers improve education for children . . .
BTW . . . where is Obama's support for his boy, Rahm? That's right, there's an upcoming election and he needs the votes of the teachers, who don't really support his "Race to the Top" idea. Hmmmmmmm . . . what a mess.
Another good article regarding the voucher system that Illinois passed up, what a mistake. Hopefully, this bill will be back on the table soon.
When you see that FAT SLOB union leader, it really makes you wonder how in hell did she get to be such a fat slob of a pig if she works so hard teaching and learning to keep up with new methods. i say let her eat grass for a while then she will know what most of america is experiencing lately. and their biggest stumbling block to ending strike is they dont want to be evaluated. Whats the problem if you worth all that money you must know somthin. Or YOUS GOTTA AXE YOU MAMA FIRS IFIN YOUS KIN BE TESED?
Teachers are just considered high priced babysitters these days. First thoughts out of a parent's mouth whenever and wherever there is a strike is "who will watch my kids", never any thought to education, just babysitting. So let them suffer. Their kids are no bargain. My husband is a retired city HS teacher, 23 years and was assaulted by someone's darling. All the teachers are just waiting out their time, waiting to collect the very good pensions and then get out. One day, people, no one will want the job of babysitting your kids!! Hell, YOU don't even want them full time!!