Posts Tagged by Chicago

Welcome to the first edition of My Thoughts Monday (MTM)! On MTM, I’ll be posting about what I think about current events/activities or random thoughts I may have collected each week. Please note, that I do not claim to be any sort of expert on anything I write about, unless it is something I have experienced personally or have received formal education on.

Btw, do you like my picture? It was taken at a Gutzy Gear party that I recently attended at Dream Dinners in Chicago. I’ll be writing about those in the near future. Don’t I look gangsta?

CPS Teachers Strike

I’m sure this has made national news by now, but the big news in the Chicago area is the teachers strike in Chicago Public Schools. According to the Chicago Tribune, the 3 key issues under negotiation are: salaries and benefits, job security, and teacher evaluations (how much student performance factors into evaluations). The school day was recently extended 90 minutes as part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan for education reform, a reason for the union to ask for higher raises. Teachers in CPS make an average salary of $71,000 per year. The school district originally offered 2% raises each year for a period of 4 years, which the union rejected. CPS then raised it to a total of 16% in the next 4 years, which again was rejected by the union resulting in the teachers going on strike. According to the city, funds are limited as Chicago and Illinois are in about $600 million in debt.

I have read some comments from those supporting the CPS teachers in their strike, but many more opposing the strike. From those who support the strike, they state that CPS teachers are in classrooms and schools that not suitable for teaching or conducive to learning as resources are limited. They seek job security and think it is unfair that the city cannot guarantee that. Most all supporters state that the strike is NOT about the money.

My thoughts: Again, I am no expert by any means, and I know that I am probably missing some pieces of the puzzle here. I think teaching is a very difficult job and God bless all of the teachers out there because they are paving the way for our future! I know I could never do it! But, based on what I know, if it’s not about the money, why not take money out of the equation? Those I know who have taught in CPS have expressed concerns of little or no arts/music and special education classes or programs, no school supplies, no air conditioning, and sometimes no toilet paper. Class sizes are too big and schools are closing down. I do think that it’s important for these things to change, but all of these things cost money; money that Chicago does not have. If they want these conditions to change, I do not think it is fair to ask for more than the 16% raise over the next 4 years that the district last offered. I have seen arguments over inflation and that raises are needed to keep up with the rising costs of gas, food, etc. Those of us in other careers have been living through the same inflation but most of us have received 0-1% raises since the economy has been in a crisis. As for job security, and basing 25% of teacher evaluations on student performance, I think there needs to be some sort of basis for rating a teacher’s effectiveness and progress, and if a teacher is underperforming, they should face the consequences as with any other job. CPS is one of the worst school districts in the country, but yet the teachers are among the highest paid. Something definitely needs to change.

What I want to know: Since Chicago is in such huge debt, what is the union’s solution to get more money to schools so that the teachers have the resources they need to effectively teach their students in a much better environment? How exactly would the union like teachers to be evaluated and where do you draw the line with job security?

What do you think? Leave me a comment below!

NFL Week 1: Yay Chicago Bears & San Francisco 49ers! Replacement Referees, What?!

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, so it’s pretty obvious why I would be a Bears fan, but why am I happy the 49ers won? Other than them BEATING the Green Bay Packers, my husband grew up in San Francisco, so he is a fan of everything SF! Needless to say, most of what I write about football on MTMs will probably be about the Bears and/or the 49ers.

Story: After celebrating the Bears 41-21 win over the Indianapolis Colts (who knew the Bears could score so many points against a decent defense?), we quickly switched to the Packers/49ers game. At the start of the 2nd quarter in which the 49ers were already leading 3-0, I received a text message from my co-worker who is a Packers fan (even though she has admitted to not paying attention to football) of a cartoon meme of 2 Packers fan using a urinal properly, and a Bears fan sitting in a urinal with his pants down. At the top it said, “You can’t fix stupid.” I don’t know why it bothered me so much (in the past, I was able to ignore the memes this co-worker sent me that insulted the Bears or their fans and not have any reaction), but I went in full “I know more about football than you do” debate mode. I pulled out how many points the Bears had at the same point of their game and compared penalties and penalty yards. The only argument she could give me was that the Bears were a charity case and that the officials were making bad calls. I went as far to say, “That doesn’t even make sense. Present me with facts, and maybe I’ll listen.” I then pointed out that the refs were making bad calls for all teams around the league and that the 49ers had much less penalties than the Packers. I also reminded her that my husband is a huge 49ers fan and her husband tried to make a smart remark about remembering the last time the 49ers beat the Packers. At this point, I believe the 49ers were up 16-7. I replied that my husband remembers the 1998 wild card game and added that we remember the 49ers playing in the NFC Championship last year, which the Packers didn’t make. Obviously, my husband and I were ecstatic when the 49ers beat the Packers (final score 30-22)!

Why did a stupid meme bother me so much? I am not sure. Maybe it was because one of my pet peeves is people badmouthing others without having any evidence or facts to backup what they’re saying. Or maybe it was because I was still feeling the high from the Bears’ win and scoring so many points, only to be brought down by a dumb text message. It could also be the timing of when I received the text message since the Bears had just won and the Packers were losing…it did not make sense to me for anyone to try to make fun of a Bears fan at that time. I know that I was most annoyed that my co-workers does not even pay attention to football. And what bothered me even more is that she was pretty much calling me stupid by sending that meme and I pretty much help her at work every single day. Or maybe it just bothered me so much because it’s that time of the month for me to get really crabby, lol. Whatever it is, imply that I’m stupid again! I DARE YOU!

My last thought: What did you guys think of the replacement officials? I don’t remember ever seeing so many pass interference penalties in one Sunday ever! And I’m sorry Packers fans, but you cannot blame the officials for your loss since they gave you guys a free touchdown by missing an illegal block in the back. Also, how did the refs get away with giving the Seattle Seahawks an extra timeout? Lastly, was it just me or did the game seem longer because everything was under review? Regardless, I still love football! Leave me a comment below with your opinions on the replacement officials. DA BEARS!

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