Teachers, Unions and Education: What's Happening in Chicago?

Logo of the Chicago Teachers Union. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ITYC Radio has been following the Chicago Teacher's Union strike very closely as it is sure to have a broader, national effect on teacher's unions and public education systems across the country. Even more than that, the events in Chicago are shining a light on the challenges faced by public school teachers in poorly funded, under-staffed, under-paid, and under-valued urban and rural school systems all over our country.

ITYC comes from a family of educators and union members so the demonization of teachers and unions over the past few years has been particularly troubling. We hope that what's happening in Chicago will move all citizens to question the educational policies that have done little to help public school teachers and public school students perform to the very best of their abilities.

Here is a round-up of the some of the things we've being reading about Chicago, teachers, unions and education from around the web:

Chicago Teacher's Union
The CTU has a really fantastic website with up-to-the-minute details about the strike and negotiation talks. Check out their "Strike Central" posts here.

The Marc Steiner Show
Lifetime social justice activist, Marc Steiner has been doing some great coverage of the Chicago teacher's strike since it began. Yesterday, on his live radio show, he offered more perspective on the strike as it moves into its second week.  You can listen to the episode archive here.

Talking to Your Kids About Teachers and Unions
Over on her always excellent Womanist Musings blog, Rene reveals that teachers and unions in Canada are also under fire.  She shares how she explained what's going on with teachers and unions to her own children:

The government is dealing with a 15 billion dollar deficit and for teachers it means having sick days reduced from 21 to ten, a wage freeze for two years, no longer being allowed to carry over sick days or cashing them out at retirement and my personal favorite, being forced to work three days a year for free. The bill does not effect young teachers who will move up the pay scale as a result of time on the job, or increased education. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't work for anyone for even an hour for free, let alone twenty-four hours.

The unions asked teachers to work to rule for one day, but in some cases, some teachers have cancelled clubs, sports, bands etc,. for the entire year. The conversation has now shifted to how mean teachers are and of course the suggestion that they are taking out their frustration with the government on the kids. This argument absolutely infuriates me. Teaching is hard work, it's underpaid and does not get the respect that it deserves. Work to rule probably won't effect my kids but if it does, I know it will be a huge disappointment for Destruction because he is heavily involved in the choir and the volleyball team. Given the tenseness of the situation, I told Destruction that should this happen, any ire he would feel should be directed at the government.  

Chicago Strike Comes at Crossroads For Our Schools (via BeyondChron)

A thoughtful op-ed piece from the President of the United Educators of San Francisco and their Political Director.

The current strike by public school teachers in Chicago comes at a crossroads for public education in this country. The national media is busily portraying a fairy tale version of that difficult situation: the evil, greedy, teachers as making outrageous demands for more pay while refusing to be held accountable to their students. Meanwhile, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, in his suit of shining armor, is portrayed as having a will of steel, boldly representing the best interest of students. 

In fact, the teachers in Chicago aren’t striking primarily over money, or even over a longer school day, as is suggested in the press. They are striking because they want smaller class sizes, more services for their students, and a well-rounded curriculum. They are striking because instead of working with them on these issues, Mayor Emanuel instead seeks to radically re-invent Chicago’s public schools by tying teacher evaluations to test scores, instituting merit pay based on those test scores, and opening privately-managed schools to replace low-performing schools.

Chicago Teachers Union Leader Karen Lewis Pushed Back — and Won (via NY Daily News)

Veteran journalist and Democracy Now! co-host, Juan Gonzales profiles CTU head Karen Lewis

Karen Lewis, who last week led 29,000 Chicago teachers on a school strike heard across the nation, has suddenly emerged as the new champion for millions of frustrated public school teachers. 

Many of those teachers are sick and tired of being made into scapegoats by politicians and corporate honchos who never spent a single day in front of a classroom.
They are fed up with overcrowded classrooms in rundown buildings, with bureaucrats who keep hiring high-paid consultants despite huge budget deficits, with new state laws that tie teacher evaluation to their students’ test scores, with the constant closing of neighborhood schools and the stampede to charter schools. 

But most of all, they are furious at the lack of respect for them and their profession.
Until this week, no one — not even American Federation of Teachers chief Randi Weingarten — had found a way to turn back the tide of teacher bashing. 

Then the feisty firebrand Lewis burst on the scene.

Double Standards in Public Education (via Melissa Harris-Perry Show)
Last Saturday, the Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC had a great panel discussion about the Chicago Teacher's Union strike and it broader implications.

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