The Miseducation of Miss Carrie: Helloooo from the teacher's side.......

Hello...It's been a while! This whole teaching thing is quite consuming and as my intentions were to post monthly, my weekend came and went, and came and went. Year 2 is going well. My grade level partner in crime and I inherited some babies who had quite a reputation. They haven't had a ton of stability the last two years in terms of teachers and so needless to say, they have some abandonment issues. But they are coming along wonderfully, engaging in teaching and learning with less and less issues as the year progresses. The school in general is doing well, and we are a fully functional year 2 turn around school! I am very proud to be part of such an AMAZING team!

So, with all the niceties complete, you know what's on my mind and I am sure you are thinking about it too...the strike. I don't give a lot of time or thought to this issue most days as I am busy engaged in teaching and learning, social working. counseling, nursing, parenting, disciplining and praising my babies. BUT, I have been forced to engage as I am a teacher and this does affect me. So here is MY and ONLY MY OPINION. I know I have brothers and sisters who have different opinions and I respect their right to free thought and speech...so please respect mine.

I have 3 issues: 1. the CTU and it's use of funds. 2. The state aka the "real" enemy 3. THE KIDS!

1. THE CTU: I have done my due diligence and spoken with people in various roles with differing levels of access to information. Honestly, that's the saddest part too....that other people have better "access" to information about negotiations about my job than me. Furthermore, why is it so difficult to find information on what the CTU does with my $1100 a year? $1100 that could go into my classroom, or my savings account, or my gas tank?? And then, if you multiply that amount by all the teachers, esp's and others paying dues (at varying rates of course) CTU takes in over $10million dollars a year! I know both Karen Lewis and Jessie Sharkey take a salary of over over $200k a year so that's great for them. Oh, and I also know they will continue to draw salaries while we struggle to pay bills and for some, feed their families while on strike. What ever happened to the head of the cause joining in the hunger strike with the others? The CTU also sends members to conferences, aka CTE (Career and Technical education conferences) to do nothing more than rebel rouse and disrupt presentations made by Chicago central office presenters. I do not advocate that kind of ignorant behavior. Yet, once again, no one asked what I think of how CTU spends their money. Because they use scare tactics to get teachers to pay dues and then go on their way. I know during the last strike, I had friends that, because of family issues and lack of childcare, they couldn't make it to the picket line. As a result, they received threatening emails and texts. Yep. That's what collective bargaining is supposed to be about. NOT. Through my research I discovered that much of what CTU was sharing - 7% immediate cut in salary, huge rise in health care, cuts in teachers in all schools, was not the true table discussion. As a matter of fact, we have some of the best Healthcare around. Most public companies are going the way of Obamacare and making employees purchase in the open market. Cost going up a couple dollars is expected. Recently, Claypool publicly shared the newest offer and CTU got angry. Why? Why can't we as teachers and independent thinkers hear what he has to say? I understand it would be a sacrifice on the teacher's part in the short term, but listen up CTU - THERE IS NO MONEY! I have many friends and acquaintances in the central office...or rather I did. They are cutting central office down to bare bones, as they should. But it's not this administration that has gotten us to this ugly position. In fact, CTU was at the table for the last approval of a "pension holiday" for CPS, so stop acting like this happen over night! Compromises will have to be made based on bad decisions made by previous administrations and you CTU. So own it and let us move on! No one WANTS a strike but you....

2. The State of Illinois: Look, the state of Illinois owes us money. As a Chicagoan, I pay taxes and cover the pension of every teacher in Illinois AND Chicago. IF you live outside Chicago, you ONLY pay to cover the Illinois teachers pension which doesn't include Chicago. So exactly WHY is that? Also, it is my understanding that Governor Rauner is prepared to launch a smear campaign against you guessed it... teachers if the strike takes place. If you aren't aware, Mr. Rauner was born and raised in Deerfield, IL a wealthy SUBURB of Illinois. He went to Dartmouth and Harvard for his bachelors and masters education and prior to becoming governor, he was a millionaire venture capitalist living in Winnetka, another wealthy SUBURB of Chicago. He represents the wealthy. He has no context of what our schools in Chicago look, act or feel like. He has never been in one to my knowledge, except for the 5 minute photo op most likely. But he is prepared to tell us, the teachers, that we are greedy, and ungrateful and don't care about kids. I can tell you right now if he walked into my 6th grade class with no context as say, a supposed sub, they would eat him alive. This is the same Governor that wants to freeze property taxes that could unequivocally help with the budget crisis. But we the Teachers are the problem. Yep, that $56k salary that after pension and union dues still has to have at least $200 a month taken out for classroom needs is what's breaking the state budget. Clearly.

3. The kids: Our babies CANNOT afford a month, let alone a week out of school! I have a classroom full of amazing 11-14 year old 6th graders 76% of whom are below to severely below grade level. Prior to the turnaround, the school, the system, adults in their life failed them. When a child tells you, "we are just waiting for when you gonna leave us" you know it's real. I have just convinced them I AM NOT leaving! Now, in the wake of this success, I may have to face them and explain why everyone in their life will tell them I don't want to be there because I want more money? (that will be the uneducated explanation shared by the media) Hell no. I'm going to teach those babies, if I have to do it at the youth center or a coffee shop, it's going to happen. No way they will go another week without school. Yes, vacations are important for both the students and the teachers, but even the few extra snow days last year were painful.

My true feelings are that this potential strike is a political war, waged on the backs of teachers, and the kids are collateral damage. I understand there are negotiations taking place and they may still need to continue, but there must be a different way to solve our issues besides keeping our babies (many 3 to 4 years behind already) out of school. This isn't a Coca-cola factory where while we strike, soda stops production. Like other political machines, I feel as an individual teacher I have lost my voice in this fight. Since that is the case, just let me continue to teach while you sort out issues. Please stop justifying it by telling yourself you are doing it for teachers, for me. Just stop and let me teach. Let my babies continue coming to school. THAT'S WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.

Thanks for reading and all your continued support. I was humbled by all the friends and family members who gave to my babies and classroom this last month. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't do it without you.

Ms. Ohannes's Adopt-a-Classroom page