Get that money...Get that Data....

Sorry it's been so long...6 months came and went fast!  But man, it didn't feel like it when we were in it!  Let me just start out by saying MY BABIES KILLED IT!  6th grade blew their personal and school-wide goals for both READING AND MATH out of the water!  (props to my sister from another mister Mrs. Brunson!!!)  As the Goal poster below shows for 6th grade...we blew it up!  All but 3 students grew....and It doesn't stop there!  Dvorak in general, represented!  Almost every grade blew their targets up.  So much so that as a school we are positioned to possibly become a level 1 school!  Yes, level 1 like Whitney Young and Skinner level 1!  We definitely have areas of growth to focus on, but I am so proud of my school and my babies!!                           

Needed 340..Got 422!  Blew it up!

So, as of today, a school funding bill was passed downstate.  Yay.  A one year reprieve.  What does this mean for CPS and our babies?  The schools will open on time, assuming Karen Lewis doesn't pull some stupid crap, and teachers will get paid the same they have for the last 3 years.  I get it, you might be thinking, "that's what Karen Lewis and the Union are fighting for" but the problem is they are fighting the wrong people.  Yes, I believe money is still being mismanaged at the central office, and Cronyism is still rearing its ugly head.  Yes, we are still hiring unqualified individuals for powerful positions (see the new chief of ODLSS who has limited experience with diverse learning.  Ironically, the deputy looks to have significant experience and is from OUTSIDE the district...imagine that!?!)  Yes, the buildings are still filthy as hell and we are giving more money to Aramark and SodexoMagic.  HOWEVER- if we don't look at the way we fund schools in general soon, we are going to implode, regardless.  Schools cannot continue to be funded by taxes that are not there due to unemployment levels still at record high in our highest poverty areas.  I don't know the answer....I don't have long hours downstate to think about and oh yeah, get paid to figure it out, but I know this isn't working.

Also,  the elephant in the room...parents/guardians.  Even as I sit on my balcony now, at 10pm at night, I can hear gun shots ring out like familiar summer music to many Chicagoans.  Once a melody known to only south and west side residents but now familiar to many more.   Parents...WHERE ARE YOUR KIDS?  I am sorry, but I am tired of the " I just don't know what to do with her/him" argument.  Stop it.  Stop it right now.  You were grown enough to do the no pants dance, so you are now deemed grown enough to raise children according to the law of the land.  Stop sending your kids to school to be raised.  Work WITH your teachers, not against them.  Yes, your BABY stabbed johnny with a pencil unprovoked!  Let's discuss a solution....  NO..your darling daughter cannot add 7 and 12 and she is in 7th grade.  We have resources we can work to get or fight for together!!  Also,  I don't get a budget from the school for feminine products, soap, deodorant, band-aids, kleenex, YES KLEENEX!!!!, pencils, paper, belts, shoe laces, or random snacks.  Get your baby to school on time, with proper sleep and they will get 2 (Sometimes 3) meals, and the education they need and deserve.   I don't mind providing those items for students who might struggle to be able to provide them to the classroom, but I have too many students with new J's every other week for you to tell me I have to provide it all.  When I stopped buying kleenex and snacks the last two weeks my students were besides themselves.  I told them, "ask mom for $1 to buy a box of tissue for the class"  I got 1 box.  Also, parents, when we call you, we are calling to be a problem solver, not a shit starter.  I am blessed to have great relationships with most of my parents, but man, the few that are the hold outs...I fear for their children's lives once they leave the safe confines of elementary school.  I promise, your son is not going to be able to pull that behavior on the street, let alone high school.  Listen to me, to us, your students' teachers, please!  We are with your precious child 7-9 hours a day.  We are on team "your kid"! 

All that to say, all in all, it was a great year. I learned a lot this year, personally and professionally.  I am so excited for next year, but will enjoy my respite from the daily 5am-11pm grind that is teaching.

If you are so inclined, please visit my fundraising site below for my classroom.  You can see a picture of my precious babies from this past year! While I joke, the struggle is real and the need is large.  Any amount helps! 

Thanks for reading and have a great summer!

Ms.OhannesDonorsChoose