For years CPS staff has fought for the fundamentals; this time around teachers are requesting an increase in pay, funding for materials and programs, a nurse and social worker in every school. It is no surprise that there is a shortage of staffing at schools in underprivileged neighborhoods, which consist of black and Latino populations.
There is a misconception that the strike is fueled by greed; parents think that teachers are solely doing this as a way to get an increase in pay. However, if you have ever grown up in a CPS school, you understand the lack of support, not from the teachers, but from the administration above that continues to cut funding from essentials.
The overpopulation of 30 to 40 children in classrooms has proven a challenge to teachers. It becomes a burden, as well as a hazard for CPS teachers to work this way. How can we expect teachers to do their best when they are held responsible for over 30 different individual children? Part of being a teacher is making a one on one connection with each student. This is far more effective in a classroom with, for instance, 15 pupils. Why wouldn’t a parent want their child to have a closer academic relationship with their teacher?
The fact that there are schools lacking social workers or nurses is outrageous. Whether it’s a nosebleed, asthma, or epilepsy, children can have unpredictable health conditions that only a nurse can attend to. When a child is experiencing issues at home, who better than to support them than a social worker who can change their life? When our children are sick or struggling, we can’t just send them home.
We encourage you to look into how these schools function, especially the ones in underfunded neighborhoods. These children are being set up to fail, and not all CPS schools are being supported equally. We can’t anticipate that our children will have a successful future if their foundation is unsupported. We could go as far as to say that this comes as the effect of institutional racism.
Have a conversation with the teachers and staff of CPS and your local officials. The people on the outside of this battle can only do so much, but the ones on the inside are the ones who can make the changes that need to be done. Good education and learning environment should not have to be viewed as a privilege but should be viewed as a right every child should have.