A Response to Several Common Complaints Against Us: 1. I went to Waukegan High School and had some bad, lazy teachers! Bad, lazy teachers do exist- but not just in Waukegan. Believe me, you can find them at any college as well- I had some particularly crappy ones at NIU. Whats insane is that the Board has never addressed meaningful ways to facilitate dialogue among teachers, find out what makes a good teacher go bad, and how to either remediate them before kicking them out. The reality is, as with any private company, is that most employees dont just come in lazy and terrible... They become that way. Its not an excuse, but disgruntled, frustrated, and apathetic employees are more often than not a negative reflection of the leadership and practices of the institution. 2. Most of those teachers are white and dont live in Waukegan! Stop interjecting racial tension into this community! Waukegan is better than that. Yes, most teachers are white, and yes, many do not live in Waukegan. But the reality is that Illinois is 77.7% white and many of our teachers come from outlying areas to HELP the community uplift itself. Waukegan is a town of second chances. An immigrant town. Blacks came from the South, White Europeans came from across the Atlantic, and Hispanics came from South America. Part of what makes America great is that MOST Americans are willing to welcome newcomers and help them reach their dreams. Thats just what our teachers are doing. In time, many of their students will be black, Hispanic, etc. college graduates and we HOPE that Waukegan schools are competitive enough that theyll want to come back and teach for our town. Always ask yourself: why would a well educated white teacher come to Waukegan if they can make so much money elsewhere? I think in seeking that answer youll discover that their intentions may be more noble than you thought. 3. Test scores are bad and these greedy teachers want raises?! Lets just be clear, I dont believe the teachers are asking for raises comparable to the best schools across the country. Theyre just asking new teachers start above what the citys waste disposal men (God Bless them for taking care of our town too) make and maintain a decent enough salary raise to stay at our schools and support our family. The other reality is that test scores are RARELY reflective of teachers ability and the factors that really influence them are parental educational attainment, childs exposure to learning at home, etc. We cant send our kids to school, ignore their grades, let them come home and watch TV all day, and then expect miracles during testing time. WE as parents have the biggest impact on our childrens performance! Lets own that and ask ourselves what we can do better! 4. I pay taxes! Honey, we all do. Get in line. Id ask that before you rant about how much teachers make, you also look at administrative costs, Batistes special contracts to friends, etc. You cant just be an angry taxpayer when its teachers who are asking for a raise. That makes you a hypocrite. Final thoughts: Moving forward, these are the dialogues are town needs to advance itself and our educational system. Were not going to look to keep bad teachers, and Ill welcome systems of greater accountability in the classroom- but I want to see it for administrators and board members as well! The hard work is just beginning. Im hoping this page can be a platform for dialogue in the coming years, and I hope board members that come from our ranks will revolutionize our district and continue a dialogue among community members, teachers, and administrators WITHOUT fear of what we need to do to get our schools on top. (L)
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 19:54:26 +0000
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