After last week’s column about the looming Chicago teachers’ strike, I heard from teachers with horror stories to tell about overcrowded classrooms—among other things.
I’m sure you can imagine what that’s like. Not enough desks for the students. Barely enough space in the room. Not enough books. More papers to grade. Harder to keep everyone’s attention. More challenging to meet the needs of the slower-learning kids without losing the attention of the faster-learning kids. And so forth.
Not saying the mayor would do that. But it’s an option.
“The total number of intermediate and upper grade students will be divided by 31 on a whole number basis, i.e., the division will not be extended to a decimal place. If the division is uneven, then the remaining students will be included in the primary membership.”
And you wonder why so many teachers in Chicago think CPS just doesn’t give a shit about what goes on in classrooms—especially those in low-income neighborhoods.
It’s a little better in Lake Forest. If teachers think they have too many kids in a class, they can request a meeting with the principal. If that doesn’t alleviate the problem, they can request a meeting with the superintendent. If that doesn’t work, they can file a grievance. However, “only violation of the process can be grieved. The substance of the final report is not grievable.”
