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Teachers voice disappointment with CPS budget July 11, 2012 By: Sarah Karp Last week CPS officials made their case for passing a budget that drained reserves, gave increases to charter schools and did not lower class sizes at traditional schools. On Wednesday night was the one and only chance for the public to look an official in the eye and tell them what they think of the budget. But, being that it is mid-summer and the budget hearings were only announced Friday, the majority of people who showed up were teachers. Read More \| (5) Comments	Coping with grief at the schoolhouse July 09, 2012 By: Leslie Baldacci Thank you for your issue of Catalyst In Depth on trauma due to exposure to violence and the ripples of impact it creates. For every child whose life is cut short in a shooting incident, the collateral damage extends to witnesses, family members, friends, neighbors, teachers, principals and school personnel, from the lunchroom to the boiler room. Read More \| (0) Comments
In the News: Rise in violent attacks against teachers July 02, 2012 By: Cassandra West A Tribune story about attacks on school personnel shows that Cook County led the state, with 21,806 reported attacks against teachers and other school staff from 2000 to 2009. Teachers who are attacked by students often show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Also, police records show reports of violent attacks against teachers and school staff have risen sharply in Illinois over the past decade. Read More \| (2) Comments	After graduation, new teachers start job hunt June 27, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Angel Torres worked overtime to complete his student teaching. Torres’ work day began when most people are asleep: At midnight, he started his overnight shift as a senior service technician for People’s Gas, helping the Chicago Fire Department and other public service agencies respond to calls about gas-related fires and explosions. At 8 a.m., when Torres’ shift ended, he headed to Ames Middle School for his student-teaching assignment. Sleep? “Whenever I can, I guess,” Torres said during the school year. Read More \| (10) Comments
From security guard to teacher May 09, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Student teacher Michael Vargas steps confidently to the front of his middle-grades social studies class at Talman Elementary to start a lesson that will require his students to analyze the impact of events leading up to World War I. Why did America initially decide to stay neutral, he asks? “Because they didn’t want to get involved in what wasn’t their business,” one boy says. “Because they were supplying both sides,” says another. Read More \| (0) Comments	In the News: CPS announces new ethics training March 20, 2012 By: Cassandra West In the wake of a gifts scandal inside the Chicago Public Schools food services department, official said Monday that employees who oversee vendor contracts will begin a new round of training to reaffirm the district's code of ethics, according the Tribune. Read More \| (5) Comments
Teachers tell Department of Ed about RESPECT March 19, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Members of the Advance Illinois Educator Advisory Council met with a federal “teacher ambassador” on Tuesday to give feedback on a 12-page draft proposal for the RESPECT Project, a proposed $5 billion grant program for states and districts that aims to sever the links between teacher pay and years of service and broadly restructure the teaching profession. Read More \| (20) Comments	Give teachers 'green light' to become leaders March 12, 2012 By: Cheryl Watkins We run a lean operation at John J. Pershing West Middle School. The administration consists of just two people – me and my assistant principal, who also doubles as the high school algebra teacher. As the principal, I’m the person teachers go to when they have a question. I’m also the person they go to when they have an idea. So when Chris Hennessy, the physical education and health teacher, told me that it was obvious I had too much to do and he was willing to take over some of my workload, I was thrilled to have the help. His leadership has proved invaluable. Read More \| (11) Comments
In the News: Teacher job satisfaction at new low March 08, 2012 By: Cassandra West Job satisfaction among public school teachers is plumbing new lows, according to the MetLife Survey of the American Teacher. (The New York Times) Read More \| (4) Comments