this is not my rant. this is the rant from a psyche worker in chicago public schools. karen lewis. [View all]

[mopinko]

this is a neighbor and a local blogger friend. she has much experience and big time credentials. she shares my very low opinion of karen lewis. regarding rumors of her running for mayor, we both say, what the heck, give it a go, take your best shot. maybe some good will come of it.
but some people make me like rahm more and more. she is one.

I hope she runs, it will be the most enjoyable campaign ever.

On two counts, her instigation of the strike, and her instigation of riot like behavior among parents, which were deplorable, reprehensible and totally self serving, cause me to question whether you're aware of all the angles here. Though I like unions, they need regulation, and if those who are charged with the care of our young don't need the most regulation of all, WTF does?? Her behavior during negotiations was atrocious, with no regard for the the students, the budget, or the city, all she cares about is protecting the welfare of teachers.

Regarding school closings...
Please remember the schools were failing, and excessive violence existed before the moves. If the truth is hard to handle so be it, but in the long run those kids are better off out of those armpits.

Those students are now learning more effectively, they are safer, and the students are happier. I know you don't like or agree with what I am saying here, and I am clear on that, but the dismally ineffective teachers who were fired, and totally deserved to be, totally screwed any hope the students had for a smooth transition.

The hype that was spun by Lewis over the closings was not about kids, it was about the teachers bottom line. Lewis was destructive by deliberately imposing a difficult transition on kids with no regard for those children. If Lewis really cared she would not have incited hysterics among the parents and their kids. It was a selfish display of antics by teachers who didn't want to lose their jobs.

If Lewis really cared about the kids, and had put the students best interest first, she would have been reassuring to parents, and actually helped parents transition their kids. Instead Lewis were so pissed off they made freaking everyone out their top priority.

Closing the schools had to be done, that doesn't mean it was an easy choice, but the teachers really screwed those poor kids far worse than the closings. By creating trauma and spite, for both the parents and students, Lewis made the ultimate statement, teachers are the boss, teachers rule, and no one tells teachers what to do.

All the while their real motivation perfectly veiled with claims of concern for students, when that was never really their problem. Their problem was that their little classroom kingdoms were no longer being allowed to run amuck under Lewis's (iron clad contract) watch. It was an unbelievable display of selfish entitlement and insensitively by adults who are supposed to do what is best for students.

It would be great if my neighborhood school was good enough for my kids, but it's not. Public Schools are far from equal. Keeping kids segregated does not help, and neither does keeping teachers who are not effective.

The US is new country, and our education system is new, relatively speaking, we have a lot to learn, and yes, we have failed on many counts, but the TU has effectively protected teachers salaries, pensions, and benefits without acknowledging budget cuts and restraints.

While Europe is light years ahead, we are still restructuring, and regulating our system, with very limited funds. I am sorry for those kids, but their teachers made things exponentially worse for them and their parents, the TU was selfish, childish, and inconsiderate.

Sorry I am not saying what you want to hear, but as mentioned, we just need to agree to disagree.