Welcome to Albany Park

I've also included the expressway that runs along the technology company my husband works for. This underpass is the exit you would take to get to his company.



Thought I'd share some photos from my neighborhood. I usually love living by the north branch of the Chicago River. This weekend is not one of those times. I am very lucky our building is on higher ground but the flooding has been so bad they have evacuated several blocks in my neighborhood. We exceeded rain fall, making records. We haven't seen this much rain since 1987, 21 years ago! We have a big leak in the ceiling of my son's room and the rain won't stop till tomorrow.



This is Foster Avenue! It was closed down yesterday! Foster is one of the busiest streets on the northside.



Keep your fingers crossed we won't have to evacuate!








I know I've always said I love the rain, but this is going a little overboard.

Counting the days

Things are much better than they were a week ago. My Grandmother is adjusting to her new facility. She seems smaller and more lost without my Grandfather but the facility is much better than the last place.

We have our reviews in two weeks. Our Principal wants to see us in action during Reading. I really wish it were during Social Science, my subject, but she wants to see Reading. After the review, we have our wonderful Fall break. Two whole weeks of recuperation.

Open House is next week and the Constitution Test is still a month worth of work away. I really need these kids to be ready soon. Or that parent will be breathing down my neck again. I may just test his son early. If I do, I have already stated to parents I am not doing re-tests for students who pass. Only for the students who have failed.

Nothing worse than a cold just as the weather gets cooler. I rarely get sick and this weekend I have been in bed with sinus congestion and a head flu. Hopefully the NyQuil will work it's magic by Monday.

A Day From Hell

Maybe it's because I am upset about putting my Grandmother in a facility this week because of her dementia, or maybe it is because the 1.5 hour drive everyday for the past year in bumper to bumper on the LSD (Lake Shore Drive) is burning me out, or the mountains of extra paperwork that no other CPS school does, or maybe it is just the heat in the school all summer long, but yesterday was my snapping day.

I was already not feeling the greatest because of my Grandmother and the family drama that is always a part of a large family (but that is for another posting) and wondering why I did not take a mental health day. As I was walking back to my classroom (on the 3rd floor) I saw 4 8th grade girls in the hallway. There should have been no students in the building (unless with a teacher) as it was lunch and recess time. I asked the girls where they were suppose to be and they took off running. These girls are in my class from hell 3 days a week. I took off after them. They got as far as the second floor landing and hid. I got them, brought them to the Math teacher, where they were suppose to be. I was really pissed. I told the Math teacher what happened. The girls started to protest and attempt to argue with me. I told them that I do not argue with children and to be quiet. As I attempted to continue talking to the Math teacher (my lunch now cold, still in my hands) the girls thought it would be a good idea to continue to get loud with me. I finally told the girl arguing the most to shut up. I HATE saying shut up. I think it is degrading and mean. I don't tell my son to shut up. He is 15 and could probably count on one hand me telling him to shut up. These girls were banned from lunch in the Math teachers room. I felt so crappy after that.

Flash forward to my second period after lunch. The one Special Ed boy who should be in a self-contained classroom was at his usual antics. From talking non-stop in line. It took 15 minutes before he would be quiet long enough for me to let them in for a quiz. As the class was taking the quiz he was quiet for all of 5 minutes then began making noise, talking loud to people and finally called another student a prick very loudly. That was my breaking point. I told him that language is not acceptable in the classroom. He wanted to start arguing with me that he said brick. (Oldest trick in the book, using another word that sounds like the curse word.) He would not stop talking, arguing, causing disruption, and I had enough. I usually have to keep this student with me for every class his homeroom has with me. I couldn't deal with the disrespect so I sent him to the Special Ed teacher. He wanted to argue with me some more and I told him to get the hell out of my classroom.

I hate that those types of things work with these students. I hate being mean. I hate getting angry. But when I have parents that I call regarding behavior get angry with you for calling about their kid talking too much or their sons making sure when they sit down that the waist of their pants in halfway down their leg and you have to constantly tell them to pull up their pants. It is so frustrating. There are only so many write-ups and phone calls that are not backed up with any real action in the office that you can take. Sure, the office will tell you to give detention in your classroom during lunch and recess, giving up your lunch to be in a room full of students who have the worst behavior in the class. It was just too much yesterday.

I am just so happy it is a 3 day weekend. I really need to just stay in bed.

This is England

I can't talk about school right now or I will go completely mad. I will post after Tuesday and the parent-teacher conference from HELL. It will be one of those make or break me's. The parent in question became verbally abusive to me during open house as I was presenting. It was so nasty and embarrassing that I could scream. All because his son got a 79% on his Federal Constitution Exam and he wanted his son to re-take it. As I had explained to him last year his son could re-take it AFTER all of the students who failed it had re-tested and passed. The grade does not even show up on the permanent record, only a pass/fail option. This man was so nasty to me even other parents were shocked. I teach in a 100% African-American school and have never had any issues with my color. But after this parents performance I can only conclude it was racially based. I am one of 5 white teachers in the school and the only one in the upper grades beyond 4th grade. I love my students and almost all of the parents I have met and conferenced with focus on their childrens' needs and recognize that I am there to aid in their child's success. This man spat words at me and kissed the butt of every other teacher. Anyone who has ever met me or seen me teach knows the type of person I am. I am the classroom mother type. I had one of my girls write me a letter telling me I was the first teacher who ever listened to her and that she thought of as a second mother. I have had parents e-mail me and tell me that they were so happy that I was their child's homeroom teacher again this year because of the positive influence I have on their child. It makes me so sad to think that children have such negative influences at home. The funny thing is, this man's son is an A student who is always respectful and trust-worthy. I will update with the meeting after Tuesday. I have no idea why he would want a meeting. Perhaps because I refused to give a set in stone date for the Illinois Constitution test. I informed the parents of the week I would like to give it but will not set the date until I see how the students are doing with the materials first. They may need more time. Not to mention the study groups I give for two weeks before the test. They have to be ready before I can set a date. He was really angry with me because I would not commit to a date. I gave a projected week. The first time I met this father was when his son passed the Federal exam last year. He came in yelling and screaming at me because a C is not acceptable in his house. He was so abusive to me that time that other teachers had to come into the room and stand beside for support. He was nice to them and yelled at me again because his son passed but not with a grade he wanted from him. The Assistant Principal had to come and lead him out of the school the first time. Lord knows how or what will set him off this time. I only hope there is enough room between him and the door. Because I will not be treated that way again. The last time was in a public forum. I will not allow myself to be verbally abused again. The only person who has any right to yell at me is my Grandmother. And she hasn't done that in years.

So, with all of that poison out of my system I will just briefly say, I LOVED the film This is England! The director really capture the spirit of the 80's and the skinhead movement. I was not a skinhead but have friends that were punks and skinheads. The story was about the two types of skinheads. The ones who dressed and listened to the music and the ones who took it to the extreme and later would become the neo-nazi skinheads. Caught up in the middle of the two movements was a young boy. It was such a touching and well laid out film that I bought it right away for my collection. It's a tough watch at times but well worth the few scenes you may have to cover your eyes for.

First Day Of School On Monday

Our first day of school is on Monday. We've been having a bit of a heat wave here in Chicago. Well, I just read the forecast for Monday. We are to have a record temp of 98 degrees. With the humidity, temps will be about 105. Our school does not have AC. All the classrooms on the 3rd floor have a window unit which barely works. I was at school these past few days. With just me in the room it was still uncomfortable. The AC will be useless with 30+ students and myself.

I am so not a summer or heat person. I live for fall and winter. I'd rather have 10 feet of snow then a hot and humid day. It's funny, when I drove home yesterday, it was miserable when I left the school. By the time I got to the northside it felt 10 degrees cooler. Just hope I can make it through August.

I have no idea how many students will actually be in school on Monday. This is the first year of track E. I think a lot of students are going to wait till the rest of CPS goes back, on September 4th, to actually show up. If I were a parent at that school, I would not want my child to endure the heat. How could they get any learning done when they are melting?

Wish me luck.

Why so much hate?-Part 3

It seems Mr. Slappy continues to get volleyed about. The Vegas Art Guy (http://laurichg.blogspot.com/) give him a bit of whats for. (Also should add, Vegas Art Guy is a blog worth reading. Thanks VAG).

Vegas Art Guy:
Mr. Slappy, it's obvious you have no idea what you're talking about. As much fun as it is for people like you to bang on teachers for all the ills of society, maybe you should try living in the real world. I checked the pay salary for the area I live in and IF you have a PHd and have taught for many many years you could earn a total of $70000. Secondly, until you've taught in an at risk school, you really have no clue on the difficulty involved. Go teach or substitute teach for a while then come back and tell us how easy it is to teach. We'll be waiting with breathless anticipation for your pearls of wisdom.

Mr. Slappy is obviously someone who is either, into a bit of the S&M or has such a miserable life he has to make those around him miserable. The people I feel most sorry for are his wife and children to have to deal with this idiot on an ongoing basis.

I'm still trying to wash the toxic poison of this person off of me.

Why so much hate-Part 2

Continuing the saga. I had to go to school, UNPAID, to setup my classroom and do a meet and greet with parents yesterday afternoon/evening. I spent 5 hours at the school. Time that I was not paid for but did willingly. I am kind of glad that I didn't continue with this. Mr. Slappy is an idiot who is the most social and civilly uneducated person I have read in a while. A few others joined in:


Saluki Rod:
Ms, I salute all who chose to become teachers and stayed in the field. You have chosen to work in one of the most challenging school districts in the country, and you in particular I salute as well.

Also, to all who have morphed this topic into a "we want more school days" rant, that wasn't in the article. The issue is the way the vacation is distributed, not the amount of the vacation.

Ms Teacher wrote:

Looking at your district I now see where you are coming from. a diverse population that is 78% white, 100% of your teachers are white, and the average salary for your teachers is a shocking $15K above CPS.(From your districts figures). And, yes, I am white.
Yes we teacher have so much money to burn. Tell that to my 30K in loans to become a teacher, that I am still paying off. As for the part-time crack, you obviously have NO idea what goes into teaching. We may only be PAID to be in the school for 6 1/2 hours but the average day is FAR from over when the students leave the building. Between developing lesson plans and grading papers, that 6 1/5 hour day is more like a 10 hour day.
We do it because we love it. I can't believe you seriously believe what you say. Or else you have no idea what it takes to become and be a teacher. You should leave teaching to the professionals, since you obviously have no idea what a teacher does.
Life in the city is FAR different than the cocoon of the suburbs. Be care when casting stones, some of us are not as cushioned as others. If a high school drop out, or student on the edge of dropping out, can get a GED and go on to getting a university degree, my job is SO worth it. Trying to make a difference in a students' life is not something to put down.

Ms Teacher wrote:

Wow, so much for compassion or belief in the human race in general. I work, as you say, "in the hood". One thing I do know, children are children, where ever they may live. They all need the same things, love, safety, and mental stimulation. Shame on you for stereotyping. I would gladly take, "my little darlings" to the close mindedness of you.
No system is perfect. No PERSON is perfect. What the focus should be on is what is best for the next generation of American leaders, namely, these little darlings.

Stirs controversy:
Completely agree. My friends and I are all products of Chicago Public Schools and have all graduated from stellar 4-yr universities. 7 of us are engineers, 3 are in law school, 2 are finishing med school, and the rest range from an entrepreneur, to public health advocate. It all comes down to the teachers, the parents, and the student. I know many people who are products of private schools that are major dingbacks (I guess their parents thought it'd be easiest to throw money at the problem of unmotivation).

Anywho, that whole "let kids be kids" mentality is a viewof the lazy. Other countries have kids in school all year-round and still have plenty of "family time" as family is the priority. U.S needs to get onboard.

Mr. Slappy:

Ms Teacher wrote:

Looking at your district I now see where you are coming from. a diverse population that is 78% white, 100% of your teachers are white, and the average salary for your teachers is a shocking $15K above CPS.(From your districts figures). And, yes, I am white.
Yes we teacher have so much money to burn. Tell that to my 30K in loans to become a teacher, that I am still paying off. As for the part-time crack, you obviously have NO idea what goes into teaching. We may only be PAID to be in the school for 6 1/2 hours but the average day is FAR from over when the students leave the building. Between developing lesson plans and grading papers, that 6 1/5 hour day is more like a 10 hour day.
We do it because we love it. I can't believe you seriously believe what you say. Or else you have no idea what it takes to become and be a teacher. You should leave teaching to the professionals, since you obviously have no idea what a teacher does.
Life in the city is FAR different than the cocoon of the suburbs. Be care when casting stones, some of us are not as cushioned as others. If a high school drop out, or student on the edge of dropping out, can get a GED and go on to getting a university degree, my job is SO worth it. Trying to make a difference in a students' life is not something to put down.

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.

My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.

So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.


badger fan:

All right Mr. Slappy. Those salaries are rarely paid out to teachers for quite a few reasons. 1. Teachers rarely last long enough in their profession (due to lack of pay, long hours, etc) to get to that level. 2. Most districts nationwide do not pay their teachers that much.

I checked with my district (yes, I am a teacher) and found that if I choose to work for another 35 years (I'm currently 30) I will be making close to $68,000 a year (not counting for inflation). So in my district, someone with 35 years in (and a Master's degree) is making $68,000 a year. Right now, I make about $31,000, for those of you who are wondering. With a Master's degree.

You want to talk time? I get to work by 7:00 every day. I leave around 4:30 (hoping to beat the traffic home). That's on a day when I don't have any extra-curricular committments. On those days, when I'm chaperoning a dance or selling tickets at a game I'll arrive home after 10:00 or sometimes midnight. Then I get up and do it again the next day. I also bring work home with me - I've got plenty of papers to grade. I sometimes spend my Saturdays and Sundays working on lesson plans for the next unit. And my winter and spring breaks? Those are used to catch up on all the work that students turn in right before they leave.

This summer, I taught summer school for two weeks (getting paid about $17.00 an hour - I make more bartending). And next week, I'll be at school 3 days working on a project with other teachers. Do I get paid more to go? No.

On a whim, I went back through my calendar and looked at all the days I stayed late at school. I counted up the hours. I then added 4 hours a week of "extra work time at home" to the total number of hours. I added it all together and divided by 52. I came up with about 56.8 hours a week. Hmmmmm. Do you see why we need summer breaks?

By the way - in order for me to buy a condo, I had to get a part-time job teaching at the local junior college during the school year AND get a bartending job in the summer. No - I didn't get one with a lake-view. I'm in a diverse neighborhood, on the south side of Madison (which for a single, white woman is not the greatest place to live).

So get over yourself already. I'll take a 9-5 business day (my kids would be awake when they got there - read up on teen sleep research, they're worth almost nothing before 9:00 and we get them at 7:30) with martini lunches (to deal with the bureaucratic tests we administer and the parents who have no part in their child's life) and bonuses for performance (for kids who graduate - all of mine did last year, a feat for teaching at an alternative school for at-risk students).

You, Mr. Slappy, obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Kudos to your son's kindergarten teacher. I can only imagine the crap she had to put up with dealing with you. She deserves every cent she got.

Mr Slappy wrote:

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.
My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.
So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.

(This is the last post I wrote before leaving for school)
Ms. Teacher:

Mr Slappy wrote:

Okay its time to teach Ms Teacher. My ISP location may show up as Bloomingdale however that information shows where my provider's server is. But thank you for your research on Bloomingdale, sounds like a nice place.
My son's kindergarten teacher retired last year. Her salary for teaching my son the year before,$102,000. Lots of homework to grade and lesson plans to develop; sandbox, crayons, nap, recess.
Her pension is currently $73,000 a year. In 7 years her pension will increase to $86,000 with a 3% yearly raise after that. In 15 years she will be hauling in $109,000 a year and have removed $1,315,000 from the pension fund.
So stick with it Ms Teacher. Your $30,000 loan will be chump change in a few years and you will still be working a part-time job sitting around all summer.

You are a very sad man who should be pitied. If you honestly believe that ALL your sons Kindergarten Teacher does is nap, recess, sandbox, etc. There is so much more to being a teacher. A Teacher observes and facilitates a child's well-rounded development. An INVOLVED parent would know this.

As for her salary, it again proves the economic area in which you live. If I say nothing else regarding money, Teachers are not in it for the money, benefits, etc. I left corporate USA BECAUSE I LOVE TEACHING. I took a huge salary cut, time with my own child and husband, weekends, all so I could make a difference in the lives of children who are not as fortunate as others. To some of these kids I am the only mother figure they have.

Shame on you for turning it all into dollars and cents. Not everything in life is about the almighty dollar. At the end of my life I will sure feel good about all that I have brought to my students rather than if a stock price rose or fell.

The only thing you have taught me is that ignorance and elitism seem to go hand in hand. I'll continue going to "the hood" as you call it and continue to feel good about the students I have helped. You can go back to counting your money and living in your plastic bubble where "those little darlings" live far far away from you.


Mr. Slappy:

badger fan wrote:

All right Mr. Slappy. Those salaries are rarely paid out to teachers for quite a few reasons. 1. Teachers rarely last long enough in their profession (due to lack of pay, long hours, etc) to get to that level. 2. Most districts nationwide do not pay their teachers that much.
I checked with my district (yes, I am a teacher) and found that if I choose to work for another 35 years (I'm currently 30) I will be making close to $68,000 a year (not counting for inflation). So in my district, someone with 35 years in (and a Master's degree) is making $68,000 a year. Right now, I make about $31,000, for those of you who are wondering. With a Master's degree.
You want to talk time? I get to work by 7:00 every day. I leave around 4:30 (hoping to beat the traffic home). That's on a day when I don't have any extra-curricular committments. On those days, when I'm chaperoning a dance or selling tickets at a game I'll arrive home after 10:00 or sometimes midnight. Then I get up and do it again the next day. I also bring work home with me - I've got plenty of papers to grade. I sometimes spend my Saturdays and Sundays working on lesson plans for the next unit. And my winter and spring breaks? Those are used to catch up on all the work that students turn in right before they leave.
This summer, I taught summer school for two weeks (getting paid about $17.00 an hour - I make more bartending). And next week, I'll be at school 3 days working on a project with other teachers. Do I get paid more to go? No.
On a whim, I went back through my calendar and looked at all the days I stayed late at school. I counted up the hours. I then added 4 hours a week of "extra work time at home" to the total number of hours. I added it all together and divided by 52. I came up with about 56.8 hours a week. Hmmmmm. Do you see why we need summer breaks?
By the way - in order for me to buy a condo, I had to get a part-time job teaching at the local junior college during the school year AND get a bartending job in the summer. No - I didn't get one with a lake-view. I'm in a diverse neighborhood, on the south side of Madison (which for a single, white woman is not the greatest place to live).
So get over yourself already. I'll take a 9-5 business day (my kids would be awake when they got there - read up on teen sleep research, they're worth almost nothing before 9:00 and we get them at 7:30) with martini lunches (to deal with the bureaucratic tests we administer and the parents who have no part in their child's life) and bonuses for performance (for kids who graduate - all of mine did last year, a feat for teaching at an alternative school for at-risk students).
You, Mr. Slappy, obviously have no idea what you are talking about. Kudos to your son's kindergarten teacher. I can only imagine the crap she had to put up with dealing with you. She deserves every cent she got.

Nice rant. If you stay in Hooterville for 20 more years your $68,000 will double to $136,000 @ 3%. Not bad money for an area with a low cost of living. If that isn't enough move to Chicago and a better paying district.

By the way, there are millions of us working 60 hours or more a week and we DON'T get a summer break. Quit your whining and you could get your papers graded faster.

Stella:

Mr Slappy wrote:

With a dropout rate of almost half you aren't even close to mediocre. Maybe if taxpayers didn't have to contribute so much to your pension, benefits and inflated salary for a part-time job we could "focus" the money on the student.

I am not a teacher but I am a parent of 2 teenagers.
Why are you attacking this person just because they are a teacher. First of all I believe that teaching is a state job so teachers don't collect social security like most people they collect a pension. Teaching is almost becoming a dangerous job -- every day teachers risk their lives whether they teach in the "hood" or the most elite of suburbs. Teachers today have to put up with a lot of crap from kids and when they try to talk with the parents most parents are in denial -- Not my little johnny or suzy - is the standard response. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children and their actions.
In regards to LW the dad should have held the kid back until the teacher finished changing and then let the kid go say hi -- these parents are probably typical parents who will deny that their son ever does anything wrong -- The parents made more of an issue out of this than need be --

KTR:

Mr Slappy wrote:

Nice rant. If you stay in Hooterville for 20 more years your $68,000 will double to $136,000 @ 3%. Not bad money for an area with a low cost of living. If that isn't enough move to Chicago and a better paying district.
By the way, there are millions of us working 60 hours or more a week and we DON'T get a summer break. Quit your whining and you could get your papers graded faster.

You DO get a summer break (hmm, even fall, winter, and spring) from your company ... you, my friend, CHOOSE not to take it. NEVER complain about a teacher's schedule...

Mr. Slappy:

stella wrote:

I am not a teacher but I am a parent of 2 teenagers.
Why are you attacking this person just because they are a teacher. First of all I believe that teaching is a state job so teachers don't collect social security like most people they collect a pension. Teaching is almost becoming a dangerous job -- every day teachers risk their lives whether they teach in the "hood" or the most elite of suburbs. Teachers today have to put up with a lot of crap from kids and when they try to talk with the parents most parents are in denial -- Not my little johnny or suzy - is the standard response. Parents need to take more responsibility for their children and their actions.
In regards to LW the dad should have held the kid back until the teacher finished changing and then let the kid go say hi -- these parents are probably typical parents who will deny that their son ever does anything wrong -- The parents made more of an issue out of this than need be --

I suppose you make $100,000+ teaching kindergarten.

Mr. Slappy:

KTR wrote:

You DO get a summer break (hmm, even fall, winter, and spring) from your company ... you, my friend, CHOOSE not to take it. NEVER complain about a teacher's schedule...

What are you babbling about breaks? If I want to complain about teacher's getting a 2 1/2 month vacation in the summer plus breaks in winter and spring the First Amendment allows me to. Never got past 8th grade yourself eh?

It seems Mr. Slappy just wanted to attack everybody. I am glad I went to school and did something productive rather than listening to the rantings of an idiot. I was able to see my students and how much they have grown over the summer, meet parents I had not met before and had a really good time.