A Deeper Look At The Chicago Teacher’s Strike

Here’s an interesting New York Times OP ED by documentary filmmaker Alex Kotlowitz:

THE Chicago teachers’ strike, which appears to be winding down, may be seminal, but for reasons that are not necessarily apparent. It came as a surprise. In July, the city had agreed to hire more teachers to accommodate a longer school day. Last Sunday, the city agreed to a substantial pay raise. The following day, teachers walked off their jobs for the first time since 1987. The union’s president, Karen Lewis, complained at a news conference about the lack of air-conditioning in schools and the new teacher evaluation system, which seemed rather flimsy reasons for some 26,000 teachers to abandon their Continue reading

Did a Personality Clash Cause the Chicago Teacher’s Strike?

chicago teachers strikeMost of us see the news through filters that let us see what we want to see.  This is a time that Unions are under attack and we all know how underpaid and under appreciated our public school teachers are.  So when I saw the troubling footage of picket lines that had closed down Chicago’s schools I naturally sided with the teachers.  But, today’s New York Times editorial raises questions that demand a second look from all of us. Continue reading