Hello I am Mrs. J and I am currently a preschool teacher in Chicago Public schools. I have a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and am currently completing my Masters degree in curriculum and instruction with an ESL endorsement. This masters program has prompted me and a fellow classmate to begin this blog. As a teacher I often feel that I have a strong influence and voice in my classroom, and I have some influence in my school; however, outside of that I feel like my voice can evoke little change. I was forced to confront this idea when assigned a paper called a “Challenge to Act”. This paper forced me to think of ways I could begin to make a difference within the education profession. How could I get my voice heard? How could I begin to inform other educators about current issues in education? Because of this the idea of a blog was born.
Education Reform is in the forefront of my mind. Changes are happening everywhere and especially in Chicago. Throughout this blog I will be discussing the ways in which education reform is affecting me and my school. We will look at reform through our eyes, those of a current teacher, and through the ideas of educational theorists and researchers. Before I begin to touch on the ideas of reform and their effects on education it is important that I share a little background with you. This will give you a glimpse into my history as an educator and will allow you to understand a little more about where my ideas and thoughts come from.
I have been teaching for seven years within three different school districts. I began my teaching career in Arizona where I taught Kindergarten for two years. This was a small district serving a little over 6,000 students. Our school had a very high population of Spanish speaking students. About fifty percent of the students in my classroom were English Language Learners. I greatly enjoyed this teaching position and often think back fondly to the sense of community the school had between administration, students, parents, and teachers. This position helped to open my eyes to the struggles of ELL students and their families. It led to my interest in learning more about how to better meet these student’s needs and to understand their obstacles in the classroom and in their community.
After spending two years in Arizona I was ready to move back to the Midwest to be closer to my family. I moved to Milwaukee and taught first grade for one year. It was a high poverty neighborhood school where about 94 percent of the children received free and reduced lunch. I enjoyed the experience of working with children in the primary level however, was excited when I received a position in Chicago the next school year. I have been teaching preschool in CPS for the last four years. The school I teach at is a neighborhood school that also has a high percentage of students receiving free and reduced lunch and is comprised of 98 percent African American children. I teach children ages 3 to 5 years and work to develop the whole child. Teaching in Milwaukee and Chicago gave me the opportunity to learn about a new culture. It provided me with knowledge about the challenges the students in my classroom face and how it affects their behavior and progress in the classroom. I enjoy working in CPS and am constantly amazed by the students and parents that I come in contact with. Their resilience and ability to overcome obstacles is inspiring.
Upon looking at the current issues of Education reform within CPS including: charter schools and privatization, standardized tests and data driven instruction, merit pay, school closings, and the new CEO Brizard to name a few. I wonder if these ideas are what’s best for the children. What effects are these changes having on the education of the children in CPS?
I look forward to discussing these ideas throughout the course of this blog, and I hope that the topics evoke conversation, understanding, and possibly action.
Mrs. J
