Their Education is Worth Fighting For

            Chicago Teachers are on Strike, which is what 94% of the  teachers and support staff voted for district wide.  I happen to be lucky enough to have worked in this Chicago Public Schools District since 2001 when I became an Occupational Therapist for children with different ability levels.  I love my students and I would rather be in school instead of marching outside on the streets.  What a lot of people may or may or not know is that according to Illinois State Law, teachers can only strike over pay.  So, our new Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot offered a 4% raise per year (16% over 4 years) in hopes that this would be enough.

But, this is not enough.  Why?  Because us teachers and clinicians are rebels.  We don't do this for the money.  We do this for the kids.  We dare to dream of a world where we don't have to ask for a nurse, a library, and a social worker for all of our schools because in the suburbs, these are all given and more.  Why should Chicago students have less?  Why should Chicago students suffer with dirty classrooms?  Are these good learning conditions?   A few years back they tested the water fountains at school for lead and found at least 30% of those tested had lead and so they just stopped testing.  And nothing was done about it.  Are these good learning conditions?   Chicago is plagued by classism and racism that forces many children into unsafe living environments but Lori Lightfoot would rather open up police stations than provide money for schools.  Are these good learning conditions when our students come to school with toxic stress syndrome and no social worker is present to help them?

The answer in our hearts is no.  And there isn't a law in existence that is going to keep Chicago teachers from fighting.  I will fight.  I will lose my pay.  I will march in the cold.  But, I will stand up for these children and it is an honor.  They need to see this.  They need to see their teachers love them and will fight for them to exist in a better world.  To breathe.  To be loved.  To have a high quality of life. That is what the Chicago Teacher's Union Strike is really all about. 

***All photos are copyrighted.  But please, if you or a loved one are in this photo, write to me at kirstiecat@gmail.com with a link to the photo in question and I will send you the high res version for free.**

Taken on: October 17, 2019

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Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, f/7.1, 1/320 sec, 50mm, ISO 2000 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens:	EF50mm f/1.4 USM
Aperture:	f/7.1
Exposure Time:	0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length:	50mm
ISO:	2000
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Macintosh)
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