Do You Feel Lucky?

Remember how on the last day of school you would find out who your teacher was for the next year and experience either a hopeful feeling of relief or a sick feeling of dread?  That annual angst was not preparing us for the following grade, so much as it was grooming us for CPS parenthood. Every single time a policy or mandate is passed by CPS we approach it tentatively, not at all certain if the “assignment” will result in a fist pump in the air “Yes!”, or a head buried in our folded arms, “sigh”.  There was always some kid smiling saying "Well, I'm happy! I got Mrs. Johnson." There was also some kid so rattled by the knowledge that they would be spending all next year with the dreaded Mrs. Williams that they couldn't even talk about it. It all boiled down to, were you lucky?  Were you lucky enough to get assigned a teacher who would hold your life in the palm of their hand for a year and make it great? Or, were you unlucky enough to get put into a class with a known ogre who would surely make the next year of your life a living hell?

The luck surrounding being a CPS parent plays a roll in just about every aspect of our kids’ education. What sort of resources does your school have? Does it have a gym, a lunchroom, a library, a playground, working toilets...because not all schools do.  Does it have a principal who actively solicits parental ideas and help? Many principals run their office like Catch 22's Major Major Major Major. If they aren't in their office, you are welcome to stop by, but if they are in, you certainly cannot meet with them.   Is the principal the type to listen to the mandates but finesse them into a mandate-y sort of way that works for your school? This was revealed over and over again during the Breakfast In the Classroom battle, where the interpretation of " classroom" was loosely defined by a few administrations while other schools handed out the bags of breakfast without even questioning the contents. Does your school have teachers who know how to differentiate and teach to the different levels within their class or bring in materials to supplement or even (please oh please oh please) deep six whole pages of the text altogether?   Does your school have parents who can afford both the time and money to fund raise? Now more than ever you should be wondering if there is someone at your school who can write grants, because getting money from CPS has become a contest where the best ideas of how to use a 7.5 hour school day will win thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.  Losers go back to their schools empty handed, forced to make due with a yet unseen budget.  Funding the public education of the children of Chicago is now a game, a contest.  If any of you have ever written a proposal for a grant, you know that beyond hitting all the required marks, the bulk of your submission is judged subjectively.  So, are you lucky enough to have someone at your kid's school who can read between the lines of this contest? Are you lucky enough to have someone at your school who has the time and talent to give CPS a piece of writing which reflects what CPS wants to see....or can afford to fund...during a 37.5 hour school week?

For some parents and students who are already living the life of a longer school day, it's working beautifully for them.  For some, it's brought about more stress and more headaches then benefits.  For the majority of us, the portending of a 7.5-hour day is being anticipated like a "storm warning”. A longer day has been spotted in our area and we have been advised to prepare for it. Just like a hurricane can leave one house in tact while flattening whole blocks, so can this day be experienced by one school as mere window rattling, but completely devastate the schools and residents nearby.  What is your zip code?  How lucky are you?

We all want to be the kid who says, "I'm happy. I got Mrs. Williams next year." We all want to be assured heading into the summer that our fall promises to be intellectually exciting, academically challenging and emotionally relaxed for our children.   Most of us however, are viewing next year through our fingers, scared that we will have Mrs. Johnson instead. Which means a year of tedious drills, uninspired curriculum and undue stress.   Of course we will make the best of it.  What else can we do?  Just like you were stuck with a bad teacher for a year and got through it, so will we all get through whatever CPS assigns to us and to our kids.  Education should not be an endurance contest though. Moreover, luck should not play as big a roll in this longer school day as it does. Until CPS and the state of Illinois can come up with a way to have predictable, sustainable funding for it's public schools, luck will forever and always play a disproportionate roll in our children's education.  Years ago during clutch situations on the job, my co-workers and I would somehow manage to pull a rabbit out of a hat, to narrowly escape a disaster. We would breathe a sigh, look at each other and say “I’d rather be lucky than good”. We weren’t sure how we pulled it off, but we were openly admitting to ourselves and to each other that luck had a bigger roll in that particular success than did our talents or skills.  Well, I don’t want that for my kids.  I want their education to be more about being “good” and less about being lucky.