My home district went on strike today and Ive been thinking about how to say what I want to say. As I thought back on my academic career in WPS, my mind didnt go to the old, run down buildings, the lack of resources that other districts receive, or the (sometimes true) rumors about the city and its inhabitants. Instead, my memories of WPS went straight to the teachers. To Pat Cosgrove, who spent countless days after school dragging my utterly confused brain through AP calculus and wouldnt let me leave until he was sure I really understood. To Michelle Jaronik, who always made me feel special and taught me to take pride in my achievements. To Eva Ledet, who was my greatest protector during my shy, awkward, terrible 3 years of middle school. To Albert Nelson, Paul Friedrich and Michael Berrie who went to great lengths in their attempt to teach me history (although Im still not sure the difference between Woodrow Wilson and Winston Churchill). And then to my mom, Kathy Fitzgerald Szempruch, and all her colleagues over the years who spent decades in the trenches, teaching the kids everyone else had written off. Does Waukegan have crappy teachers? Sure. But so does every other school district (and every job for that matter). But by failing to compensate their teachers fairly, the district is sending the message that they value money over quality and will fail to retain good teachers. And if anyone deserves good teachers, its the children of Waukegan.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 22:45:52 +0000