These last two weeks have definitely proved to be challenging. Once accepted into the Chicago internship program you come to realize that it is not like any other internship. You are required to be flexible and willing to travel or adapt to changes at a short notice. However, knowing all of this did not prepare me for the moment I found out the Chicago Teachers Union was going on strike. It is hard for me to completely understand everything that is going on as most of the resources are biased to one side. I tried to keep up with as many of the news and press releases that I could while the strike was going on. With that being said I too have a biased side as I am a student teacher and plan on being a teacher within CPS next year. I think that the teachers should fight for what they deserve as many things they are fighting for are valid and by no means 'ridiculous requests' as some people have called it.
While the Strike has been going on I have tried to keep busy exploring my community that I live in as well as my school and my roommates communities. My roommates took me to Pilsen because the two of them teach at Walsh elementary and I was very curious to see what there community was like and how it differed from my school's community. Pilsen is a very vibrant area with lots of colorful murals and graffiti drawings on the buildings. During the afternoons the sidewalks are filled with little vegetable and produce stands. There are tons of mexican restaurants and stores all around the community. I found it very interesting that every sign was in Spanish, it showed the sense of pride the community had for its language and culture and I really enjoyed that.
My community in where I live (tri-taylor, medical district, UIC) on the other hand is very different from Pilsen. It is a very college-aged area because we are so close to the University which is right down the street from us. We also have a lot of stores and restaurants right near by that are all very unique and different, the only chain restauraunts are pizza places.
One of the most interesting things that happened to me during the break was returning to Michigan State to see some of my old friends and to find out what they had heard about the Strike. Many of my friends who are still in education said they were discussing the strike in their classes but were still not sure if they really agreed with what the teachers were saying. I found it very interesting that they had watched a lot of clips from news channels and read the Chicago Tribune but never were shown articles that discussed the teachers side of the strike.
Overall I am very excited to be starting school again tomorrow and cannot wait to see my students faces again! I can only hope the year will begin again on a great note where we will be able to have a great and successful learning year both in and out of the classroom!
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