Waukegan (Chicago, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg: middle school, tax, live)

[Crissers]

I recently was offered a teaching job at Jack Benny Middle School. I must admit, I applied and interviewed for the position without really knowing much about the area. I have not heard great things about Waukegan.... I have actually heard it being compared to south side Chicago. Now, the suburbs that I have lived and worked in are Lake in the Hills, Schaumburg, and Arlington Heights. They all had VERY good schools and involved parents. Most of the kids were eager to learn. This will be my first year teaching... can anyone out there give me some insight on the area and how their schools are? I need to tell them soon if I accept the position.

[Drover]

IMO Waukegan's reputation is a lot worse than the reality, but it's still not a particularly nice place. You'll be dealing with a lot of economically disadvantaged students and all of the baggage that goes along with trying to teach in an environment like that. You won't need to fear for your safety or anything but learning may not be a very high priority for many of the kids there and parental involvement may not be as robust as you've experienced previously. In fact a fair chunk of the parents may have limited English skills.

[lakecountylifer]

Originally Posted by Crissers

I recently was offered a teaching job at Jack Benny Middle School. I must admit, I applied and interviewed for the position without really knowing much about the area. I have not heard great things about Waukegan.... I have actually heard it being compared to south side Chicago. Now, the suburbs that I have lived and worked in are Lake in the Hills, Schaumburg, and Arlington Heights. They all had VERY good schools and involved parents. Most of the kids were eager to learn. This will be my first year teaching... can anyone out there give me some insight on the area and how their schools are? I need to tell them soon if I accept the position.

If your going to decide whether or not to make a career decision that involves moving, I would suggest spending some time in the Waukegan area to get a feel for the area vs relying on input from message boards.
As a teacher, it shouldn't be a surprise that Waukegan is not Schaumburg or Lake in the Hills with top notch schools. It only takes the bare minimum amount of research to learn that Waukegan is more of an urban melting pot with a lower tax base to support schools....but that doesn't mean the parents don't care about their children's education.

[Neighborhoodwatch]

Ok, about 40 percent white, 40 hisp, 17 black 3 other. Waukegan is not bad at all. Where as I agree with most of what others have posted lakecountylifer's posts are never very postive in regards to Waukegan. Not sure why that is. You would be fine. Teaching in Chicago etc would have same if not more challenges. Lots of schools even Lake Forest schools do not pay very well but Waukegan does. If you are looking for top pay Park Ridge is very good. I was being paid about 39,000 at LF, 61,000 in Park Ridge, 48,000 in Waukegan. Lake Forest was the worst teaching experiance ever. The teachers were very much in clicks and the parents were overbearing or underinvolved. I still have emotional baggage from working there. To bad because that is where I grew up. Hope this helps.