Is Bronzeville Gentrified Yet??

[AmosBanks]

Originally Posted by rparz

Plus, Michelle held a very prestigious position at UofC, so, it made things easy. From enrollment, to pickup/drop-off.

U of C employees get a discount at Lab. I think it's half off. I don't know if U of C does like Loyola to extend the discount to all employees. My kids play baseball in the Hyde Park Legends and all their teammates who go to Lab have one or both parents working for U of C.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by AmosBanks

U of C employees get a discount at Lab. I think it's half off. I don't know if U of C does like Loyola to extend the discount to all employees. My kids play baseball in the Hyde Park Legends and all their teammates who go to Lab have one or both parents working for U of C.

So what, I don't care if it's free.

I can't believe it, but I'm agreeing with Chet - As a politician, what you do sends a message. You're supposed to be an advocate for public schools, yet you send yours to private. That means all the rhetoric about public schools is all crap, because they're not good enough for your own kids.

And the Obamas, when they were still Illinois-based, could have sent their girls to Ray elementary in Hyde Park, which is FAR from struggling. It would have been their local school (so no controversy about using clout), and completely free. Yet it wasn't good enough.

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by rparz

While the top tier CPS are most likely exceedingly sufficient, it would come at political cost. And, I really doubt anyone expected them to send their kids to the standard neighborhood school that is struggling.

You know, Chicago has residency requirements for it's employees, for a reason. Maybe one of those reasons is "If you live in the city that you work for, maybe you'll care more about what you do." Perhaps city employees need a CPS requirement as well - you work for the city, then your kids go to the CPS. State and Federal employees should have to send their kids to some public school, no private.

I saw so many CPS teachers whose own kids went to private school - that always drove me crazy. Madness! Eat your own dog food, people. That's the only way problems get solved quickly. Otherwise no one has a stake in the solution.

[rparz]

Originally Posted by JacksonPanther

You know, Chicago has residency requirements for it's employees, for a reason. Maybe one of those reasons is "If you live in the city that you work for, maybe you'll care more about what you do." Perhaps city employees need a CPS requirement as well - you work for the city, then your kids go to the CPS. State and Federal employees should have to send their kids to some public school, no private.

I saw so many CPS teachers whose own kids went to private school - that always drove me crazy. Madness! Eat your own dog food, people. That's the only way problems get solved quickly. Otherwise no one has a stake in the solution.

While you may be onto the beginnings of something, one variable isn't the end-all.

What if they teach for CPS on the south side, but life on the far Northwest side where the schools are better?

What if, being intricately immersed in the CPS system, they were able to secure their children spots in the magnet schools?

What, are the teachers supposed to put their kids in the schools just to prove something?

And, if you are a parent, are you not trying to get your own children any advantage you can, and not expect the teachers to as well? I'll freely admit that I'll cut any corner or give any advantage to my kid as I can. I have no shame in that, no shame in admitting it, other people's opinion can go pound sand. You raise your kids how you see fit, I'll do the same to mine; and this is how. I'll sleep better at night knowing I did the best for my own kids the most I could, I could give a damn about what some strangers perceive as being 'fair.'

[oldhousegirl]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The behavior sends a message -- maybe its just "these problems can't be fixed fast enough to help my own kids" or mmore ominously "my own kids are too valuable to risk in the system" and either message gets interpretted by parents contemplating Chicago along the lines of "maybe I ought to rethink things if I want the best for my kids"...

These things are relavent for Bronzeville and other southside spots -- there are a real dearth of top performing schools.

In fact if there are any bright, ambitious, true grass roots activists that dream of unseating Rahm right now their best bet is to be organizing parents somewhere in a neighborhood with other middle class AA parents to really make one or more schools truely desirable enough for anyone to move to a traditionally African American area...

Robert A. Black was that type of school for a long while. The problem was, is and likely will continue to be, "The Schools", which is why when my family and I lived in Chicago our child attended private, and by 3rd grade we moved to the suburbs.

We lived a block away from the cutest elementary school in Chicago, one story mid century architecture, great park and playground but the school absolutely STUNK academically, it was probably safe however.

Everyone needs to be on the same page: parents, teachers, administration. I have been in too many CPS schools and heard the condescending tone towards the kids, apathy; of course that does not include all.

I was not willing on any level to have my child attend a neighborhood CPS school. I did not want my child bused to a "gifted" school 10 miles away. I embrace a strong sense of community, walkability which is why we moved to the suburbs. I wanted my child to walk or ride his bike to school, be involved in local activities and see familiar faces from the community and have a cohesiveness sort of like Sesame Street!! I got that through the suburbs not in the city.

I would not consider living in Bronzeville with a school aged child. Too much to deal with. Granted I grew up in the city, on the North side and had the run of the area - but this was in the seventies. There were dangers for sure but much more subtle than the obvious problems experienced today.