Union News?

[musicisart]

I misunderstood sorry. I want us to show the administration we are strong though, I agree with that!

[WaukHIGHTeach]

maybe there is something we can do at the Genesse meeting to show our solidarity?

[WaukHIGHTeach]

I Wonder, a poem.....
by WaukHighTeach

It crossed my mind, i wonder if the residents of Waukegan understand what the teachers go through on a daily basis?

I have great classroom management, but there are times when a kid says f you to another teacher and they are sent to the office and because it is a class one offense nothing happens to them.

Ridculous..... Parents don't stand for this in their home, they shouldn't in school.

I wonder if the residents of waukegan value our long hours after school working for free, and in most cases weekends showing our support for their children?

I wonder if they know I spend hours on my lesson plans and activities?

I wonder if they know I stay after and tutor whenever their children need it without pay.

I wonder if they know the fights we break up?

I wonder if they know the amount of time we put in making our classrooms an environment for learning?

I wonder if the residents of Waukegan understand that we have families we need to support too?

I wonder if the residents of Waukegan know that the pay for teachers in Waukegan, starting is near the lowest in Lake County.

I wonder if the residents of Waukegan understand that while this is going on, I am also learning new ways of teaching their children during professional development.

I wonder if the residents of Waukegan understand that I want no special recognition for all this, just to be treated fairly and paid a competitive wage.

I wonder if the residents really see the extreme waste of money that is spent at LC, and why teachers asking for just a little bit more is not the bad thing.

I wonder if the waukegan residents know that we love their children like our own.

I know deep down in their heart they do, but they too need to support us .

Waukegan STAND UP For Your Teachers!

I wonder......

[musicisart]

it doesnt ryhme but its quite true that residents sometimes don't appreciate the teachers as they used to back in good old waukegan days.

[WaukTalk75]

ILLINOIS

Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois: Created in 1988, the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program recruits and prepares bright and talented high school graduates who represent a rich ethnic diversity for successful teaching careers in high need schools throughout Illinois and provides scholarships to students pursuing teaching degrees. In exchange for successful completion of undergraduate college and a commitment to teach for five years in an Illinois school of need, Scholars receive financial assistance for four years to attend one of the 53 public and private universities across the state and take part in the summer programs that include teaching internships and enhanced teacher preparation.
Source: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.collegezone.com/">http://www.collegezone.com/</a><!-- m -->
studentzone/407_4833.htm

Illinois Future Teacher Corps (IFTC) Program (formerly DeBolt): Illinois residents who plan to be teachers in the state are eligible for this program. The programs gives priority to those pursuing a teacher shortage discipline and/or making a commitment to teach in a hard-to-staff school, and minority students. Applicants are qualified to receive $5,000 or $10,000, and in some cases an additional $5,000 depending on the teaching commitment made. Applicants must be residents of Illinois and be enrolled in a certification program or teacher education program.
Source: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.collegezone.com/">http://www.collegezone.com/</a><!-- m -->
studentzone/416_945.htm

Illinois Special Education Tuition Waiver Program: Illinois teachers or students who are pursuing a career in special education as public, private or parochial teachers are eligible for this award. This program will exempt such individuals from paying tuition and fees at an eligible institution for up to four calendar years.
Source: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.collegezone.com/">http://www.collegezone.com/</a><!-- m -->
studentzone/416_941.htm

The Illinois Teachers and Child Care Providers Loan Repayment Program: This program provides grants to encourage academically talented Illinois students to teach in Illinois schools in low-income areas and to enter the early child care profession and serve in low-income areas in Illinois. If these obligations are met by a Federal Stafford loan borrower who has qualified for the federal government's loan forgiveness programs, Illinois may provide an additional matching grant of up to $5000 to the qualifying teacher to repay their student loan debt. To be eligible, you must be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen, an Illinois resident, a borrower who has had an amount of your educational loans forgiven under the federal government's loan forgiveness programs, have fulfilled your five-year teaching obligation in an Illinois elementary or secondary school designated as a low-income school or have worked full time for 2 consecutive years in a child care facility that serves a low-income area in Illinois.
Source: <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.studentaidlending.com/">www.studentaidlending.com/</a><!-- w -->
IllinoisForgivenessPrograms.htm

Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program: Individuals of African American/Black, Hispanic American, Asian American or Native American origin intending to become teachers are eligible to receive up to $5,000 annually to pursue their teacher certification. Recipients must agree to teach at an Illinois public, private, or parochial school with at least 30 percent minority enrollment for each year they receive assistance. Recipients must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA. Applications are typically due March 1, with priority awarded to the first applications received.
Source: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.collegezone.com/">http://www.collegezone.com/</a><!-- m -->
studentzone/416_947.htm

[WaukTalk75]

let start listing our issues with the current contract...

[TeacherThoughts]

We are one of the lowest paying districts if not the lowest, but we actually have one of the best contracts int he county, besides the pay! I've talked to teachers at Warren and elsewhere and they have a lot more hurdles to jump over!

[bruce]

Warren's contract has been way better managed over the last 20 years then ours. And YES we are the lowest paid school in the County!!!!!

[bruce]

Here it is in a nut shell. Mary Lamping, Jules Guadan(sp), and the LC administrations think the teachers are dog meat. They have absolutley no respect for the challenges and craziness we face everyday. Middle/elem. pay scale is on par because of the unit district senerio, so they dont fight the salary fight. High school teachers are probably on average 20,000 below Warren, 30,000 below stevenson and 15,000 below Zion, and 10,000 below North Chicago. Lake Zurich a Unit District we are also across the board about 10,000 below them on average. Why? Because our negotiation teams have been made up of wannabe administrators who are looking to move up. Some people on the negotiation team from last time arent even in the district anymore. We had one guy last year who helped later on to right the pay scale and he isnt even on this time. Ive been through about five or six negotiations and pay has never been on the front lines..because the negotiation team didnt want to address it until late in the negotiations!

[bruce]

To be real honest I am extremely worried about the effectivness of our union and our negotiation team