Every Day Life

Years ago, we took pictures on special occasions like birthdays and Christmas.  Now that we don't use film and have to have those pictures developed and have cameras everywhere, even on our phones, we take pictures ALL THE TIME.  It is wonderful for a grandmother who lives far away to be able to see the kiddos living every day life.  The time Caleb had just discovered he likes pickle on his grilled cheese sandwich.

I love this little fellow and I'm glad he is not in the Chicago School system. Many grandmothers do have children there. How disturbing it would be to know that your child/ grandchild was in a school where 79% of the 8th graders are not grade-level proficient in reading...but where the teachers are threatening to strike because they don't want their salaries to reflect in any way their poor teaching.

Now having been a teacher in public schools, I know that when people send their children to school without having any basic teaching at home and no discipline either, it is very difficult to teach them.  However, there has to be something wrong at school if only 21% learn to read at grade level.

In the same schools, 80% are not proficient in math either!

All this might really get you wondering, but when you know the salaries these teachers take home, you might be downright angry. I understand that the average salary of Chicago teachers in somewhere between $71,000 and $76,000 a year before pensions, while the people who are paying the taxes to give the teachers these very high salaries, generally make around $40,000 a year.  Something is not right in Chicago.  Lots of things are not right in Chicago!