Alarming Student Behavior as Witnessed by a Substitute Teacher in the Chicago Public Schools System
May 27, 2010 Chicago, IL-Janice M. Hypolite’s experiences as a substitute teacher in the Chicago Public Schools(CPS) formed the basis for her book Disorder in the Classroom; or a Firsthand Account of Substitute Teaching in the Chicago Public Schools System. This is to announce the release of the second edition of this book.
Very little has been written for public consumption about the classroom environment. Disorder in the Classroom allows the reader to look inside the classroom and witness the behavior of students at school. Their behavior is both alarming and saddening and perhaps demonstrates why many public school children’s achievement is so poor.
One must first understand that education has two sides. Disorder in the Classroom concentrates mostly on the side which involves learning while in the classroom. However, the other side is financial and this very important part enables education to work. There are federal, state and local government dollars that fund education. The federal budget figure for education is 127.8 billion dollars, a number which is hard to fathom due to its enormity. One must assume that the size of the population determines the amount state governments receive in federal funding but there may be some other variable(s) that is considered when allocating funds. The mixture of funding pays for many things like teacher and administrative salaries and benefits, books, supplies, contracted services, interest for borrowing, etc. Just taking into consideration the level of funding for elementary and high schools in a large school district, though part of the national budget, is another figure that can be hard to grasp.
While there are surely districts that have fine educational systems, some, maybe many, are lacking. Teacher credentials and performance are now at issue. Children are functioning in high school at a third grade reading level. It has been reported that teachers are coerced into changing student grades to obscure poor performance. So now is the time to start analyzing what is taking place in the schools and its classrooms.
On the issue of low achievement scores, this question must be answered: How can a student attend school for ten years or more and read at a third grade level? It is inconceivable that a student can be promoted consistently while functioning at that level.
In Chicago, the public’s attention is now directed to education for many reasons. Perhaps, now is the time to examine the ramifications of not providing a positive learning environment at school. After all, the purpose of going to school is to get an education. This book shows the different types of bad behavior exhibited in the classroom which range from being impudent to the teacher to fighting with classmates.
CPS is experiencing other serious issues. School closings, charter schools, school violence, teacher qualifications, enrollment practices, and budget deficits are all a part of the problems facing the public schools. Chicago is facing an almost $1billion deficit this year.
There are upwards of 700 substitute teachers at CPS. They are only used when teachers are absent and there is a great deal of teacher absenteeism. So CPS is paying for two people every time a teacher calls in absent. Last school year, the cost for substitute teachers was $25M. This overspending must stop.
For the billions of dollars being spent on education today, the results should be better. Ms. Hypolite feels that it is time to get serious about education and make changes needed to educate the youth of this country.
ISBN: 978-0-9851-1680-4 paperback Format: 6.14 x 9.21 SRP: $17.95 Genre: Education / General
About the author: Quote Janice Hypolite, “I am still getting used to the title of author. “Disorder in the Classroom” is my first work. I have had to do a great deal of writing on the job, but never thought seriously about being published. In the CPS system, I was employed as a substitute teacher who was assigned to various schools depending on need for any given day. That is what the book is all about. Having received a degree in business from Roosevelt University, I worked in the accounting profession for the past 30 years off and on. I am the mother of two daughters, Donna Stone and Deana King; the grandmother of five, Denise, Dennis and Danielle Stone, and Brian and Evan King. I am also a great grandmother of two and a divorcee. I was born here in Chicago and have lived here as well.”
Contact Information
Visit the author’s website at www.jmhinc.net.