How CPS kids are keeping busy during the strike | Strike intern photos
Posted in Hipsqueak blog by Shiri Gross on Sep 14, 2012 at 10:13am
How CPS kids are keeping busy during the teachers strike| Strike intern photos
Parent Vicki McCall teaches seventh-grade students from Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School social studies. She and six other mothers set up a “strike school” to keep their kids from falling behind.
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The kids spend two hours at a different household each day learning about various subjects. The focus here is social studies, and e identifying U.S. states on a blank map.
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Jack McCall, 12 and a Bell School seventh grader, at “strike school.”
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Ezra Webera, 12, Conor Green, 13, Ben Monrisen, 13, Jack McCall, 12 and TJ Pellikan, 12, from Bell School participate in parent-led “strike school” at a family's home.
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Bell School seventh graders completing an assignment at "strike school." Their parents didn't want them to fall behind during this crucial year, when test scores and grades weigh heavily on high school applications.
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One of many trees outside of Bell School sporting red ribbons showing support for teachers.
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Some students from Bell School drew chalk designs outside of the school to support the teachers.
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Chalk designs by Bell School students.
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Chalk designs by Bell School students.
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Vince Muffit, 15, a sophomore at Lincoln Park High School, with his sister Clara Muffit, 12, a seventh-grader at Bell School. The pair went around their neighborhood to observe picketing teachers, then Vince researched the strike at home and wrote an essay on it in an effort to educate his sister.
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Wishcraft Workshop owner Candice Blansett-Cummins holds a drawing by a particpant in strike camp. The creative camp is designed to keep students engaged during their time off from school with art projects related to math, creative writing and other subjects.
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An example of a Haiku a teacher for the students at Wishcraft's strike camp.
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Wishcraft strike campers play during lunch.
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A Wishcraft strike camper reads during her lunch break.
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Wishcraft campers
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Wishcraft campers
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Alexander Thiedmann, 16, a junior at Northside College Prep, spends his time off from school at POW! gym in the West Loop working on his boxing skills.
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Thiedmann takes early morning group classes at “POW!,” and this week has stayed afterward to train alone since there is no school.
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Thiedmann trains at “POW!” during the strike. He hasn’t let the time off from school keep him at home, and is instead focusing on his training.
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Sam Atkins, 16, a junior at Lincoln Park High School, has used the time off from school to continue practicing his instruments.
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Atkins is unhappy about missing school because he says he is enrolled in three of the hardest music classes at the school and wants to be there to learn as much as he can.
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Atkins says he is worried about the strike jeopardizing college testing and a music tour he has planned for next summer.
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Lane Tech football gear ready to be used, even if the coaches aren’t available to guide practice.
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Lane Tech football players gather to discuss how to run their student-led practice. Striking coaches aren’t allowed to work with students on the field, so players arranged their own practice to stay in shape.
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"The practices are less disciplined and shorter, but there’s only so much we can do without our coach,” says Lane Tech sophmore Max Poliszczuk.
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Malcolm Grba, 15, a sophmore at Northside College Prep, runns to keep in shape during the time of the strike. He is on the Northside cross-country team.
Parent Vicki McCall teaches seventh-grade students from Alexander Graham Bell Elementary School social studies. She and six other mothers set up a “strike school” to keep their kids from falling behind.
Photo: Shiri Gross
With Chicago Public Schools students out of the classroom during the strike, we decided to hire a couple of "strike interns" to come to the office, learn about the publishing business, and give us their perspective on the ongoing debate. Shiri Gross, a sophomore at Whitney M. Young Magnet School, came to us with the awesome idea of documenting all the different ways CPS students were spending their time with a photo essay. We put her right to work.
As part of my Time Out Chicago Kids strike internship, I created a photo essay showing how CPS students spent their time this week during the teachers strike. Over the course of 24 hours, I took pictures of students all over the North Side of the city. Whether it was practicing football, attending strike day camps or "schools" that their parents had set up, I found that most students found effective ways to spend their free time.
Many of my peers are disoriented by the strike and hope to get back to school as soon as possible. They told me they want to get on with their education, sports seasons and rehearsals. They are worried about the strike affecting their summer plans, as well as testing for college or high school admissions. Many support the teachers, with some even visiting the picket lines. But we all want life to go back to normal.
