The virtues of planning “backwards”: A response to the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (Episode 5)
In Episode 5, the Tribune claims that the strike is causing high school seniors to lose time to apply to college and gain valuable advice from teachers and counselors.
It seems that no one on the Tribune Editorial Board has read any of the protest signs or demands from CTU, because a large percentage of them outline, in no uncertain terms, CPS’ need for counselors and smaller class sizes.
Secondly, once again, the Tribune wants teachers to get back to work so they can continue to do uncompensated work, like write recommendations and offer feedback on college admittance essays. Most teachers are happy to do these things for our students because we are in this work to help students succeed beyond our classrooms. But this is a bold demand from an Editorial Board that wanted CTU to accept the contract that initially reduced elementary school teacher’s prep time by 50% each week.
With the demand for smaller class sizes (28 students or less) met, teachers of seniors in high school can focus more exclusively on students who need assistance with college applications — writing detailed, individualized recommendation letters and providing differentiated feedback to admissions essays.
It’s true that applying to college can be a harrowing and confusing process — which is exactly why we need more resources to help students do it. We also need more resources down the pipeline so that when students get to their final years in high school, they’re ready to take the initiative toward that step.
The Chicago Tribune should take a step back and look at the big picture. As educators, we know how to “plan backwards”, with the end-goals in mind (in this case, our students’ long term academic and personal success). If those critical of the CTU understood this concept, we’d be collaborating, not fighting.
