OT: M Alum doin good stuff

Submitted by JeepinBen on

So in light of the Tunsil news where a coach went "above and beyond" (the rules) to help a student, this post that came across my feed was pretty cool. A Michigan alum who's teaching in *one of, if not the, highest poverty areas a definitely underserved part of Chicago has named her classroom "The University of Michigan" and has a giant block M on the wall. She's working towards getting some more technology for her students and it seems like a cool thing. Trying to stay out of the politics of school funding in the US (NPR had a cool series right now) it's always good to see a Wolverine doing good in her community and instilling the love of Michigan in some youngsters.

http://www.donorschoose.org/project/technology-to-help-personalize-our-learn/1971040/#pm15958234

In light of how many of us became Michigan fans (Parents, Football, Education, Harbaugh http://mgoblog.com/diaries/how-i-became-michigan-fan) it's awesome to see an alumna engraining the Maize and Blue a few kids along the way.

*corrected the post based on comments re: neighborhoods, etc. As a Chicagoan I can definitely say that education in our city needs help, which is really the main point of what I was trying to say above.

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Yo_Blue

April 29th, 2016 at 9:08 AM ^

My Aunt (UM Alum) was a middle school teacher in the Chicago area.  She made her kids sing The Victors.  The kids never had a problem with it - the parents on the other hand gave her a hard time.  She didn't care. She always gave extra credit for Michigan-related papers.

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ScruffyTheJanitor

April 29th, 2016 at 9:22 AM ^

but school funding makes no sense to me (Note: I am not an accountant). 

Anymore, the parents might as well write a $1000 check up front in order to pay for all the supplies and trips they take. 

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DreisbachToHayes

April 29th, 2016 at 10:54 AM ^

My job gives me lots of experience with school funding issues.  This is pretty well correct.

What often exacerbates the problem is that districts and/or localities with the biggest funding gaps/challenges also have much higher incidences of fraud and corruption (ie Detroit and Chicago).  

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Jgruss42

April 29th, 2016 at 9:34 AM ^

Teachers have it really hard
But I looked up the school. 5500 W Belmont (unless there is another school of the same name) is not is an area of massive poverty. It's the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. It's a fairly average, perhaps slightly below average, neighborhood. That being said, ESL students are typically living far below average. My cousin teachers at a neighboring high school. I grew up around there and know the area quite well.
I am sure that this charter school (owned by a for/profit company) underfunds the school. I am equally sure this teacher really needs the funds for her students.
This is a good and worthy project, but doesn't need the hyperbole to be worthy of attention.



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CHICA.GO_BLUE

April 29th, 2016 at 9:55 AM ^

First of all, the neighborhood the school is in means relatively little when considering the students household income. It's a charter school, students don't necessarily come from the immediate geographic area. Second of all, the school is run by Christopher House... A non-profit. Info here: https://christopherhouse.org/ I understand being skeptical, but you made a ton of uninformed assumptions in this post.

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Jgruss42

April 29th, 2016 at 4:15 PM ^

You're right about a bunch of stuff here. I spent some more time looking at Christopher House. It's been around a long time. It's a not for profit. My assumption was that it was managed by the LEARN or NOBLE networks of schools. Christopher House is not. So thanks for setting me straight there. However, I made no assumption about classroom income. I merely stated that the NEIGHBORHOOD (which is about 5 blocks from where both of my parents went to high school and only about a mile from where I grew up), is not poverty-ridden. I explicitly stated that classrooms with ESL are more likely to be below the neighborhood income. The only 4 years in my life I didn't live within 5 mikes of that school is when I was in Ann Arbor. I know that stretch of Belmont really well. But, I've never been in Christopher House. Also, I think my post was super clear about the teachers need and the worthiness of her campaign to get her students chromebooks. So, whatever assumptions I made about the school I am 100% willing to stand corrected. However, if you think I an uninformed about the city's north side neighborhoods, you're hilariously wrong.

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03 Blue 07

April 29th, 2016 at 9:55 AM ^

That's cool. I can tell you that Belmont/Craigin is nowhere near as destitute, violent, and poverty stricken as (among others), Englewood on the south side and Austin on the West Side. Source: I've been to all 3 areas within the past 3 years.



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CHICA.GO_BLUE

April 29th, 2016 at 10:05 AM ^

Again, you're comparing neighborhoods. Students at charter schools come from all over the city, some might even come from the neighborhoods you're referencing. Regardless, we're getting hung up on the OP's choice of words... Does it really matter if the kids are the MOST impoverished? Clearly this teacher is supporting kids that need it. Let's keep the big picture in mind here.

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ijohnb

April 29th, 2016 at 10:43 AM ^

many really impovershed inner-city areas, Charter Schools are the only schools that are relatively functional for their intended purpose, for profit or not.  Many of the public school "districts" are so broken that the schools function only as social gathering point for organized loiltering, drug dealing, etc.  The Charter Schools in these type of areas almost universally serve low income impovershed kids who have parents who won't dare send them to the public "school" alternative.  They are mostly college prep schools for impovershed families who want their kids to get out, someway somehow.  It would be a very rare occurence for an affluent student to be sent to one of such schools for any reason.

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Lucky Socks

April 29th, 2016 at 9:53 AM ^

Good for her, but I will dispute the "If not the the poorest part of Chicago" of your post.  Regardless, good for her and I'm happy for those kids for having someone willing to literally and figuratively make efforts to invest in them.

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His Dudeness

April 29th, 2016 at 10:14 AM ^

I'm fairly young (33) have a full-time job, a masters degree from the great University of Michigan. I don't have kids, not married yet. I pay taxes. Have a fully diversified portfolio with a nice little nest egg. I do some very light day trading as a hobby. I have my text books in my office. When making a decision in my professional life I like to back my ideas up with bulletproof data. I always make financially sounds choices and never over extend myself. I drink moderately on the weekends but never on a "school night." We are home owners x3 two of which are now rental properties. We have two cars, both paid off. Sometimes I even save enough to make double mortgage payments. #TheMichiganDifference

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StephenRKass

April 29th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^

This is a great story, thanks for the link. Good to see Michigan grads doing great things.

Thanks also for the edit on poverty. I grew up in the inner-city of Chicago in the 1960's, less than 5 miles from the school. It is true there is poverty in that area. However, there are certainly areas that are much worse. Here's an example. The median household income where the school is located is $32k. Last year I spent a day with my Dad in Englewood on the south side, the area where Derrick Rose grew up. We were visiting neighborhoods where Dad lived in the 1930's and 40's. Today, those areas have a median household income under $18k. Significantly worse than where Christopher house is located, and also significantly more affected by crime, gangs, and murder.

Here's a link for those who are interested in census income data:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130108/BLOGS08/130109821/how-rich-is-your-neighborhood

This isn't to denigrate what the teacher is doing, or to suggest that the area isn't dealing with poverty. Just choose words carefully to avoid extremes and absolutes.

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JeepinBen

April 29th, 2016 at 1:26 PM ^

I got my info from the post, which itself is probably written to seem more extreme than it is (not that they don't need resources, etc).

I live almost 4 miles due east of the school, and yes, Belmont Craigin isn't great, but it's not horrible either - it's all relative.

As has been said a ton, these kids and their teacher definitely deserve support no matter what.

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Jgruss42

April 29th, 2016 at 4:20 PM ^

+1 for the edit. I initially only raised the point because there are schools around town that are actually destitute, and struggling for stuff in a major way. So I appreciate the fix. Also, thanks for linking to her project. Her project is totally worthy. Schools need funds. Period. She is asking for help to get chromebooks into the hands of her students with need. I'm glad she's an alum, she's doing good, and it's helping my home town. All good.

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msimms

April 29th, 2016 at 3:32 PM ^

Although neighborhood can be a good way to estimate the make-up of a classroom, it is not always a good indicator.  I have taught an ELD (English Language Development) math class in a very wealthy district where the majority of my class was on free or reduced lunch. Furthermore, since people self-select for charters, a charter will often become known for working well for a particular population.  For example, if a charter is known for having a good ELD program, they may attract more immigrant families from out of the area.  

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