The Week of november 11, 2019

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Chicago teachers strike

By: Jillian

Last week, teachers in Chicago finally ended their strike after two weeks. During these two weeks, schools were closed across Chicago, while teachers negotiated with the mayor for their demands.

Among the things the teachers in Chicago wanted were:

1. More social workers, nurses and librarians (many schools don't have any)
2. Class sizes are too big; they want smaller classes
3. Kids from poor areas to get more opportunities
4. They want cleaner facilities

I interviewed Mrs. Cosenza, an art teacher on the North Side of Chicago, to learn more about the strike and the opinions of the teachers.

Who decided that striking was necessary? When did it start?

When the Chicago Teachers Union began their negotiations for our contract back in January, having a strike never crossed anyone's minds. The new mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, ran on many campaign promises of more staffing in all CPS schools--librarians, social workers, nurses, smaller class sizes (can you imagine having 45 students in one room??) updated technology in schools and larger budgets for materials. As the months went on and the mayor's office did not want to look at or talk about CTU's requests, they knew that they had to take action. All teachers and staff in Chicago took a vote in late September to authorize the strike, and they set the date to begin on Thursday, October 1.

Is the principal against this strike or is she with them?

Our principal and vice principal were extremely supportive. It was very encouraging to have an administration that haven't forgotten what it is like to be a teacher; after all, that is how they started in education. They would wear red every day, bring coffee and food for us in the mornings, hang signs in their office windows showing support, and never made us feel as though they weren't there for us.

What do you feel about the kids not having school?

Missing days at school was very stressful. Most of all, we missed our kids. Our school is so much of a family. We also all had important lessons to teach, assessments to give, deadlines to reach, and units that we have been planning for weeks that we want to do. I missed more than half of a whole rotation of my students! (each art rotation is 5 weeks long) I could only finish one of the lessons that we had started. The students felt it too--on the day they came back, they went running down the halls shrieking with excitement.

Are you happy about the deal your getting?

I am happy and I am not happy with the deal that we received. She held off on the deal for so long and even admitted that they were withholding the funds, so this could have been reached much sooner. I am sad that schools will not be getting librarians and a lot of the more underprivileged schools will still have some over crowding among other issues, but I am happy to know that when the CTU came together, we held strong and can hopefully help show other districts that it is possible to fight for the kids. Because if we don't, who will?

What did you do to help the strike?

During the strike, all teachers picketed at their schools starting at 6:30 am and ending at 10:30 am. Many schools would move around and join forces together on larger intersections so that we were seen by more people traveling around in the morning. In the afternoons, we would attend rallies, marches, or pickets downtown. It as very powerful to be a part of the marches; you are with 30,000 other teachers, staff, families, and students all fighting for the same cause. Shutting down traffic in the loop was crazy!

Have you ever been or taught at a school where they wanted strike before?

This is my third year with Chicago Public Schools, and is the first strike that I have ever been a part of.

Have they had a strike like this before in Chicago?

There was a 1 day strike back in 2016, a 7 day strike in 2012, and a 19 day strike in 1987, as well as several others in the 1970s and 80s.

I want to thank Mrs. Cosenza for her time and this interview. Personally, I think this strike was very important, and am happy for the teachers and students in Chicago!

siblings in school

By: Lexi and Keira

As you know, there are a lot of siblings here at Hoffman. Maybe you know somebody who has a sibling at your school. Maybe you even have one here! Or, maybe you don’t. We picked a few students (and teachers!) who have siblings at Hoffman and spoke with them.

Interview with Mia (grade 5)

Lexi : Hello Mia

Mia : Hello.

Lexi : What's it like having siblings at school?

Mia: It can be decent at times, except when I argue with them.

Keira: And how would you feel if your sisters where in your class?

Mia: I think that would be bad sometimes and good sometimes. Because I would like to be with them, but I would mess around and argue with them.

Lexi: What would you like to do if they were in your class?

Mia: I would love to be with them. We would probably work together.

Keira : How do you act together on the bus?

Mia : We are fine on the bus. We may argue but we still love each other.

Lexi : Well it was fun talking with you Mia.

Interview with Ryan (grade 3)

Keira: Hi Ryan! How do you feel about having a sibling in school?

Ryan: It’s pretty good because I have someone to look up to and I have someone to talk to if I feel sad or bad.

Keira: Would you like to have that sibling in your class and why?

Ryan: It depends on if you are an older sibling or younger.

Keira: What If you were in the same grade?

Ryan: Well, it would just be like friends in the same class. It would not matter. But, we are in different grades.

Keira: How do you feel about having a sibling at your school?

Ryan: It feels good. I have someone to look up to.

Keira: Thanks Ryan. Why do you look up to them?

Ryan: Because they are older than me and an help me.

Keira: Well, thanks and have a great day.

Interview with Mr. Johnson (teacher of grade 4)

Lexi: Do you and your sister ever get your mail mixed up?

Mr. Johnson: Yes! Me and my sister get our school mail mixed up all the time! So I had to get used to writing J. Johnson, because my first name is Justin. And she had to get used to writing E.Johnson, because her name is Erica. So, yeah absolutely.

Lexi: So what school stuff would you get mixed up? Like grades? Or other things?

Mr.Johnson: It's not grades, it’s more like if we get like school forms. Since I have a bigger class, I would get less copies and she would get more copies.

Lexi : So, you would see that and immediately know?

Mr.Johnson: Yeah. That's the biggest one. Or, like sometimes when we are planning teacher meetings, when we forget to write our initials. For example, I was supposed to meet with Ms. Nathaus, but she thought she was supposed to be working with my sister. We figured it out, but it was pretty funny and confusing for those few minutes.

Lexi: So how did you feel when your sister came to work here?

Mr.Johnson: Hmm. So I don’t know if you know this but… a few years back, she was actually in my class as my assistant, right? So, I got to tell her “Hey go make my copies” and things like that. Which I LOVED! But, of course she hated it because she was older.

Lexi : Would you have to go get them?

Mr. Johnson : Well yeah. She would make me go get them sometimes. She would be like, “It’s your turn!”

Lexi : Where was Mrs. Johnson last year?

Mr.Johnson: She got married, and then spent a year playing music.

Lexi: When she was your assistant, would you ever argue with her?

Mr. Johnson: You know, we definitely fought when we were kids. I think we had to have a real honest conversation and just simply tell each other, look, we have a professional life and we have a personal life. And so we had to be really good at just being honest. And I think being honest with each other made us have less and less arguments.

Lexi: Well, it was really nice to interview with you.

Mr. Johnson: Really?! It's over already? Well bye then.

Recognized the names? Do you know these people? Do you know anybody who has a sibling at your school? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Opinions

Vaping

By: Lucy and Sydney

Vaping is really using e-cigarettes. Even though people might tell you that e-cigarettes are better than real cigarettes, e-cigarettes are still as bad. They can get you really sick, and you can even die from them. Vaping is as bad as smoking, and even if people tell you otherwise, DON’T vape.

The inventors were Hon Lick and Herbert A. Gilbert. They made e-cigarettes so people can quit smoking. The e-cigarettes produce less smoke every week, so people can get used to not smoking. But now teens, adults, and even kids are misusing them. Market research group Euromonitor estimates that the number of adults who vape will reach almost 55 million by 2021 (it’s almost 2020!). 33% of adults who vape do so to stop smoking; 11.5% ex-smokers now vape; and 10% 11-18 year olds have tried vaping at least once. There are currently 41 million vapers globally, but only 7 countries where vaping is banned.

This is NOT ok. The latest fatality brings the total number of vaping deaths in the U.S. to nine. According to the CDC, the vaping-related illness has sickened at least 530 people. Even though Vaping is increasingly popular, it is very bad for your body. In fact, most people that vape or smoke regret it. DON’T be those people.

But if popular means loads of money, then it’s partially correct. Spending on e-cigarettes is growing. The e-cigarette market is expanding, as the number of vapers rises. The global market is now estimated to be worth $19.3billion, up from $6.9 billion just five years ago. The United States, United Kingdom and France are the biggest markets. Vapers in the three countries spent more than $10 billion on smokeless tobacco and vaping products in 2018.

So say NO. Vaping is very dangerous. If you don't know how to say no, you could get into a lot of trouble.

And thankfully, vaping has been banned! A ban on the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes has been announced by US President Donald Trump, after a number of vaping-related deaths.

So... thank goodness! You’re not allowed to vape anymore! Remember, if you see someone doing it illegally, make sure to tell the police, or report it to an adult!

MEMES

By: Anthony

Hello Hoffman Hornets! Yes, I’m back. If you thought I was gone, THINK AGAIN!!!

As you all know, I run "Meme of the Week," and have heard some interesting things about memes. So for this week, I’m compiling every opinion about memes I’ve heard to create a mashed up, amazing, banger from yo boi (oh look, meme right there!)

First, the good. As you know, memes are funny and are meant to make us laugh. Take Vine (RIP), for example. When Twitter created Vine, the main reason that it was created was to make memes and make people laugh! That’s why there’s so many Vines on YouTube, because they still make us laugh even though they’re two or three years old!

Another reason is that memes continue to be one of the most popular things on the internet, and there are YouTubers such as Lazarbeam and PewDiePie that are dedicated to making memes in video games like Minecraft. But there are also channels like Useless Memes and Memecorp who compile memes together and they are pretty funny.

Now, the bad. After a while, memes can get super annoying. Like if you say YEAH BOII over and over and over again, it can get really annoying. And some memes are super offensive to other people’s skin color, culture, or body. Since these memes are pretty inappropriate, I won’t talk about them, nor do I support them.

But even though people have different opinions about memes, I hope we can all agree some are pretty funny. And we will continue to run them at the end of the Hoffman News.

The internet

By: Sandra and Emely

All over the world, people of all ages know one thing: the internet can be fun! You can play games, watch videos, even get information. You can write stories like this one on the internet, and post them so people can read them. But, you do need to know how to stay safe, and good a good citizen on the internet. For example, make sure you are always saying kind and appropriate comments on other people’s posts.

THE INTERNET IS FUN

There are many games to choose from. Choose a game you love the most. When you're not close to your friends or family members you call them or text them. Also when you're hungry and you don't feel like cooking, luckily there is an app called UBER EATS. This app allows you to order food, and they even ship it to your door. So have fun eating your favorite food while watching your favorite show or movie.

HOW TO STAY SAFE

When you're on the internet, make sure you're safe. If a person sends you an uncomfortable or weird comment, make sure you tell an adult. Also, you can keep people safe by only sending kind and appropriate comments yourself, and only talking to people you know. Also, make sure to ask an adult before downloading an app. They will tell you if it's a safe app.

Hopefully, with these tips and more, you will be safe on the internet.

Holiday Fun

Weather

Would You Rather?!

By: Henry and Lexi

Yes, "WOULD YOU RATHER" IS BACK!! Here are your eight depressing questions for the week...

Would you rather watch Shrek forever or Sofia The First forever?

Would you rather never be able to sit down, but go to sleep, or be able to sit down, but not be able to sleep?

Would you rather have all the money in the world and a 75% chance of dying any second, or be poor and have at least fifty years of comfort and reassurance of your life?

Would you rather be able to sing but not talk, or be able to run, but not walk?

Would you rather be able to be rich but have zero friends or be poor with lots of friends?

Would you rather eat the peal of a banana or eat a cockroach?

Would you rather have your socks wet for eternity or have to walk barefoot everywhere you go?

Would you rather be the younger sibling that is a genius but have no attention or the older sibling and have loads of attention?

Do you have a news story for us to cover?

Submit your ideas for a news story by sending an e-mail to our producer.