Q&A: CPS Vs. Suburban Public Schools

Haya Ahmad is a 22-year-old graduate of The University of Illinois at Chicago. With a passion on finding a career that will make a difference, she currently is on the path of becoming a high school history teacher. Ahmad attended a suburban high school but has experience with the Chicago public school system, while student teaching there during her senior year in college. I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with her regarding what she has discovered about Chicago public schools.

Q: What made you want to become a teacher?

A: I never had a defining moment where I realized that teaching was my calling; I actually did a lot of thinking when it came to picking it as my profession. There was a point where I realized that my profession would define the goals that I set and the mentality that I have for basically the rest of my life. Therefore, I would want that job to be something that encompasses my purpose in life and helps me strive to achieve it. Teaching adolescents was the way I decided to go about accomplishing my goals.

Q: What sort of experiences have you had with the education system in Chicago? Where did you go to school and what was it like?

A: I’ve had various experiences with CPS and education in Chicago. Although I attended high school in Skokie, a suburb that neighbors Chicago, I had family members in CPS. My cousins were in magnet and gifted schools, where the entire school was dedicated to higher-achieving students. Prior to student teaching, I did observations in various CPS high schools. Some were turn-around schools, meaning the entire school was shutdown and the staff was fired, then it was renovated with an entirely new staff. Others were simply low-performing schools that were on probation. The experiences I’ve had were very eye opening and made me realize how fortunate I was to have graduated from my high school.

The high school I attended, Niles North, is known to be one of Illinois’ top schools in spending per pupil. We had a lot of luxuries that we took for granted, such as state-of-the-art technology, a STEM lab, excellent and well-paid staff, after-school activities and trips that were available to all students. So when I visited CPS high schools and had to play the part of a teacher there, the change was drastic.

Q: How did you end up student teaching at a Chicago public school?

A: I chose a handful of schools in my vicinity, which happened to include some CPS high schools. My university placed me into a school that they felt best fit me.

Q: What differences did you see in the education at a CPS versus a public school in the suburbs?

A: Resources. I student taught at one of the top high schools in CPS and parts of the building were in a dilapidated state. Barely any classrooms had whiteboards and we did not have document-camera readers, one thing I remember using when I was in high school. Document-cameras were very vital in my high school and I remember my teachers teaching us with them. This seemed like a dream to us in the high school where I student taught.

I know of charter high schools that contain the words “Technology Academy” or “Science Center” while lacking basic technological resources and lab necessities. This obviously ties in with the city and its budget for the education system, but when comparing CPS to a suburban school, particularly the ones I attended, the amount of resources and the money available are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Q: What is your opinion on the education system in Chicago?

A: Like all systems of Chicago, it could use a little tweaking. However, the staff members with whom I worked were passionate about their profession and were invested in their students. They helped me grow as a teacher and an overall person. I do think there should be more priority given to Chicago public schools by the city.