Chicago has gain a reputation for being one of the most violent cities in the country. We all know this is nothing to be proud of. With this reputation does that make it okay for a substitute teacher to show up to work in a bulletproof vest?

It’s actually very offensive and could potentially damage the mindset of the students he was put there serve. If we do not start treating our children and communities with respect they will surely parish. Ignorance breeds ignorance and I’m more disappointed in the school for allowing him in the building. They should have asked him to take it off or leave. They would never let this slide in a rich suburb school.

Their teacher took to Facebook, with her feelings on the incident:

My students sent me this because I didn’t believe it. Initially some (including myself) found this amusing but after I thought about it and discussed this with my students there are so many disturbing messages his decision and this picture sends. Before I get to the messages I got (because most people won’t read this entire post) let me say this: It is such a disservice to my students for people who call themselves “educators” (be it substitute or permanent) to allow their assumptions and archetypes to impede the work that they signed up to do: the work of changing mindsets, fostering hope, unlocking potential, creating opportunity, and establishing a culture of achievement. Instead far too many “teachers” are TEACHING and perpetuating bias, limits, cyclical failure, powerlessness. Something must change #OneTeacherAtATime #OneClassAtATime if this isn’t the work for you GET OUT!! I have taught in this same “rough” school 4 years and never even had so much as a fight in my room! When the students respect you, recognize and trust that you really are there to see them succeed it completely changes their behavior and performance! Imagine if they felt that way about all of their teachers…oh the possibilities!

Now on to this picture from my school specifically:
1. quite simply, it is incredibly offensive! But please know that I very intentionally assured my students that IGNORANCE BREEDS FEAR, HATRED, CONTEMPT and STUPIDITY. That their mere existence creates discomfort for far too many close minded and little people and they have done nothing to deserve it!

2. this man (and many like him in “urban schools” across the country) are telling my “urban” students as he sits in the computer lab (where 9 out of 20 computers work), paying no attention to the students, giving no instruction or even an assignment, investing no time or effort in the few moments he has with them is that it is far more likely that one of them will shoot him rather than do anything academic or productive.

3. it disgusts me to think that this man feels it is necessary to wear a BULLETPROOF vest both outside my school –on the Westside of Chicago–as well as INSIDE the classroom while he substitutes. This decision reveals that he assumed that at any moment my students–whom I teach every day WITHOUT Teflon–are so prone to violence that he is just as unsafe INSIDE the building (that he had to walk through metal detectors to get into) as he is on the street waiting at the bus stop in gang territory. This assumption is invalid! I have taught in my school 4 years and NEVER has a student brought a gun into the building and NEVER has any teacher’s life been in serious jeopardy. His decision spoke VOLUMES to my students before he even opened his mouth.