One Cicero Teacher’s Account of How the Pandemic Amplified Existing Issues & What Can Be Done
Illustration by Ivan Salazar
By Jorge Martinez
The impacts of the pandemic have proven to be worrisome for some Cicero educators.
Rachel Montoya-Esposito is an educator at Unity Jr. High School, where she has taught for over 19 years, and is also the president of Local 571 West Suburban Teachers Union. She says the pandemic has worsened disparities that already existed in the public education system.
“When you teach at a low-income school, there are a lot of barriers you have to overcome every single day. The pandemic amplified those issues and we saw a need for human connection in such a tumultuous time,” Esposito said.
Esposito says that Cicero schools have not adequately responded to the changing needs of students particularly as they relate to mental health.
82% of the students in Cicero District 99 are low-income, almost double the average for Illinois schools. The transition to remote learning was difficult for students but communities like Cicero face unique technological, language, cultural and mental health challenges.
“This year, the social workers have been really overworked and stretched too thin. We had the highest instances of students needing social workers than in any other year. They would come up to me and say ‘I really need to talk to someone,’” Esposito says.
Esposito says that even those students fortunate enough to connect with social workers faced additional challenges, such as finding quiet or confidential places at home or the depersonalization of Zoom meetings.
“Our social workers have just been trying to put out the fires,” Esposito said. She says the district should hire more “desperately needed” staff to help address the social and emotional needs of students.
Cicero Independiente reached out to District 99 earlier this year for comment, and we were directed to the following public statement published on October 1, 2021.
“Considering the mental health needs that are being uncovered as schools navigate the current conditions for youth, Cicero District 99 has designed and developed a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) model that is responsive to these needs. Mental health and social/emotional learning supports are the foundation of everything we do. Students need to be connected and stable in order to learn and grow — academically and emotionally,” the statement in part states.
According to a Board of Education report, District 99 planned on allocating a total of $40,880,936 to respond to the impacts of the pandemic. The report outlines four priorities, among which are the loss of learning and school safety. This includes initiatives such as COVID testing services, technology updates, summer boot camps and the development of a new literacy curriculum. While the District outlines mental health services as an “assurance”, it is unclear what specific initiatives this includes. Mental health services were ranked seventh in a survey conducted by the district, according to the report.
A breakdown of this 40 million dollar fund makes no mention of mental health services.
“It’s not just about teaching kids. It’s about making things right,” Esposito said.
Schools should focus less on standardized testing and “cookie-cutter” letter grades, Esposito says, and adopt a holistic approach to education. One that values social/emotional learning, relationship-building, and more importantly, skills applicable beyond matriculation.
“I am really excited to see what Gen Z does with education. We are due for a change and ready for a change. I know Gen Z will be the ones to bring change,” Esposito said with a smile.
Jorge Martinez is a Cicero Independiente Fall reporting fellow and is currently a student at Bennett Day School. Jorge is a community activist for queer and youth voices.
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