Nurture and Discipline: Why This Chicago Mom Chose a Charter for Her Special Needs Son

Posted Jan. 30, 2015 in Charter Schools

A Chicago native, Latrice McArthur is a mom of one son, Jonah. She is executive director of the Bella Cuisine Kids Cooking Club, an after-school… Full profile →

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I am a proud charter school parent.

My son, Jonah, is in the fifth grade at Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Wrightwood. He was born prematurely and had several challenges early on in life. When it was time for him to attend school, I weighed all of our options and visited several schools. The CICS environment was warm, welcoming and nurturing.

At CICS, Jonah is able to receive all of his required special education services and therapies. Jonah has thrived in this environment, and despite his challenges, he has been an honor roll student since kindergarten. He has also won spelling bees, geography bees and science fairs. Jonah reads at a seventh grade level and is constantly celebrated as an accelerated reader.

For my job with an after-school program, I travel throughout the city servicing both charter and public schools. The overwhelming difference that I see when visiting different schools is the level of discipline at charter schools—the discipline that is necessary for teachers to be able to effectively teach. The students are taught to respect everyone, and there is a great deal of parent participation.

Having an environment where parents, teachers and administration are all working towards the same goal creates a road to success for young people.

Supporting School Choice for Others

I have recently become a Wrightwood School Parent Advocate because it is important to me that all parents have a choice in how their children are educated. Every child should have access to a quality education. Schools should not simply be buildings to house children throughout the day.

Fortunately, we found a charter school network that provides parents with great educational opportunities for their children. If the only option for my son had been our neighborhood school, I would have been forced to homeschool or select a private school for Jonah, which would have created a tremendous financial burden for our family.

It Takes a Village

This year, I also joined the CICS Wrightwood PTA because I believe that schools, parents and the community should work together to promote the well-being and learning of all students.

When schools actively involve parents and engage community resources, they can effectively address the needs of students. Fostering partnerships among schools, families and community organizations is paramount to the success of students and the communities in which they live. I am proud to be a part of a network of schools that makes these partnerships a priority.