TIME FOR FAREWELL
The time has come to retire as CPSObsessed. The blog saw me navigating my way through the school research process when my son was entering kindergarten to his entry into high school this past Fall.
Thank you to everyone who posted comments, asked questions, and contributed to the lively discussion over the years. I read virtually every comment posted on the blog over the years and they kept me engaged for over 9 years.
Some of my favorite or noteworthy memories include:
The first time someone posted a comment who wasn’t a friend or family member. I got such a kick out of, not having any idea who many people would pass through over the years.
The massive number of views a few years when elementary school letters came out – 30,000 in one night was the record.
The days of all of us collectively waiting by mailboxes for letters to arrive, reporting when the mail arrived by neighborhood.
Meeting several of the heads of CPS over the years. Arnie Duncan, JC Brizzard, and Barbara Byrd-Bennett (met her via a phone call, after which I almost started crying because she worried me about what she had in store for CPS…little did I know.)
Getting to appear on Windy City Live (thanks to one of the blog readers!). I didn’t know what the show was and I almost showed up in shabby jeans and winter boots thinking nobody would see me from the waist down. Didn’t know until I arrived that it was a real TV show.
Meeting some blog readers in person, who have now become friends. (And other who were virtual friends over the years!)
The time one blog reader threatened another one with an actual fight (after some disagreement about the Tier System.)
The expansion of how many “good” schools are available for families. When I started this process it was like Burley, Blaine, and Lincoln. Nettelhorst was just on the rise and changed the way schools thought about presenting themselves to parents.
Optimism about neighborhood high schools being accepted as good options.
WHERE TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT CPS:
Our good friends a Chicago School CPS are a good source of information on applying to schools and open houses. Their Hidden Gems high school fair is a great resources. Check them out here:
http://www.chischoolgps.com/Home_Page.html
http://www.chischoolgps.com/Calendar.php
Also, the CPS web site has improved vastly over the past 5 years and is much easier to navigate than in the past.
WHAT ABOUT THE PAST POSTS ON CPSOBSESSED?
I’ll leave the old posts up for the time being and they are still searchable, so you can always look at the threads from prior years if you want to see what scores were needed for admission to certain schools.
The comments section will be locked, though.
AND FINALLY…
Good luck to everyone this year. As someone who’s been reading 1000’s of comments, talking to parents, and living through CPS for the past 10 years, the one things virtually every parents says is:
“IT ALL WORKS OUT IN THE END”
So try not to obsesses (too much.) Despite all the turmoil, CPS has many great options and ultimately it’s the teachers and school community that make the school experience. Find a positive community and your child will thrive.
