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From: Cooper, Tarrah
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 1:17 PM
To: mayor_re@rahmemail.com
Subject: Fran: 1st-grader gives thumbs up to push for longer school day, year
1st-grader gives thumbs up to push for longer school day, year
BY FRAN SPIELMAN
With temperatures rising and summer vacation fast approaching, you’d think the last thing that a kid would
want to talk about is a longer school day and school year.
Think again.
During a classroom visit Thursday at South Loop Elementary School, 1212 S. Plymouth Court, a firstgrader
asked Mayor Rahm Emanuel about his push for both, as if she just can’t wait to spend more time in
school.
“You would have more time in the classroom. You could have more reading time. You could have more
math time. You like that one? Was that a thumbs-up on math?” Emanuel said, kneeling down to talk to the
eager student.
“We can have more artistic programs — painting or dance or things like that. Is that a thumbs-up, too?”
The little girl replied, “Yeah,” and gave the mayor the thumbs-up sign.
Emanuel scored a victory during the Illinois General Assembly’s just-completed spring session on his No. 1
legislative priority: an education reform bill that paves the way for a longer school day and school year and
makes it easier to get rid of tenured teachers and more difficult for them to go on strike.
On Thursday, the new mayor seemed genuinely surprised that the little girl not only knew about it, but
welcomed more time in school.
“I’m glad you know about the longer school day. ... Would you give a thumbs-up to a longer school day?
How ’bout a little longer school year? Okay, we’ve got two thumbs up? And some more math and science?
That’s a double thumbs-up,” he said.
Minutes before, the student seated next to the little girl had proudly informed the mayor that Thursday was
her birthday.
That prompted Emanuel to say, “How ’bout some extra birthdays because, if you have a longer school year,
you catch some extra birthdays’’ — which means more birthday parties at school.
The birthday question drew the most enthusiastic reaction and giggles from the kids. Afterwards, Emanuel
played a round of thumb war with the eager student. He either let her win or lost fair and square because of a
Band-Aid on his thumb.
“I got you!” she told the mayor.