Elizabeth Skinner

Elizabeth Skinner is one of our many heroes in this community. She works with LSNA whenever she can and is an assistant professor of bilingual education. She is a mother of two a 14 year old girl and a 10 year old boy. She likes to read and listen to music, which also includes going to the concerts.

Elizabeth works with Logan Square Neighborhood Association and has been working with them since 2000. The first program she was in was in Roger’s Park.The program worked with LSNA which lead to her working with LSNA. She decided to became involved with LSNA due to liking the work that was being done by the the Organization. Her biggest project and accomplishment was the ”Grow Your Own Teacher” program. This program helped mothers learn from where teacher’s work so they may go back for their teaching degree and became teachers, and she got twenty to graduate from the program. She has also helped people who fit her definition of a hero.

Elizabeth shows how she’s concerned with the recent school closing and explained how the schools are being destabilized, forcing the students to go other schools that are usually or most likely far away from where they live and can cause problems for their education. During the talk she also mentioned how LSNA works with schools like Monroe and Mozart and likes working with LSNA.

Elizabeth's definition of a hero is, “Anybody that works for behalf of others or for others but who has overcome a lot of obstacles and big challenges.” She mentioned how there was student she met a few years ago who took care of her uncle’s kids and her siblings as she went to high school and almost finished but couldn’t because she had to move to Chicago, finishing high school there. She was bullied in school due to her lack of English skills. She soon gained a scholarship but eventually couldn’t finish college due to not having her papers.Years later after getting her paper’s, she joined the program Elizabeth was working in, eventually graduating from it and becoming a teacher.

Elizabeth works in an elementary school in “La villita” and helps maintain kids home language’s while also teaching them English. She works in a lot of schools including a few in the Albany Park neighborhood which is located in Irving Park. One of the school’s she teaches at is Patrick Henry, which is a elementary school in Albany Park. Elizabeth mentioned how the fact that seniors are missing credits to graduate and how it’s become a problem here and in the high schools.She  mentioned how she was excited about high school due to her daughter entering high school soon.

By interviewing Elizabeth my eyes have been opened to most of the problems facing our community lately like the school closings and the program she’s in charge of and how she help people who want to become teachers. She helped me see how it’s possible to make a difference in our community with non-violent protests. She showed us the many ways LSNA is trying to help our community and told us many ways to help our community. She’s given much information about my community just through this one interview.