Management & Leadership Students Have an Impact

Challenge-based learning at it's best in the Management & Leadership class at Glenbrook North High School.  This year I gave my students an essential question, "How can leaders have an impact in their community or society?"  Students brainstormed coming up with 20 or more ideas and then choose which project they were most passionate about to work on during the semester.  Project ideas ranged from volunteering to raising awareness about a topic, click here to see the full list of what the students brainstormed.


For those not familiar with challenge-based learning, here's a great explanation from Apple's website:

"Challenge Based Learning is an engaging multidisciplinary approach to teaching and learning that encourages students to leverage the technology they use in their daily lives to solve real-world problems. Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and hands-on, asking students to work with other students, their teachers, and experts in their communities and around the world to develop deeper knowledge of the subjects students are studying, accept and solve challenges, take action, share their experience, and enter into a global discussion about important issues."

What I love about a challenge-based learning classroom is that students drive their learning and I am a mentor, coaching them along through the process.  I should also mention that the process is a big part of what I teach.  Since this is a Management & Leadership class, we naturally discuss important concepts like collaboration, leading and working with different personality types.  But I also put a big emphasis on pre-planning which includes thinking about what they need for their project and how to research the answers.  Students also need to reflect on the implementation process and self-evaluate.  As I explain to my students, these critical thinking skills and project management is extremely valuable in the real-world.  Depending on the occupation, most employers don't expect you to do test-taking memorizing but rather they want them to think and do!

So how did this whole challenge-based project turn out as far as answering the essential question of having an impact?  Great results!  Students this semester choose various topics which included entrepreneurship projects, creating a website to help students find jobs, raising money for the GBN Special Olympics team, increasing volunteers for a book reading project at the library and helping an elementary school in a low income community.  Working with the elementary school, Glenwood, in Waukegan, Illinois turned out to be one of the most value experiences in my classroom this year.  I presented the idea of helping this school to my students but they took their passions and decided how they would help.  From an entire class field trip that was eye-opening for GBN students, three groups evolved with various goals.   

Josh Kerman with Principal of Glenwood School

• Sports Group: This group set out to organize a 3-on-3 basketball tournament over Memorial Day weekend to raise funds for sporting equipment.  Despite their hard work, the tournament was cancelled because of lack of pre-registered participants. While my students were disappointed, they learned a hard lesson they sometime you can plan and plan but yet something might night turn out the way you hoped and so you need to use your "failures to move forward" to quote from another leadership field trip we attended.  One Senior, Josh Kerman from the group was so passionate about still helping Glenwood he donated his $500 scholarship he earned at graduation and his parents were so moved by this they matched the donation.  Glenwood in considering using the $1000 donation to build something on the playground in the upcoming year.
• School Supplies Group: This group coordinated with the administrators at GBN as did the sports group to get approval for promoting and using the facilities at school.  The group created advertisements, emails, and announcements to get the entire school involved in donating gently used school supplies.  Over 12 boxes were filled with donations along with two boxes of books from the Northbrook Public Library.
• Music Group:  Just like the Sports group, this group used their passion for a cause.  They called it "Music through Music."  The group approach the Tri-M Music Honor Society at Glenbrook North about making a donation.  Three members of the group also performed at Via Gelato in the Glen to raise money.  Mitchell Green, a member of the group and a classically trained guitarist, was able to work with his employer Gand to purchase 13 guitars for the school.  Tri-M has also pledge to donate again next year if another group plans to take on this project. 

The music group with Principal and Music Teacher at Glenwood School

As you can see a lot of community was involved in making all of these projects happen.  Students worked in their community and use their leadership abilities to have an impact on society! For any teachers interested in hearing more about the project let me know.  And to all my students, feel free to comment on this blog and share with the community about your experience.  

Music through Music: Fundraising for Glenwood Elementary

For our Leadership Impact project, we decided to improve the music program at an underfunded elementary school in Waukegan, IL: Glenwood Elementary. But how? We decided on collecting money through donations and performances to purchase up to 30 acoustic guitars for this school. The prestigious national music honor society, TRI-M, generously donated $700 to our cause. In addition, three of our team members, Andrew, Daniel, and Mitch, gave a performance at Via Gelato Cafe, in Glenview. They raised about $170. Cameron and Paul were unavailable to perform due to the school musical. For footage from Via Gelato, more information about our project, and the overall success, please watch the video below!

Book Buddies

Book Buddies is a program in which older kids read to younger kids, to help them develop their reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. Another thing in which the book buddies program helps the younger kids improve are their social skills. They learn how to interact with kids older than them and also they find a mentor in their book buddy.

Our leadership project was to help market this project; to have more students older and younger join in the program. As well we tried to market to the community to inform them about what book buddies really is and does.

For more information contact your local libraries on how you can get involved.

Personal Podcast project

Have a passion but still need a way to make money? I was stuck in that exact situation, and wanted to find a way out. So I combined the two! I wanted to do podcasting, so I worked on a way to find advertising for my podcast that is going to start in the summer. I talked to a couple businesses and found some local interest. I can't wait until this all gets going!

Market Day Leadership Project

Our goal was to increase Market Day sales and help DECA with their Market Day business. The first thing we did was gathered information from Mrs. Ingersoll, Mr. Rast, Mrs. Moon and Market Day Chairweb. After we learned their needs, we began to market Market Day. We hope that whom ever takes over Market Day next year can really making an impact and begin to drive more sales and continue to create more revenue. Enjoy!

Support for Special Olympics

We support Special Olympics, an organization for special needs teens to participate in recreational activities and sports.  Though it is a national organization, there is actually a local team with students from our high school.  We wanted to support this group because it is an amazing organization that needs more acknowledgement and support.  We hope that you are as passionate as we were, good luck!!!

Glenbrook North Helps to Bring Supplies and Books to Glenwood Elementary

We are trying to collect supplies and books to help the classes at Glenwood Elementary.  To do this we have contacted the Northbrook Public Library to donate books and we have set boxes around the school for people to donate new or gently used supplies. We have been successful in collecting books and are expecting supplies in the next two weeks. We hope someone will carry on this impactful project in the following years. Check out our video for more information!

3 on 3 basketball for Glenwood

This project made us come together and try to raise money for Glenwood Elementary.  What we tried to do was host a basketball tournament to raise money for sporting equipment for the school.

Unfortunately, the event didn't work out as planned.  Some things went wrong like the timing of the event. We wanted to hold it on the weekend of Memorial Day and it didn't work out because a lot of families were out of town and there were other tournaments going on already and kids just weren't interested.

Some words of advise I would give you would be to be more task oriented... split the project up into parts and assign work to everyone so not one or two people are stuck with all of the work.  Also make some more concrete goals!!!!!

Success means a lot of things. I think the biggest way I can define success is if in the end you learn something because if you don't what's the point to try to achieve if you don't learn.

Good Luck! I hope this helps

GBN students may help ease unemployment

In a time when our country's unemployment rate is on the rise and Americans are still struggling to find jobs, we knew that the best way to help out the country was to do what even the government can't do properly: create jobs. With our website, we're not only improving the welfare of students at GBN and giving them opportunities that open doors and deter them from getting involved in illicit activities, but we're also giving back to our community and more importantly our country. 

We created a website where teens can go to see the companies that are hiring in the area so they can get a job. The site is constantly being updated so that students don't get denied a position when they call or send applications simply because the position is filled. It improves the efficiency of the system and makes students aware of job openings that they may otherwise not known about.

We admit that our site is in its infancy. Our hope is that others in the future realize the potential of this program and expand on it to help solve an immense and pressing problem at a local level. We started something that should be integrated into the school website and leave a legacy that lasts for future generations to come.

Rights of Americans Living Abroad

As more and more Americans move to foreign countries, realizing the benefits of living in other countries, it has become even more important for Americans to know their rights, duties and responsibilities. We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions to educate the public on this growing trend. This list is intended to inform, enlighten and help people be lawfully abiding citizens outside of the United States while enjoying the world in a way you may have never seen before!

Photo Credits: AP Images

Can I get married abroad?
Yes, but it depends on the country you go to. Some countries may ask you to live in the specific country for a minimum amount of years, take a blood test and/or have a parent consent. For more information, go to http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm.

If I give birth to a child overseas, will he/she be able to get U.S. citizenship?
If you and your significant other are both citizens of the U.S., then yes, your child is eligible to to become a U.S. citizen also. But, if only one of you is a U.S. citizen, then your child can become a citizen if one parent has lived in the U.S. for 5 years before your child has been born (2 years must be after the parent is 14 years old). If your situation is more complicated, this website could further help you answer your questions: http://www.aca.ch/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=44.

Am I still able to vote in the United States’ elections even though I’m living abroad?
If you are a U.S. citizen, then yes, you can vote through absentee voting, which is when someone votes even though he/she isn’t present in the United States. American citizens are allowed to vote overseas courtesy of the Overseas Vote foundation which created the Voter’s Bill of Rights (found here).
http://www.aca.ch/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=34&Itemid=49

Photo Credits: AP Images

What health insurance plans are available abroad?
Health insurance plans around the world are often very similar to those here in the United States. Just as in the U.S., you must learn to pay attention to the details; some plans may cover one thing but not another, although it is very similar. Understand the plan!
http://www.liveabroad.com/articles/health.html

Does Medicare provide coverage when travelling abroad?
No. Medicare only provides coverage in the United States, if travelling abroad it is suggested to purchase traveler's insurance.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#insurance


What should you do in an event of an emergency if you’re abroad?
In an event of an emergency it is recommended to contact the U.S embassy as soon as possible. Consular duty personnel are available for emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at U.S. embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas and in Washington, D.C. To contact the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the U.S. call 1-888-407-4747 (during business hours) or 202-647-5225 (after hours). Contact information for U.S. embassies, consulates, and consular agencies overseas may be found at http://www.state.gov/countries.

Photo Credits: AP Images

               

Do Americans living abroad still have to file taxes with the United States Federal Gov’t?
Yes. As long as you still have a United States citizenship, you are required to file taxes just as you would if you live in the States. There is one difference however: you are required to report all income earned in that tax year regardless of which country it was earned in.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=250788,00.html

Photo Credits: AP Images

By Ben, Joanne and Aaron

How Does a Civil Court Case Work?

Well, to answer that it's complicated.  There are many steps that go into a trial and those steps can vary from case to case.  So every trial is different.  To help you understand a little bit more of how a civil trial works here is a video on a light hearted topic.

That video was only an example of a simple trial.  It doesn't mean that civil court cases are that simple and that the defense doesn't argue.  I had to make the scripts easy for the kids.  So here is a little more information on just how exactly civil court cases work.

Picture Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fabliaux/383476178/sizes/l/in/photostream/

     Basic Outline of a Civil Trial

1. Complaint- Plaintiff files a complaint with the court to notify the court that they are suing.  Keep in mind there is service fee through the courts for that.
2. Service- The court gives the complaint to a third party messenger to deliver the complain to the defendant.  That person must be over 18.
3. Answer- The defendant writes back a response to the complaint to the court telling why they are innocent.
4. Filing Motions- One side goes to court to ask the court for something.  Usually its to dismiss the case, ask the court to grant them access to something.  There are also many more motions those are just a few.
5. Discovery- Both parties look for evidence and witness.  One side can ask for a deposition with the other sides witness.
6. Jury Selection- Both parties ask potential jurors questions to see if they have any bias towards any side. (Not all civil cases have a jury)
7. Opening Statements-  Each side gives a statement about why they are right and how.  It's in introduction.
8. Witness examinations- Plaintiff calls a witness and asks questions.  The defense then gets a turn to cross examine the witness.  If the plaintiff wants to they can ask rebuttal questions to the defendants questions.  And so on.  Then the defense gets to call their witness, and the process starts all over again.
9. Evidence examination- Its like the same thing as witness examination but instead of witness it's evidence.
10. Closing statements- Each side gets to give one last word on the subject and wrap their point up.
11. Jury Deliberation- Jury goes into separate room and deciders their verdict.  It doesn't always have to be unanimous.  It depends on the case, state law, and many other factors.
12. Verdict- The judge reads the verdict out loud and the trial is over.

Not all of those steps are always in a civil case.  It depends on the case and all the facts to it.  That is the general gist of a civil court case though.

Are Lockouts Due to Greed?

It’s never about sports, but more the business that is so much more vital. In the last couple of months the sports world has had near tragedies regarding CBAs nearly locking out full seasons for the NFL and NBA. This causes not only the jobs of the players to be out of work, but every other job that is involved in keeping these organizations and stadiums running in their tip top shape. This sports crash, for lack of a better name, couldn’t have happened at a worse time considering what has happened to the world’s economy as of 2008. Many people can be quick to blame the players for the greed and quest for more and more money. Have these people really done their research? A straightforward definition of collective bargaining would be the negotiation between employers and employees attempting to resolve a conflict regarding the conditions of labor. In the sports industry, collective bargaining isn’t partly about money. It is all about money. That factor makes people believe that it is purely the players greed that is causing a lockout, why is that?


 

http://a2.twimg.com/profile_images/1026300128/Larry_Coon_2010_640.jpg

According to Larry Coon “The CEWN”, ESPN’s NBA salary cap guru, one example of CBA being purely about the business is Basketball Related Income (BRI). BRI is everything that is in sales in the NBA. This includes tickets, merchandise, etc. Players receive a certain amount of this income. Currently the players of the NBA receive 51.15 percent of BRI. This was changed from its original agreements of previous years of 49 to 51 percent. In the situation regarding BRI and the players, the players are certainly the losers. People that think that BRI is a player scam that just creates more cash flow for players, need to have their heads examined. On the other hand, for the owners it is just the opposite. However, the owners know a ton more about business more than all of the NBA players combined.  “The NBA entered negotiations  looking for a fundamental reset of the NBA's economic system and got it. In addition, players will lose approximately 20 percent of their 2011-12 salaries a result of the games missed due to the lockout.” Another example of this being a business issue is revenue sharing. Revenue sharing is an attempt to make big market teams share their revenue with all of the small market teams. This issue of revenue sharing has nothing to do with the players, but more so the owners. A new plan approximately triples the amount of money that is revenue-shared. Details of this plan are yet to be finalized considering how young the new agreement is. Obviously, this means that the small market teams are the beneficiaries. Teams like the Lakers are the ones who are required to step up to the plate and make the less fortunate teams benefit.

http://www.sportsclb.com/wp-content/uploads/a-rod1.jpg

Teams like the New York Yankees are dealing with a similar problem. Although MLB doesn’t have a salary cap, but the league makes a new rule known as a luxury tax threshold. According to Wikipedia, luxury tax is a surcharge put on the aggregate payroll of a team to the extent to which it exceeds a predetermined guideline level set by the league. This is similar to the rule that the NBA has in effect to help benefit the lower market teams. Currently the New York Yankees have the highest payroll in all of baseball. This threshold will force them to lower their payroll in order to prevent the team from purchasing big names like Alex Rodriguez or CC Sabathia.

Fortunately, MLB came to a CBA last year to avoid a lockout at the end of the 2012 season. But is it more than sports? It is. So many jobs are lost from the closing of just one professional sports stadium. Long story short, CBA is a killer for the economy. TV companies can be in a huge hole from certain advertisements while the endorsers are left in a hole as well with endorsing teams that aren’t even playing.

According to the Bleacher Report, the economic toll on sports has only led up to an increase in every price possible in a sporting event. Food, tickets, parking, you name it the price has skyrocketed. To some up and make a long story short, CBA is not just a matter of how much will certain people be paid. It is also a matter of fairness. What teams will benefit and which ones will purchase their championships. It has been proven however that teams with less money can still find a way to win. And we must approach the question, isn’t paying for players apart of the competition? Isn’t it all apart of the sport? That is not for us to determine.

Animal Rights

After researching the many organizations that contribute to animal abuse, we made a short video with some interesting facts about animal abuse and how you can help. We also found that the students of Glenbrook North love their animals and would never want anything to happen to them. Many people aren't informed about how they can help helpless animals. We made a video to educate them about preventing animal abuse.





Additional Laws in Illinois:

Cruel Treatment: A person convicted of violating this section is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. No person or owner may beat, cruelly treat, torment, starve, overwork, otherwise abuse any animal. (Class 4 Felony)

Aggravated Cruelty: No person may intentionally commit an act that causes a companion animal to suffer serious injury or death. (Class 4 Felony)

Animal Torture:  A person commits animal torture when that person without legal justification knowingly or intentionally tortures an animal. (does not include any death, harm or injury caused to any animal. (Class 3 Felony)

There are also many websites and organizations that you can donate towards helping animals in need, such as PETA and ASPCA.

Business Law: Internet Privacy

Group: Kyle, Richie, and Matt
Topic: Internet privacy and what the student body should know about it.

Implementation:
For our project we chose to take the social media route, fitting considering our internet based project. On Facebook, we created a page and shared it with students from our school. On it we posted various information and conducted multiple surveys and polls in hopes of increasing awareness of internet privacy seeing as how important a role the web plays in teenagers lives today. Our long term goal for our project is that our Facebook page will attract subscribers that will hopefully pass it on to their friends, generating the student education towards proper internet usage.

We started with our own Facebook page, complete with awesome cover picture courtesy of Matt.

Next we added some informational status posts that we hope will be helpful "hints" on the the insides and out of the internet.

Then from some times on out we plan to occasionally add interactive poles and questions to let others gauge how their peers "use" the internet, like this one.

While we only just got started, we hope our page will continue to grow in viewership and eventually reach the point where all GBN students have "liked" our page. Our final goal? Educate our fellow students one tiny status of knowledge at a time.

A preview of what's coming up...

Who really regulates internet privacy?
There is no comprehensive legislation in the United States that regulates the collection, storage, transmission, or use of personal information on the Internet. As new technologies have developed, the response has been to enact laws designed to target specific privacy-related issues on an ad hoc basis.

What exactly is a computer virus?
It's a computer program that can replicate itself and spread from one computer to another maliciously.

Find us on Facebook by searching "What you didnt know about internet privacy"
and LIKE US!

Our Sources:
://mashable.com/2011/02/07/facebook-privacy-guide/

http://www.ehow.com/about_5467757_state-laws-internet-privacy-safety.html

http://www.theprivacyguy.com/2007/05/09/facebook-and-the-government/

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9115818/FAQ_Clickjacking_should_you_be_worried_

Music Piracy at Glenbrook North High School

(Courtesy of Flickr)

Behind Music Piracy

There are over seven billion people on our planet. Realistically, every human on Earth is different than the person sitting next to them and because of this we share few things in common. One of those similiarites is music, the "art of arranging sounds". For thousands of years music has produced marvelous effects on people. These sounds can make a person happy and excited, or make a person sad and depressed. Every individual has his or her own favorite type of music. If we look back into the 20th century, if a person wanted to own music, he or she would have to stroll over to a record shop and buy the newest Beatles or Queen album. Only more recently, with the progession of technology, music moved to more compact forms. The emergence of the iPod has eliminated the need for anyother physical form of music such as the CD. As this is very convenient and efficient for the past-faced world we live in today, it also has created a huge problem striking the music industry. As easily as people can purchase music with the click of a button, they can steal it without paying just the same way. Sites like LimeWire and uTorrent have ravished the music industry in the past decade. Altough, these sites and programs are just catalysts for people to commit music piracy. Music piracy is a large-scale problem affecting the whole world. But, in order to try to educate the world of this detriment, we need to start small and build at the base, at Glenbrook North High School.

What is music piracy and what makes it illegal?

LimeWire Logo (Courtesy of Flickr)

Music piracy is the act of copying or distributing music that a person does not own. Music is protected under U.S. copyright law. It is just like the warning see you at the beginning of a movie. It tells you that the movie cannot be copied or sold and the punishments that follow. Just because on a CD or at the beginning of a song there is no warning, music is still protected from the same actions. The most palpable way to understand music piracy is to look at examples that quite possibly you have been involved in. The rule of thumb is if you did not pay for it , then it is illegal. The only exception is if the artist gave you consent or authorized you to have it for free. To start off, if a person downloads music off of a CD, then puts it on the internet or gives it to anyone else who did not pay for it, it is illegal. If you download music off of file-sharing sites, like LimeWire for free, then it is illegal. Anything along these lines where a person acquires music for free, equals an unlawful action. 

Why is music piracy bad?

(Courtesy of Flickr)

Any person may think that if he or she downloads one song off the internet for free, that it's not a big deal. The band or artist has billions of dollars and won't care about losing a little money. This may be true, but it's not only that one person downloading one song for free. It's millions of people downloading millions of songs for free, which hurts the music industry and economy. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the U.S. economy took a $12.5 million hit, including 70,000 jobs and $2 billion loss  in wages overall to employees of the music industry. This includes artists, songwriters, singers, bands, audio engineers, producers, publishers and more. Music piracy is a form of stealing as if a person stole a candy bar. That is why we chose to educate and create awareness at Glenbrook North High School (GBN).

Music Piracy at GBN

To begin, our goal for this project was to see how students at GBN were involved with music piracy, so that we could create awareness about it. In order to complete this goal we created a survey. This survey gave us conclusive evidence that at GBN, music piracy is indeed a problem. Here are just some of the many interesting questions we asked:

The first question we asked in our survey was, where do you download the majority of your music? 

About 36% of the respondents said that they got their music off of file-sharing websites. About 26% of the respondents ripped their music of of YouTube (taking the audio out of the video on YouTube). The  only option that wasn't illegal was getting music off of iTunes, by paying for it. 26% of the respondents answered this which is still much lower than all of the illegal responses. 

We asked, do you think file-sharing (LimeWire) is illegal?

64% of the people answered that file-sharing is illegal. This is true, and recently sites like LimeWire have been shut down for copyright violations. Still a large percentage of people answered that they believed it was legal. This is surprising because just recently a lot of these sites have been in the news for being in trouble with the law. 

We asked, on a scale of 1-5 how frequently do you illegally download music or songs off of the internet (5 being always, 1 being never)?

This was one of the most startling questions in this survey because as much as 38% of people always download music illegally. It then dropped off as it got closer to the never option. 20% of people say they never download music illegally off of the internet.

We asked, on a scale of 1-5 how guilty would/do you feel if you downloaded music illegally off of the internet (1 being not guilty, 5 being very guilty)?

58% of the respondents answered that they feel no guilt when or if they download music illegally. This just says how people are oblivious or uneducated about the consequences of pirating music. It also says how important it is to create awareness within GBN about music piracy, because statistically people don't really care. 

We asked, which of the following websites have you ever used?

From these responses, it is easy to conclude that modern technology and the advancement of the internet has been exploited by the students at GBN. Very few students said that they had never used any of these websites.

For our last question we asked, how much do you think the fine is for downloading one song illegally?

The real answer is there is a fine of $750 for illegally downloading one song. There are many other penalties, including jail time, that could follow. A good amount of people got this answer correct. But, 36% or the largest amount of people answered $200 for one song. A positive from this question is that people do recognize that there is a monetary consequence connected to illegally downloading music. 

How can we improve the awareness of music piracy?

Courtesy of Flickr

From our surveys, we saw that a large majority of students at GBN pirate music. As stated above it is a problem in the world, and now we can see that it is also a problem locally. We did this survey to not only find data about GBN, but also to create awareness. People now may start thinking about what they are doing when they illegally download music, and can change their ways. By answering these suggestive questions, all students thought about their actions actively. Music piracy not only affects its own industry, but everyone. These artists create valuable work, and need to be compensated. Change can start at Glenbrook North High School. Lastly, with the willingness of its own students, GBN can end music piracy and educate citizens about the wrongfulness of music piracy within its own community.

Rights of Foreclosure

Rights of Foreclosure

In the U.S., each year, lenders file millions of foreclosures. As a homeowner or a future homeowner you should know the basics of foreclosure. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation you will know how to prevent losing your home and your rights throughout the process.

Foreclosure Overview
Homeowner’s Rights Act:
This act requires the lender to give a complete and clear notification of the borrower’s legal rights and options if a foreclosure suit is served. The notice needs to still advise the homeowners that they can still sell their home or pay off their loans during the redemption period. A redemption period is the time that the homeowners get to stop the foreclosure.The law also requires lenders to provide borrowers with an accurate statement of the outstanding mortgage balance within 10 days of the borrower's request.This gives the people time to see the exact money needed to stop the foreclosure and lets them find a way to get the money.

The process of foreclosure:
In Illinois the foreclosure process takes approximately nine months. There are several key steps a homeowner should know about. Foreclosure begins with default; that is when you miss your first payment on your home. If you default for three months, then your lender can start the legal process of foreclosure. After your lender files for foreclosure you will receive a summons telling you what’s happening and your rights including reinstatement and redemption. You must reply to the summons. If you don’t the the lender will move for a summary or default judgement. If you are unable to pay the money you owe the lender within 7 months after the summons the lender may sell the home by judicial sale. You must be notified of the sale. The notice must also be published for at least three weeks prior to the sale. The lender files a petition with with the court confirming the sale. The court will confirm the sale unless they find issue with the legality of the sale.

Definition:
If a borrower has missed payments on his mortgage, it causes the mortgage to go into default. The lender then has the right to start foreclosure proceedings according the the Illinois foreclosure law. The law states that “the lender is permitted to file a lawsuit in order to begin judicial foreclosure proceedings, as a non-judicial “power of sale” foreclosure is not allowed under Illinois foreclosure law.

Rights:
A homeowner who has defaulted on his or her payments, but is able to come up with the capital owed to the lender at the time of the foreclosure notice may stop the process of foreclosure. If this is not the case the homeowner may talk to the lender and try to organize a private sale. This generally can pay off the existing mortgage debt and leave the homeowner with a profit. You are allowed to remain in the home during a foreclosure, but you must maintain the home and pay taxes and insurance on the home as you normally would. In most states the homeowner has the right of redemption. This law allows the homeowner to regain ownership of their home by paying the foreclosure sale price on the home and an interest rate to the lender.

Avoiding Foreclosure:
Making Home Affordable Program (HMA): is a strategy Obama created to help stabilize the nation's housing markets and improve the nation’s economy.
Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP): HAMP lowers your monthly mortgage payment to 31 percent of your verified monthly gross (pre-tax) income to make your payments more affordable.
Principal Reduction Alternative (PRA): PRA was designed to help homeowners whose homes are worth significantly less than they owe by encouraging servicers and investors to reduce the amount you owe on your home.
Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP): If you are current on your mortgage and have been unable to obtain a traditional refinance because the value of your home has declined, you may be eligible to refinance through HARP. HARP is designed to help you refinance into a new affordable, more stable mortgage.

Rights during foreclosure:
Once your lender has filed a Notice of Default you still have the chance to work with you lender to find a solution to your situation. Possible solutions include loan modifications, short sale, or a deed in lieu. You still have the right to pay back all missed payments and fees after the Notice of Default. Even if you think you have stopped the foreclosure process it’s possible that it’s still going through, because the process continues until the situation is entirely resolved. So, if you’re working on a potential modification until the modification goes throughout the foreclosure process is continuing.

U.S Government Tips for Foreclosure:
1. Don't ignore the problem.
The further behind you become, the harder it will be to pay back your loan, and eventually you will lose your house.
2. Contact your lender as soon as you realize that you have a problem.
Lenders do not want your house. They have options to help borrowers through difficult financial times.
3. Open and respond to all mail from your lender.
The first notices you receive will offer good information about foreclosure prevention options that can help you weather financial problems. Later mail may include important notices of pending legal action. Your failure to open the mail will not be an excuse in foreclosure court.
4. Know your mortgage rights.
Find your loan documents and read them so you know what your lender may do if you can't make your payments. Learn about the foreclosure laws and timeframes in your state (as every state is different) by contacting the State Government Housing Office.
5. Understand foreclosure prevention options.
Valuable information about foreclosure prevention (also called loss mitigation) options can be found online.
6. Contact a HUD-approved housing counselor.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds free or very low-cost housing counseling nationwide. Housing counselors can help you understand the law and your options, organize your finances and represent you in negotiations with your lender, if you need this assistance.
7. Prioritize your spending.
After healthcare, keeping your house should be your first priority. Review your finances and see where you can cut spending in order to make your mortgage payment. Look for optional expenses--cable TV, memberships, entertainment--that you can eliminate. Delay payments on credit cards and other "unsecured" debt until you have paid your mortgage.
8. Use your assets.
Do you have assets--a second car, jewelry, a whole life insurance policy--that you can sell for cash to help reinstate your loan? Can anyone in your household get an extra job to bring in additional income? Even if these efforts don't significantly increase your available cash or your income, they demonstrate to your lender that you are willing to make sacrifices to keep your home.
9. Avoid foreclosure prevention companies.
You don't need to pay fees for foreclosure prevention help--use that money to pay the mortgage instead.
10. Don't lose your house to foreclosure recovery scams
If any firm claims they can stop your foreclosure immediately and if you sign a document appointing them to act on your behalf, you may well be signing over the title to your property and becoming a renter in your own home! Never sign a legal document without reading and understanding all the terms and getting professional advice from an attorney or a trusted real estate professional

Foreclosure scams to beware of...

• Offers to improve credit or to receive finance from an investor
• Offers to rent your house back in time
• Offers to lend you more than the required amount
• Last minute changes in terms
• Agencies offering counseling through phone
• Phantom help-a liberator who charges for everything imaginable, but does nothing to save your home.
• Bailout- a liberator tells you that you will remain in the home as a renter and you can eventually buy back the home. Once they own the home they can sell it to anyone they like.
• Bait and Switch- you think you are receiving a short term loan, but the scammers sneak a little clause in the paperwork that turns ownership over to them.

What do Chicago lawyers have to say?

SULAIMAN LAW GROUP BLOG:
In this tough economy many people are struggling with their personal finances which is contributing to their debt, which ultimately ends with their house in foreclosure. In this survey conducted in this law group’
s blog stated that
3% are perfect
4% are fine
13% could use help
80% are in need of MAJOR help

These staggering statistics calculated shows that many people are struggling with their finances. The law group also states that the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) passed by congress in 2008 has barely helped the housing market. The law was a $700 million program designed to help homeowners struggling with mortgage debt. The effect of this law has not been great at all.
We attempted to contact Senator Richard Durbin to hear his views on this subject, unfortunately he didn't respond to our email.