'Twas the night before the strike, and other thoughts from a "selfish teacher"

'Twas the night before the strike, and at each school site,

Not a sub plan was written, late into the night.

The classrooms were left with the utmost of care,

Though the district leaves buildings in severe disrepair;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions improving their futures danced in their teacher’s heads;

And so the next morning with teacher’s dressed in black,

We’ll encourage the district to have our students’ backs,

Out on school sidewalks there will arise such a clatter,

In hopes that the news crews can see what is the matter.

Then away to the district we’ll drive like a flash,

The place with too many administrators and not enough cash.

The sun on the signs of a disgruntled union,

Will give reasons to hopefully clear up confusion,

For when the district makes decisions that seem quite ominous,

We just want them to keep their promises,

United together our union will stand,

We’ll whistle, and shout, and call our demands:

"Now, arts! now, music! now smaller class sizes!

On, psychologists! on, nurses! on, counselors and fair compromises!

So while right now it feels like our district’s the worst—

I hope we can come together to put students first!

Tomorrow my teacher's union goes on strike. We avoided one a year or so ago at the last minute. (Literally the night before we found out we weren't going to strike--the mayor stepped in and the superintendent and union signed a contract.) That was good, but now the district doesn't want to honor all parts of our contract. That was not good, so with a list of thirty odd complaints of unfair labor practices, we'll strike. But what makes me angry is the portrayal of teachers being selfish--that we are pushing for more money for us at the expense of beneficial programs for our students. That because we want our contract honored, students will lose these resources, since the district can't afford all of it. But it's a false dichotomy. The district is in a financial mess right now, which is neither the teachers, nor the students fault, and yet we are expected to carry the burden of sacrificing so the district can stay afloat. It's like when the government shuts down, and the people who shut it down somehow still get paid, while people who need the money more, and are  who the government is supposed to be serving, don't get paid and suffer for other's mistakes.

Our superintendent has a lot of talk that sounds promising--on paper, our goals are the same, to provide a quality education for all of our students, and yet the decisions I see our district make--spending lots of money to prepare for the last strike instead of sitting down and meeting with us, spending lots of money suing the union (which didn't get far, because it wasn't a valid case), calling for a meeting with the union this time around, but refusing to enter the room and talk, losing a massive surplus of money so that our district may get taken over by the county--doesn't seem to prioritize students. The first things to get cut are new teachers and district programs that are actually beneficial. They ask teachers for "shared sacrifice" but it certainly doesn't feel shared. We sacrifice enough. We work well beyond our contracted hours. We pay money out of pocket to enrich our students' education. We make far less than similarly qualified professionals in other fields. And now you want to tell me I'm selfish because I want to make sure that money saved from revisiting the teacher health care plan should go directly to services like more nurses and counselors for my students, and not so the district can squander that money away as well? That I'm selfish because I want the district to honor a signed contract? That regardless of their financial situation, I care about the precedent it could set for other districts and unions if ours can pick and choose what parts of a contract to honor and not have any consequences? If that makes me selfish, I'll be selfish, so my students can have a brighter, fairer future.

Open the Gates and Seize the Day

The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. - Cesar Chavez\

'Teachers deserve respect,’ I explain. ‘Why do they get it for free, when everyone else has to earn it?' -Jodi Picoult

It's been a while, dear reader, too long since I've written, but it looks like I might be part of a strike. And it felt like a good time to resume blogging, so here we go. I took part in a strike vote, and voted yes. I had put my trust in the goodness and logic of human beings-that a strike vote of "YES" would motivate the school board to make some concessions and we wouldn't have to go through with it (to be fair, we don't know just yet, but based on school board actions, it's not looking good). And I had this hope not for me and my salary, but for my students. Because I know what one day off routine does to them. Because I know that missing a day of school is missing a lot. Because I know that I can continue living with my current salary, while some of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Because I didn't go into teaching for the money.

But that's just the problem--that many who find themselves as teachers don't do it for the money, and find themselves constantly putting their students before themselves. It's admirable, and it's part of what makes a good teacher, but it's not fair. It's not healthy that there's this culture in America that many jobs equate success and doing a good job with long hours and sacrificing your personal life. But many of these jobs that glorify long hours are jobs that may be lucrative or high paying--where those sacrifices of personal life and sanity are compensated. But teaching? Your soul may be compensated, but your ability to pay for utilities, rent, and small luxuries are not. 

I certainly didn't accept my current teaching position for the money. I accepted it knowing that SCUSD pays less than the two previous districts I worked in, but I didn't take the job for the district, I took it for the school. I accepted it because I found the perfect opportunity at the right time--that I had stumbled upon a school whose teaching philosophy strongly matched my own--that I could learn a new way of teaching that somehow didn't feel so new--that I found a principal who is approachable and supportive and visible at school--that I found what I didn't know I was looking for. 

But it was never about the money...and I realize that that's part of the problem. If I could support myself and my current lifestyle, I would teach for free because I love learning, I love working with children, and I love feeling that my job makes a profound difference (which at the same time is terrifying). But I shouldn't have to! There's a whole other direction I could take this argument--and I won't go into it now--but the fact that teaching (especially elementary teaching) is female dominated absolutely contributes to the lack of respect and low salaries that teachers get. But that's a topic for another day.

Back to the strike-the strongest argument for not increasing the salary scale in SCUSD is that we have good benefits--and it's true, we don't have to pay anything for health insurance. Which is great, but I looked at a pay stub from when I worked in a nearby district where I was contributing to my health benefits, and I compared it to a pay stub from the same month last year. With a year more of experience, I made~$50 more in take-home pay for that month. But ~$150 was being taken from my paycheck each month for health benefits at the previous district, which means my take-home pay was really ~$100 less. Long story short, the good benefits doesn't make up for the lower salary. I would gladly pay a little something for my benefits to get the SCTA's salary proposal.

Benefits or no, what makes this situation all the more frustrating is that the district has this whole "make Sacramento the destination district" campaign going on...and yet every week I get multiple emails with the subject "Notification of Vacancies." And two months into the school year there are multiple teaching vacancies. How can a district expect to attract students if families cannot reasonably expect quality teachers at every school--much less enough teachers at all? So for this, I voted for a strike, and for this, I will follow through on that vote if it comes to it. Because it's high time teachers were treated with the respect-and compensation-that they deserve, or at the very least a comparable amount of respect and compensation that other teachers in our state also receive. (Because, as in everything in teaching, it is never enough-never enough time, money, or resources-to truly put our children first.)

EDIT: We avoided a strike! The district and the union came to an agreement, with teacher pay raises, and plans in place to move forward on more school nurses, psychologist, as well as arts and music for all students, and more. There wasn't an immediate change in our school lives, but we can feel better about the future.

#BlackLivesMatter

“Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.” ~Joss Whedon

I tend to refrain from posting a lot of links or commentary about politics, or news, or what have you. Part of it is that I don't feel like I have anything eloquent or new to add to the conversation, and that I am not versed enough with all the details and politics to be fully confident in the complete accuracy of my assertions (though that doesn't stop most people.)

Instead of adding to the noise, I observe.

I read bits and pieces here and there, and don't unfriend "friends" who are mind-boggling set in their narrow-minded views that make me worry that there is an outside possibility that Trump could possibly eke by with a win. And while I could delete them and be constantly impressed and feel good about people in the world (despite the depressing articles posted), of friends who share my views, I think it's important to not just be aware of other perspectives, but see the face and name that goes with these views. It is too easy to dismiss others when they don't have names, and families, and post heartwarming puppy videos. When they are just this ambiguous "other", it's easy to ignore, dismiss, or treat disrespectfully. On a brighter note, the vast majority of my friends on social media have good heads on their shoulders and seem not only better at keeping up with news than I am, but also very eloquent in expressing thoughts and feelings about the goings-on in the world.

Today, I will add my voice. This blog is an outlet for my ideas on education, and I have for a while mused on how I could release my thoughts and feelings on what's been going on and have it tied directly into teaching. There are plenty of connections, but today I stumbled across an article that directly brought teachers into the conversation. After a teaching conference in Minneapolis, many teachers joined a Philando Castile protest march. To which I say, good for them! And then a police officer (and head of the police union in Minneapolis, along with his St. Paul counterpart), complained about it, saying they were appalled, and that it was a "one-sided message of blatant disrespect for law enforcement".

I'm sorry, but not only were these teachers exercising their right to free speech, but Philando Castile worked in a St. Paul school. From what I've read, Castile was a pretty solid dude who kids loved, and that is reason enough to honor his death. So when the statement from Bob Kroll calls what the teachers are doing is choosing "to protest against their union brothers and sisters," not only is that ignoring that Castile was also a union brother, but ignoring the fact that this time, this death (of unfortunately too many) was personal.
He goes on to say that this will negatively impact children of law enforcement, which, really? Okay, yes, there are plenty of problems in our schools, and plenty of teachers who let bias affect their teaching, and teachers who probably shouldn't be teachers. But I would say that any teacher, biases and all, at the bare minimum can at least separate a parent from a student.

I am a teacher, but I am still human. I am not above feeling judgmental of parent choices, but I don't take that out on a kid. If a parent is rude to me, it doesn't make me love my student any less, or treat them differently. And I am well aware of injustices in the school system, and how students of color, and students from poverty are consistently underserved. And I can't speak for all teachers, but I know most teachers, in choosing to be a teacher are not only empathetic, kind people, but are motivated to do what they can to counteract these hurdles.

Beyond the bare minimum, teacher training programs have classes about working with diverse populations, and are trained to be aware of biases they may have, and how to work to improve on providing equal service to all students. Again, teachers are also human, and have a lot of learning to do to address how their biases or privilege affects their teaching, but it's happening.

So Kroll and Dave Titus' statement goes on to defend their comrades by citing due process and how "in all those instances, [...] prosecutors, investigators and juries have found officers’ actions, however tragic, to be justified and within the scope of the law." What this fails to address is that, our justice system is not exactly the most reliable source to determine that these actions were, indeed, justified. It is a systematic issue that constantly favors those in power. For example, the first thing the media did when news of Castile's death came out was to look to his record (a bunch of minor traffic infractions), whereas during Brock Turner's trial (remember, the Stanford swimmer who raped a girl, and got off way too easy?), the media was quick to reference all of his swimming accomplishments. (Look, just because you're a good swimmer--and, might I add, white--doesn't make you a good person. And just because you can swim fast, doesn't mean you shouldn't be held accountable for your actions. but I digress. My point is that, at all levels of our society, it is stacked in favor of whites.)

Anyway, they finish their statement by starting to make sense: "teachers are in a better position than most to understand the critical importance of forging constructive and meaningful conversations that can provide positive pathways forward. The future stability of our communities will be secured by building relationships and increasing trust." Yes, and because "teachers are in a better position than most," maybe you should give them some credit that they did not "rush to judgment along with radical activists hell-bent on destabilizing our communities" (their words), and in fact weighed the pros and cons, thought long and hard about how to best make a difference, and decide that it is not radical activism to recognize that black lives matter too, and this protest was one way to help instigate conversation and awareness.

Furthermore, what is actually destabilizing our communities is the status quo-- the status quo that lets so many white people get away with murder, and so many black people dead for no good reason. Perhaps in some of those cases, the cop technically followed protocol (but then I see much more threatening white people get the utmost patience and not get shot, and it certainly makes you wonder...) But it's not that the police have a few bad apples. It's that these bad apples aren't held accountable, and I haven't seen many steps taken to address helping police officers recognize bias and act accordingly. It's not public perception that's the main problem, but a system that has let police brutality go unchecked, so that shooting first, instead of as a last, last, last resort becomes more commonplace. I believe that most people are doing their best to do the right thing, but that they grew up in an unbalanced system that gave them a skewed sense of what that is. And so you end up with the circus that is Trump et al. because the status quo, left to simmer, ended up boiling. Equality is hard work. You can't just pass a law, and boom, problem solved. It's like the white walkers in Game of Thrones: you may create some steady peace by keeping them at bay, but even if you cut off their heads, they're going to come back. It'll take constant effort to eradicate them--no thanks to the rest of Westeros and beyond who think their silly Game of Thrones is more important. (I just binge watched seasons 5 and 6, so that's the only analogy I can come up with right now, so I hope it made sense. That and it's almost midnight and I should be asleep.)

I also call bullshit on this statement: "As the union leaders of State’s largest police departments, we stand at the ready to begin just such a dialogue, particularly with our union brothers and sisters.” Here's why: at a recent Minnesota Lynx game, the players wore shirts in support of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Black Lives Matter-- and also referenced the fallen Dallas police officers on their warmups by the way. Kroll commended the officers who walked out on their contract and naturally took offense that the Lynx would support this radical notion that black people are also people, and deserve to be treated as such--and that people who die deserve to be mourned. If he is commending others for not even acknowledging that there is another side to the conversation that is very valid, then I can't imagine him being ready to have a fair dialogue. I'd like to believe he truly wants to have a conversations, but the old cliché is true: actions speak louder than words. (Though in this case, your other words speak louder than this sentence of words).

What was a good idea happened in Kansas: Instead of a protest, a police chief worked with Black Lives Matter to have a cook out. Which allows the situation to be less "us vs. them" and more "we're all in this together." The initial reports and pictures I saw just after Castile and Sterling's deaths were of police basically confirming all our fears about them, coming out in riot gear and treating protesters roughly. Because what helps, more than statistics and facts (it seems pretty clear that Americans aren't too big on those), is making it personal. When it is so "us vs. them" and this perceived BLM vs. the police, it makes it easy on each side of the issue to dismiss the other because they don't have to see the "other" as real people, with valid thoughts and feelings and lives, and we become much more divided.

That may be why many teachers joined this Black Lives Matter protest. Because not only was Castile a living, breathing, wonderful addition to their community, but because many of these teachers work directly with "the other," whether it be police officer's kids, or black students, or literally every other population, and care deeply about all their students. Granted, many teachers work in homogeneous areas, but I would wager that, in simply dealing with the drama of getting students who are all the same race/socio-economic status to simply get along and treat each other kindly, they are predisposed to translate this idea to a grander stage.

What I'm trying to say is, while I haven't really gotten involved in social media past a few shares of some related links and liking/retweeting others posts, I haven't said much in my own words, and now I have. A little rambling, and perhaps just adding to the noise, I suppose. But we are living in a country where far too many people in power lack empathy and retain racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic views that make it unsafe for a large portion of Americans to live. So, kudos to those teachers in Minneapolis who went out and did something. I stand with those teachers, and I stand with Black Lives Matter. It's not radical, and it shouldn't be inflammatory. It's simply recognizing and admitting that America, while great in a lot of ways, still has some growing to do. We can't make America great again because we have yet to reach being completely great.

Politics Shmolitics

It's a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes. -Douglas Adams

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. -also Douglas Adams

I'll be the first to admit that I don't really understand politics, or how the budget works, or why our government functions the way it does. I don't understand how we got to where we are today--how illogical our politicians are and how a lot of America believes them. Most of all, I don't understand how politicians can say they love our country but are clearly working towards easy fixes and short term gains (ie getting elected). If politicians truly loved and wanted what's best for America, well, education wouldn't have all these budget cuts. And teachers would be paid what they deserve.

But it's not just teaching, it's early childhood education, providing resources and materials to schools, hiring reading/math/art/science specialists, having enough staff to give every student the attention they need and deserve, providing professional development to improve teacher effectiveness, keeping class sizes down, and actually use the information research tells us will help raise test scores. (hint: it's not teaching to the test and eliminating art).

 I've now begun reading the news enough to realize that there are a couple of NY Times columnists who I repeatedly read and agree with. Nicholas Kristof is one, and nearly a year ago I bookmarked this column that he wrote, intending to address it in my blog in a more timely manner. Oops.

But he makes a good point about the long term returns of investing in schools/early education. It just makes sense:

"Maybe it seems absurd to propose expansion of early childhood education at a time when budgets are being slashed. Yet James Heckman, a Nobel Prize-winning economist at the University of Chicago, has shown that investments in early childhood education pay for themselves. Indeed, he argues that they pay a return of 7 percent or more — better than many investments on Wall Street."

More recently, Kristof addressed the Chicago Teacher's Strike, bringing it back to early childhood education.

America’s education system has become less a ladder of opportunity than a structure to transmit inequity from one generation to the next. [...] The single most important step we could take has nothing to do with unions and everything to do with providing early-childhood education to at-risk kids. 

What I like about Kristof though, is he recognizes what our top priority should be: students. Unfortunately, politics often gets in the way. Yes, unions are important, but they get in the way sometimes too. You might remember the images from Waiting for Superman of the teachers who should be fired for ineffectiveness being sent to rubber rooms, where they are still paid because they are protected. That's not the way it should be. Judging teacher effectiveness is a whole other issue I'm not going to go into just now, but maybe if teachers were well paid and not expected to perform miracles in overcrowded, under-resourced schools--rather given plenty of professional development, we wouldn't have this issue. Teachers should definitely be held accountable for what they can be reasonably expected to do, and it should be easier to fire bad teachers, and hire good ones.

You can't just start giving students a test and claim some teacher is more or less effective based on the results. That's not fair. That's like giving an exam on the first day of a course, and basing your grade on that test before learning any of the information. The fact is, there are a lot of inequalities amongst schools, and it is unfair to judge two very different schools on the same test without first making sure both schools have the resources to reasonably have students at the same standard. So there's one reason why NCLB hasn't fixed our education system.

There is no easy solution, so politicians, journalists and the general population: stop pretending there is one. Stop pretending it's just teacher's unions, or the teacher's themselves who are solely at fault. They may play a small part, but so does access to resources, health, early elementary education, poverty, societal attitudes and a million other issues.

I don't have the answers, and I'm not sure anyone does right now. But we really need to start using the research that is out there, versus playing some stupid blame game. It's no one's fault, and it's all of our faults. Let's move on. I'm hopeful--every week I see more and more articles about what education can and should look like. But now we need to move from words on a paper to action. Yes we can!