Striking out for change

As teachers go on strike in Kentucky and Oklahoma, and those in Arizona mull the same, I can see how people might be thinking, "Those greedy teachers. They're getting a 15% raise and they want more?"

Oklahoma teachers on strike (photo from lohud.com)

As a Wisconsin educator and taxpayer (and proud son of a union electrician), perhaps surprisingly, I don't just automatically side with teachers on strike. I don't know the facts. I don't know what promises were made and broken. I don't know the conditions of their employment or the quality of the funded education for their students. I don't know the difficulty there in training and retaining quality staff.

But when information comes out--such as asking for demands that include funding for the schools, not just for the staff--I have to believe there are some true, serious issues in education in these states.

In Oklahoma, the average salary is about $45,000. Yes, that's a lot of money for many people, I realize that. But it is a tough job. That salary--for a class of 25 students--comes to about $10 per kid, per day. Ten bucks. And that's for training and encouraging and challenging and inspiring those students anew each day. Ten bucks. Good luck finding even a babysitter who would watch your kid for even a couple hours for that.

So, as the facts come out, I can understand a bit more. Am I a fan of strikes? Honestly, not really. My dad's union was on strike when I was a kid, and in the end, I'm not sure what was accomplished. And I have a problem with withholding the education from the kids. But if this is taken as a final step to get the issues noticed, then I'd have to say it has merit.

But it won't happen in Wisconsin.

Not because the state is so attentive to teachers or education, though.  Our state government, which all but eliminated collective bargaining and union representation a few years back has previously passed legislation making it illegal to strike. So such educational issues may never get noticed in Wisconsin. Instead, what has been happening here will continue--classes will get larger, curriculum demands will increase (more individualization and less prep time), student needs will continue to grow (educationally as well as behaviorally), staffs will have fewer benefits with little chance for a raise (in many districts, putting focus into their classrooms will never again get a great, experienced teacher a raise, ever--that's now dependent on what and how many committees they're on), morale will continue to fall, teachers will get burned out, and the pipeline of the best and brightest to teach our youth will dry up.

Some people may be thinking, "Good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

And it's possible those thinking that don't believe their kids or grandkids need or deserve a good education. To them and their progeny, my thought is, "Good luck."

And I can't help but wonder how many of my colleagues had a thought of their own: "Hmmm... I wonder if they're hiring in Oklahoma?"