Strike!

(I promise to post an update on our trip to Texas last week, but there have been so many things pressing on my mind that I feel like I really want to write about at this moment. The update will come soon. In the meantime, pardon my rambling!) 

Yesterday, the Chicago Teacher's Union went on strike for the first time in twenty five years. I find this so monumental and so important, I couldn't ignore writing about it. I think the effects of this strike will be greater on this country than one can imagine. What happens in Chicago right now, the nation's third largest public school system, will make a huge impact on the entire country's public education system.

Initially, I was torn about my position on this strike. As a former teacher, in both the city of Chicago and the suburbs, I feel immense support and empathy for the teachers on the picket lines today. I also have such mixed emotions about unions, testing, teacher evaluations, merit pay. I don't think students should be tested for 20 days of a school year. I don't believe teachers' effectiveness is at all correlated to test scores. And, I certainly believe there are bad teachers out there who continue to work in the field because of tenure, a policy that has affected me and many others I know in such a cruel way.

Today, though, my heart strings were pulled as I thought about the little boys and girls who used to flood my classroom on the south side of Chicago. The ones who came to school every morning hungry for breakfast as I served them their muffin and milk in our classroom before the bell rang. The ones who wore t-shirts with their father's picture on it, the only memory left of the man who was lost to drugs and gang violence. I think about these kids wandering the streets today, probably thrilled to not be sitting in a stifling hot classroom, but also silently scared about where their lunch will come from and where they will find refuge from the bad influences they seem to avoid while shielded by their school walls. My heart breaks for them and for the teachers fighting for their rights.

I wanted to share this article with anyone out there who has a minute to read it. It's written by a teacher and is insightful and reveals the heart of what so many teachers are feeling right now. I hope it can shed some light to those of you who don't quite understand the truth behind this strike. Teachers don't go into the field of education for the money. We don't expect to win awards, have movies made about our efforts, or receive bonuses. We do it for the kids. It's always been about the kids, and I am beyond proud that teachers have finally found the courage to stand up for the innocent little ones when it seems like no one else will.

I hope you'll take a moment today to educate yourself on the incredible importance of this historic event taking place right now. Then form your own opinion and take action however you see fit.