My protest of the Chicago Teacher’s Strike: A Conflicted Teacher’s Narrative

 

My Protest

Today is day three of the Chicago Teacher’s Union strike. I have been absent of the picket lines. I have been absent for three reasons. For you to understand my point of view you first have to understand that I am now employed at a CPS school that was recently “turned around” and is now managed by The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL). What this means is that all of the previous staff at the school from custodian to principal were laid off. A new principal was designated for the school and hired a brand new staff. Teachers at AUSL schools are still union members and many are on the picket lines.

A Spit in the Face

There were six new turnaround schools handed to AUSL this past school year, Piccolo, Casals, Fuller, Stagg, Marquette, and Herzl.[i] The schools that were turned around were either low performing, had high instances of behavior problems, and were chosen because of undisclosed political considerations. Rahm Emanuel’s handpicked administration unanimously decided which schools would be turned around.[ii] I strongly believe that teachers should lose their position if they are not effective. I also believe that turning around the lowest performing schools is generally a good idea. The ethical dilemma is that very strong teachers lose their positions because they were in the wrong building at the wrong time. My initial thought was that AUSL teachers picketing was a spit in the face to the teachers who lost their positions through no fault of their own. AUSL teachers are beneficiaries of a union contract that was violated. At the very least, it is in bad taste to picket without realizing this contradiction.

Union Priorities

My next concerns came to me when I was at the union meeting that discussed the details of the strike. It was irritating to me that the union representative that showed up at our meeting discussed things that were not even on the table in negotiations. He gave a laundry list of things stopping short of giving a pony to each and every student. He did not give an accurate portrayal of what the priorities of the leadership of the Chicago Teacher’s Union were. It made me think, what are we striking for? I am not opposed to getting rid of bad teachers. Teaching should require more than a pulse. As details leak out of negotiations, it has become more apparent that the union representative underestimated the stupidity of leadership. We should not only question the authority and wisdom of Rahm Emanuel, we should also question the priorities of the leadership of the union. I have been reading the headlines trying to find a message that centered on students but day after day I read about job security, pay, and teacher evaluation. Karen Lewis’ latest notes focus on issues that are very teacher-centered. Money, health insurance, layoff and recall, teacher evaluation, and calendar [iii]

Students in Negotiations

My most important concern was what would happen to the students who need school the most. In all crises it is always the low-income kids who get hit the hardest. For some, school is the only place they will receive positive affirmation. It is the only place they will get a breakfast. It is the only place that they will feel safe. 7^th graders reading at a 1^st grade level need all the small group and individual attention they can get. Is the union leadership going to bat for them during negotiations? Or are they paying lip service to teachers, parents, and the media? These questions have been playing out inside my head. I could not jump on the picket lines without thinking, reading, and considering what was actually happening. The message matters. If the Chicago Teacher’s Union isn’t speaking to any of my concerns, or just paying lip service, why show up? The message matters and as of right now the message being conveyed is one centered on the adults. If you are a teacher and care about the profession, it is time to really think about our message. Like it or not, but you are now on the national stage in an election year.

My Turnaround

Today, there was a big union rally at Kelly High School. It made me think of my mom, who went to Kelly, and eventually dropped out of high school. When she was a teenager, her father took his own life, and this has had a lasting impact on her life since. It makes me think of our students who are silent and dealing with tragedy. Thinking of my mom and how she eventually got her GED, took college courses, and was certified to be a dental assistant made me realize how encouragement and relationships can make all of the difference. She received encouragement from those she loved and it gave her the extra push to do things she thought she could not. We need to reach these kids, and we need qualified adults to help. We need more social workers. We need more counselors. We need more support for students. Teachers cannot do this job alone.

My grandfather and father were both glass benders in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW). My grandfather was diagnosed with mesothelioma in his later years from exposure to asbestos where he worked. His working conditions led to his early departure. The union helped fight for safe working conditions, a fair wage, and dignity in work.             My father lost his job when I was in eighth grade and he was able to petition the union to investigate the issue. Eventually the union found that my dad was fired without just cause and he got his job back. It wasn’t before long that my parents moved to Florida ad my dad got a job for far less pay at a non-union shop. Over time he grew unhappy with his situation in a slowly dying industry. He didn’t feel dignified in what he did anymore and wanted out. He eventually quit his job, went on a downward spiral of anger, drugs, and drinking. He was unemployed, bitter, and on a quest for a disability check which he believed he was owed because of his mental condition. Last year he was found dead in his bed with too much alcohol and opiates in his system. My dad fought with a lot of demons and his passing is very complicated, but I like to think that if he had the opportunity to find dignified work that he would have had the strength to still be here.

Dignity is a heavy word where I and many other teachers teach. It is a moral responsibility for all people, not just those in the field of education, to give students an opportunity to reach their potential and have dignified opportunities for work and play after high school and college. We all pay the price when drug dealing and gang activity are more appealing.

As I think about this strike more and more I have had a shift in thinking. The strike is an opportunity to shift the debate in education. I am uncomfortable with joining a picket line ripe with platitudes and empty slogans. We need to define what we are for. The more I talk to teachers, the more I know there are issues worth raising, but people are looking to the union leadership to solve this. Unions are not strong because of their leadership; they are strong because of their members, and their message.

It was just reported in the New York Times that the CTU has signed off on 6 out of 49 items in contract negotiations.[iv] This gives me hope that public discourse can change towards benefiting students. The headlines, however, are dominated mostly by issues of job security, pay, and teacher evaluation, there are potentially 43 items that can help serve our message better. What I would hope is that teachers can put down the vague signs of “a fair contract now” and bring the issues that really matter to the forefront. Don’t let people fill in the blanks of what you stand for. State what you stand for. I know that some fear that this is a step towards dismantling the public education system, and if there is any truth to that, it only increases the importance of messaging and controlling the debate. Right now, CPS, Karen Lewis, Rahm Emanuel, and the media are filling the blanks. The demise of public education will not come at the hands of Rahm Emanuel, it will come when the public has lost faith in its teachers, their priorities, and what they stand for. It is time to say what we all know to be true and shift the message to a student bill of rights.

Special Education is Education

            We need more special education teachers. Caseloads are too high, and the essence of special education is that everyone deserves an education. Our special education teachers cannot possibly give all of the time they need to students who need it most if they are understaffed.

All students regardless of disability deserve a quality education regardless of the cost of resources.

Class Size Matters

            Yes, I am well aware that in China class sizes are extremely high and they learn just fine. But when it comes to our classrooms in American urban education, we have so many external factors out of our control that make a large classroom a large mess. We cannot get a 7^th grade boy back onto grade level when he is reading at a 1^st grade level if the teacher has limited time to work with him.

All students deserve individual and small group instruction in an uncrowded classroom.

The Temperature is Too Damn High

            A teacher and friend I recently talked to put it best when she said that her students have a hard time learning in the extreme heat. I agreed and could care less about air conditioning for myself because I sweat no matter what the temperature is when I teach. I had a student comment on my sweat stains and I hastily replied, “This is what happens when you work hard!” She nodded her head in approval. Unfortunately 9, 10, and 11 year olds do not function well in a classroom that is upwards of 100 degrees. Just to put the school environment into perspective, I know firsthand that asbestos was recently removed from the school I work at this summer. It took until 2012 to remove asbestos?

All students deserve a classroom that is clean, comfortable and free of health hazards.

English Language Learners

            If you don’t know English, it is the job of schools to teach it. English language learners need extra support and CPS needs to identify those schools in need and provide the quality teachers needed to support English Language Learners. I had experience in a school where there were two students who spoke very little to know English and they were taught in English all day. In contrast, I went to a CPS school where students had a mix of English and the language they spoke at home. They learned English and transitioned so quickly to full-time in the general education classroom. The investment in specialized ELL teachers paid off.

All students regardless of their first language deserve access to the curriculum.

Zip Code Discrimination

            In Chicago Public Schools, depending on which side of the train tracks you live on may decide the quality of education you get. Funding for education is primarily funded through property taxes. If property value is low, then we ensure that the cycle of poverty continues as we allow those schools to be neglected and underfunded. If we want to increase the effectiveness of education, we need to look first at our most impoverished neighborhoods and figure out how to support the students and teachers there so that schools do not have to be closed or turned around.

All students regardless of where they live deserve their schools to be funded based on need, not the market value of their homes.

High Expectations

            All students deserve to be held to high standards. If teachers believe their students cannot learn, then they won’t.

All students deserve teachers and administrators who hold high expectations for them.

What do you value in a student bill of rights?

            Your voice here.

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[i] http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/2012/02/22/19869/despite-opposition-cps-moves-ahead-closings-turnarounds

[ii] http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/10832492-418/rahm-emanuel-protests-over-school-closings-noise-associated-with-change.html

[iii] http://www.mobypicture.com/user/CatalystChicago/list

[iv] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/education/chicago-teachers-strike-enters-third-day.html