The effect of labor relations on fish
Portland Public School teachers are prepared to walk out next week. The union has already taken the strike vote, and the walkout is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. They're still negotiating, so it could be called off (and I'm hopeful that things will resolve on Sunday, actually), but everybody has to prepare for both contingencies.
I'm not taking a strong stand on this; I support teachers as a general rule, but I don't see anything in this particular contract disagreement that's worth striking for. My impression is that they're striking almost as a general protest against the years of cuts, and the way the district is spending the "extra" money they've gotten this year and for next year. This kind of thing picks up its own momentum. If they strike, I'm not sending my kids to school, but it's as much because there won't be anything worth making the trip for (and I'm unemployed! Yay!) as because I don't want to cross the picket line.
We hadn't really talked to the kids about it until yesterday.* Today, the teachers will all be packing up their personal belongings to take home - the union has encouraged them to do this publicly. Many classes in the elementary schools will be having little Valentine's Day parties at the end of the day, so they'll be wrapping up their parties by watching their teachers pack up all their stuff after the bell rings. (And given how much many teachers provide themselves in the way of materials and classroom decorations, this could mean a lot of stuff.)
Yesterday also happened to be a day when I had several depressing conversations with other parents and staff who volunteer or work for various PTA programs. They have all been more or less warned in more or less unpleasant ways that if they try to provide any enrichment activities for kids at school during a strike, they will incur the wrath of the teachers. (To be fair, this message is mostly coming from two people who are exactly the sort of people who you'd expect to go completely bonkers over something like this, but that doesn't mitigate the unpleasantness of the message.) This makes me really sad; I certainly hope the union isn't on board with threatening people (including a person who is paid poorly, with no benefits, by the PTA, on an hourly basis, to provide enrichment services that really make the school a better place) who contribute to the community, just because they want to keep enriching the lives of the kids who are coming to school during a strike, kids who are more likely to need that enrichment than the kids who are being kept home.
Yesterday, Skipper's teacher, Excellent Sensei,** sent home this letter:
The girls and I read the letter together and discussed it, and Duchess and I went a little further to talk about how strikes can make people very emotional, etc. Everybody seemed comfortable.
I love Excellent Sensei so much. I would strike on her behalf any day.
*With Skipper, we have to balance the need to give her advanced warning of changes with the need to limit the amount of time she has to work up anxiety about changes. Plus, I've really been hoping they would just settle.
** I realize that I haven't written about how much happier Skipper is at school these days. I also haven't written about how much I appreciate Excellent Sensei, who is kind, perceptive, consistent, and very sensitive to the challenges of social anxiety. When the kids arrive in the morning, she greets every single one in a calm, positive way, giving each kid her complete attention. While a teacher charged with the care of 25 preschoolers cannot exercise mindfulness and be fully present at all times, she comes exceptionally close. She may actually be superhuman.
I'm not taking a strong stand on this; I support teachers as a general rule, but I don't see anything in this particular contract disagreement that's worth striking for. My impression is that they're striking almost as a general protest against the years of cuts, and the way the district is spending the "extra" money they've gotten this year and for next year. This kind of thing picks up its own momentum. If they strike, I'm not sending my kids to school, but it's as much because there won't be anything worth making the trip for (and I'm unemployed! Yay!) as because I don't want to cross the picket line.
We hadn't really talked to the kids about it until yesterday.* Today, the teachers will all be packing up their personal belongings to take home - the union has encouraged them to do this publicly. Many classes in the elementary schools will be having little Valentine's Day parties at the end of the day, so they'll be wrapping up their parties by watching their teachers pack up all their stuff after the bell rings. (And given how much many teachers provide themselves in the way of materials and classroom decorations, this could mean a lot of stuff.)
Yesterday also happened to be a day when I had several depressing conversations with other parents and staff who volunteer or work for various PTA programs. They have all been more or less warned in more or less unpleasant ways that if they try to provide any enrichment activities for kids at school during a strike, they will incur the wrath of the teachers. (To be fair, this message is mostly coming from two people who are exactly the sort of people who you'd expect to go completely bonkers over something like this, but that doesn't mitigate the unpleasantness of the message.) This makes me really sad; I certainly hope the union isn't on board with threatening people (including a person who is paid poorly, with no benefits, by the PTA, on an hourly basis, to provide enrichment services that really make the school a better place) who contribute to the community, just because they want to keep enriching the lives of the kids who are coming to school during a strike, kids who are more likely to need that enrichment than the kids who are being kept home.
Yesterday, Skipper's teacher, Excellent Sensei,** sent home this letter:
"In preparation for a possible strike, teachers will be emptying their classrooms of personal belongings, plants, and classroom pets on Friday. This means that our beloved goldfish Kai and Betty will be coming home with me.
One thing we know about young children is that they thrive on routine, and do best with lots of advance preparation for any change. With these things in mind, we will be talking with the children tomorrow about the possible strike. Our conversation will be developmentally appropriate. We will not be discussing any of the specific issues involved.
I will introduce the concept of a strike by reading the book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, in which the cows strike in an effort to obtain electric blankets from Farmer Brown. This book is available at the Multnomah County Library if you would like to read it at home.
It's likely your children will have some questions for you, and need some reassurance. We will cover the following points, which I suggest keeping in mind as you discuss things at home:Thank you,
- A strike is a grownup problem, and grownups will be able to work it out, in time.
- If there is a strike, some things may change for a while. There may not be school for some period of time, and/or there will be some new teachers and things to do at school for a while.
- Betty and Kai will be safe at home with me the whole time. I will come back when the strike is over, and so will Betty and Kai.
- One thing that will not change is that grownups will always be able to take care of kids, no matter what.
Excellent Sensei"
The girls and I read the letter together and discussed it, and Duchess and I went a little further to talk about how strikes can make people very emotional, etc. Everybody seemed comfortable.
I love Excellent Sensei so much. I would strike on her behalf any day.
*With Skipper, we have to balance the need to give her advanced warning of changes with the need to limit the amount of time she has to work up anxiety about changes. Plus, I've really been hoping they would just settle.
** I realize that I haven't written about how much happier Skipper is at school these days. I also haven't written about how much I appreciate Excellent Sensei, who is kind, perceptive, consistent, and very sensitive to the challenges of social anxiety. When the kids arrive in the morning, she greets every single one in a calm, positive way, giving each kid her complete attention. While a teacher charged with the care of 25 preschoolers cannot exercise mindfulness and be fully present at all times, she comes exceptionally close. She may actually be superhuman.
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