Hitting Close To Home
[March 10th] -- Walk through the hallways in my daughter's highschool and you can feel it. You can see it. You can almost reach out and touch it.
The battle is nigh.
Idaho seldom sees groups of grumpy teachers. Oh sure, here and there, a lone radical will lose control. In a meeting last year, a junior high teacher rose to his feet and said that "Anyone who voted for George Bush should be shot in the head." Even in Idaho, I guess. But for the first time in recent memory, teachers in this right-to-work state are "mad as hell," and they aren't going to take it any more.
School District 25 teachers haven't seen a raise in quite some time, though their health insurance costs have risen several years in a row. Efforts to negotiate a new contract with the district has failed time and time again. Last month, Idaho governor Dirk Kempthorne gave all state employees a 3% raise. All employees, that is, except for the teachers. They believe they have been patient long enough. They're ready to strike against the district. Not "strike," mind you. This is Idaho after all, one of the most self-sufficient, anti-union parts of the United States that you'll find. No, striking isn't an option, although the teachers sure enjoy talking about it. At least, that's what I would have said just a day or two ago. Things are changing.
For the last week or two, the teachers have been boxing up all those things in their class that were purchased with their own personal funds. Books, computers and even blackboards are now unavailable to the students. The teachers think this is a "soft" measure, one that doesn't hurt anyone.
I disagree. Always have. Always will. Yes, the teachers deserve more money. Yes, the state of Idaho has not done enough to take care of the mentors of it's next generation. But since the days of America's first public schools, teachers have been underpaid, underfunded and overworked. It will never change. Being a teacher isn't a job, it's a calling. Removing learning aids from a classroom is never right, regardless of the circumstance.
When I was working in the business world, there were many times that my employer paid me less than I felt I was worth. It was an easily correctable situation. I got another job. Teachers seem to believe that they shouldn't have to switch districts if they are not happy. That is the mark of the union. You say you aren't making enough money?
No problem. Demand more. I've never agreed with this approach, especially from teachers.
I had a chance to talk with my son's junior high principal this afternoon, and asked him his thoughts on the situation. He generally supported his teacher's actions. He also believes that unless the school district makes some attempt to placate the teachers, a strike could occur as early as April. I asked him what would happen if some of the non-union teachers crossed the picket lines. His face changed, and he told me that the teachers "would be shunned like you could never imagine." He said that never again would those teachers ever be part of the teacher's cabal; backs would be turned as they walked down the hall. As I walked out of the building, I passed several teachers milling about the hallway; each wore a large red and white badge [they were just too big to be called 'buttons'] that admonished their students to support the union.
This is just plain wrong.
I look forward to being a teacher, but I see the job of a teacher differently from my friends. Simply put, a teacher should take no action that doesn't directly effect the well being of the child. All the posturing, the huffing and puffing, the window dressing is suplurferous.
I hope this district hissy-fit ends soon. I respect the teachers, but not their actions.
