And We Will Rise: Day 3 of the Oklahoma Walkout

We are on day three of the Oklahoma Walkout.

Our governor made the comment yesterday that we [teachers] were acting like a bunch of spoiled “teenagers who want a better car.”

One of our legislatures went Live on Facebook and said we were never going to be happy and that he “wasn’t supporting teachers anymore!”

Other legislators actually told the massive group of teachers gathered at the capitol that they were “going to wait them out.”

Needless to say, our state government is NOT supportive of us. They don’t take us seriously and are basically scoffing at our demands for not just a raise, but most importantly funding for our children.

Yet teachers still continue to show up to our state capitol in droves, driving the Fire Marshall to close down some floors of the capitol because they were over weight capacity. Day three showed triple the physical support of our state teachers. We aren’t going anywhere.

Teachers in Tulsa, Oklahoma walked 110 miles to the capitol in the cold, rainy weather to prove how much they are willing to sacrifice for this cause. Other teachers lined the streets, waving signs and encouraging passersby to support Oklahoma teachers. Police escorts were everywhere, discovering that it was easier to assist the multitudes of teachers rather than stop them.

An end is not in sight.

Teachers are willing to return day after day until their demands are met.

However, some school districts are stepping in and putting a stop to their teachers walking out, giving the ultimatum of using up their PTO or having to come to school. Such a solution seeing as how most districts don’t have enough to subs to cover classes on a typical day.

Our communities, however, have been more than supportive, helping out with childcare, feeding kids and even providing meals for teachers. One convenience store was even giving away gas cards and drinks. Pizzas were sent to the capital by businesses to show support for Oklahoma’s teachers.

In my opinion, this boils down to one common life principle: respect. Oklahoma teachers are NOT respected by our state government. Legislatures would rather pad their pockets with hefty annual raises and ensure they have the tools needed to do their jobs, instead of making sure that ALL state employees have what they need. Our government is selfish, lying and condescending. Our government does not demonstrate a republic but instead bullies its constituents into sacrificing the needs of many in order to accommodate the few.

As of right now, 65% of Oklahoma school districts have already canceled classes for Thursday and Friday. At least 25% percent more will cancel by 7:00 tonight. Day four and Day five will continue to show our government exactly what teachers are made of.

Don’t try us, Oklahoma legislatures. We work in classrooms of 30-35 children, seven-plus hours a day, with very few supplies, no restroom breaks, kids who are out of hand, kids who are hungry, kids who are angry, kids who have horrible home lives, kids who have broken hearts. And we still get up every school day, ready to work, ready to do everything necessary to help our kids, in conditions that are not suitable for what we need to do with pay that barely pays our bills and feeds our families.

Go ahead, try to reduce us to ashes.

The Phoenix will continue to rise.