Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! In my 20-plus years in education, the union has been in the background of my career until very recently. I have always known that the union negotiates contracts and would provide support if I needed legal assistance, but I […]
strike
Columbus City Teachers’ Strike Diary: Back to School in the Strike’s Aftermath
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Finding myself in a strike at the close of summer set me on a journey of uncertainty, turbulence, trust, and solidarity. I wrote about the start of it in Columbus City Teachers’ Strike Diary: Voting and Picketing. Those first […]
Columbus City Teachers’ Strike Diary: Voting and Picketing
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Day 0: On Strike’s Eve in the Midwest We’re at our second mass meeting in as many months, and this is the larger of the two, with over 3,000 union educators in attendance. Just like last time, there are […]
Dear Oklahoma Legislators: Walk A Day In Our Shoes
Dear Oklahoma Legislators, Let me start by saying I love my job. I was made to be a teacher. I teach special education in the Moore district. I am not complaining about my job or all it entails. However, I want to give you a glimpse into what I did TODAY. And mind you every […]
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!” […]
I Used To Teach on $30,000: Supporting West Virginia and Oklahoma Strikes
Like most college graduates in 2005, I was just glad to have a job in education. Better yet that I was hired at my Alma mater school, nestled in the coal region of Pennsylvania. Here I knew the teachers, the culture, and the community. But I still remember a conversation my uncle, who just retired […]
Strike!
On September 28, the Chicago Teachers Union voted to go on strike on October 11 if no deal has been reached with the Chicago Public Schools. This is no surprise. The Chicago teachers have been without a contract for over a year. What is surprising is that 95% of the Chicago Teachers Union membership of […]