A Teacher's Summer

What do teachers do in the summer? Perhaps they vacation for three months. Or they finally get to watch Oprah everyday. Well, surely they sleep in, have a leisurely brunch, and stroll around the neighborhood, giggling as they pass all the storefronts with people working at a feverish pace?

I'd love to say that's it. I EVEN hoped that would be it when I got into teaching. If you want to maintain that illusion, I don't blame you. I'm doing my best to TRY to make it a reality, but it just ain't happenin'. Instead, let me break it down for ya. First there are always weeks of P.D. (that's teacher lingo for "Professional Development") in the summer. The good news is, it's optional. The bad news is, there's lots of pressure to do SOME P.D. during the summer. Lots of the required trainings are given over the summer so you can "get it out of the way" and not be stuck doing weeks of lesson plans for the subs that will cover your class when you go to P.D.

Next are all the enticing "sales" at the office supply and teacher stores. Many teachers I know are busy stocking up on next years' school supplies at whatever discounted rates they can find. Donna told me that Staples was selling the little pencil sharpeners for 9 cents a piece, though you could only buy 5 at a time. She took her sister and they went into the store 2 times each, but still not enough for a class set. I was just picturing myself bringing my costume box that's full of capes, wigs, glasses, and mustaches and making 7 trips into the same store, each time with a different disguise in order to outfit my classroom with pencil sharpeners.

What's the world coming to? I am still outraged at the fact that teacher's spend thousands of dollars on their classrooms each year. We hope the PTA will give us $100 - $200 to help offset the cost. Then sometimes the government gives us a $250 write off on our taxes. But that's it. So while on vacation, and making no money, teachers are spending money on their classrooms.

Now, I'll tell you. I've been reluctant to do lots of trainings in the summers and I try not to spend too much money on my classroom each year, because it never seemed "right" to me. But regardless, out of our 10 weeks off in the summer, I have spent 2 weeks in trainings for two summers each and I discovered at tax time that I spent over $1000 on school supplies last year. I got a $250 deduction on my taxes and $150 from my PTA. You do the math. I'm out a bundle. YES, I love the kids. YES, I want my curriculum to be engaging. But how many other jobs can you think of where people spend over $600 a year out of their own pocket to service their clients without being reimbursed.

Something has got to change.

Lastly, there are many teachers that work over the summer. Some teach summer school, while others do something unrelated to education to sort of give themselves a break. This year I did 2 weeks of P.D. and 2 days a week of summer school because I needed the money. So as much as I'd love to be kicking back and loungin', it's not in the cards for me this year.

So next time you meet a teacher and you don't know what to say about their crappy salary, please don't make that uninformed, infuriating comment, "Well, you have three months off."
DOH!!!

The Truth Hurts

As Rosanne Rosannadanna used to say, "If it's not one thing, it's another!"

My coworker, Mister T (T is for techie), has just informed me that Microsoft is refunding money after losing a class action lawsuit for overcharging on pre-installed computer products. (I'll save you the gory details.) Anyhoo...our school spent money (NOT district money), to purchase the equipment that is eligible for the refund, to the tune of $27,800. That's quite a chunk of change. How nice that we will get this money and be able to look at our site and decide how best to use it to support our students and their learning!

Whoops...rewind. Uh,...turns out, the story is that the district is planning to KEEP all the money for themselves and decide how to spend it from the district level. Well, dip me in "you-know-what"! That money came out of our local site budget and should go right back!

Here's a word problem for you, if you need it spelled out again:

John has 15 marbles. He gives 10 of his marbles to Jane in trade for a Pentium Processor. John's best friend Mark also traded 10 marbles to Jane for the Pentium Processor, but discovered from a guy named Chip that Jane was overcharging and the Pentium Chip should really have cost 7 marbles. Chip and Mark start a class action suit against Jane where John will also receive any benefits from the suit. When they win, Jane sends back the marbles that she overcharged. Chip gets his, Mark gets his, but John's marbles are given to his dictating great-grandfather and John will never see a dime of it!

Our school is not the only one in this situation. In our district, the total award is $992,899.17 spread out among 30 schools. I would have never known about this if it hadn't been for Mister T drumming up support. I get caught up important television programming on the E! channel all too often. Ignorance is bliss because the truth HURTS!

My only hope is that this story turns out to be complete propaganda and is worthy of a slot on E!

Power to the People

I want to dedicate this entry to the people that handed out lots of good will during the teacher strike. The outpouring of love and support from so many families and friends helped us through the times of depression and frustration. Here's some of details...
First of all, we had a parent come by one chilly morning, open up the back of her SUV, and serve up a breakfast burrito buffet. She had warm corn tortillas, beans, rice, and eggs. Muy deliciosa! Then there were the countless families that came by with doughnuts, coffee, and hot chocolate. There were also families dropping off cases of water and juice in addition to the woman that stopped by one warm afternoon to deliver fresh lemonade made from the lemons off her tree!

Dominos Pizza also delivered a stack of pizzas to us one day. It was a whole assortment of flavors, including my all time fave, canadian bacon and pineapple. The manager of the store is a former student of Hayward Schools and now has kids in the schools. And let me tell you, this was the best Dominos Pizza I have ever had. I think they did 'em up extra special for us.

Next, a special thank you to Liz, the parent down the street that let us use her bathroom!

Then there were the personal friends and loved ones that helped me out during the 10 days with no pay. Friends fed me, took me to a concert, and gave lots of financial support (thanks mucho, CV).

And an extra special thanks to our Office Manager, Kathy H., who brought out trays of food, soup, or munchies everyday. She was supported by the wonderful Pam, Kathy G., and Sue. It was tough on them, though. Surprisingly enough, they caught some flack from district personnel for being understanding and kind to us while we were out on the picket line. I guess the district thought that the non-striking staff could completely ignore us and then we would all work together in harmony after the strike ended. Well, I feel bad for the school sites that had a divide down the lines based on strikers vs. non-strikers. And by "non-strikers" I mean staff that is not part of the same contract so they were not legal to strike. Our school was fortunate in that all of our "legal to strike" employees did just that, so we really were united. But for schools that had teachers cross the line, it's gotta be tough to all come back together after some of us paid the price to get a better salary in all of our contracts!

The principals were also in an interesting position. As administrators, they answer to the district, so they are expected to support district policy. Yet, on the other hand, the principals work with us, their teachers...everyday! And, for the most part, they support and respect us. We had a principal that was as supportive as she could have been, considering the politics. But some principals were acting as spies for the district and were outwardly opposing their staff. OUCH! I can't imagine going back to work with/for someone that treated me with disrespect during a contract issue that they had no control over settling themselves.

Politics. The appalling and embarrassing reality of this profession. You need thick skin, energy to fight, and lots of resiliency.

Lastly I want to mention a really special thing that happened when I returned to the classroom. If you read my earlier posting titled "Phoning Home" , you are aware of a father I spoke to that was NOT supportive. Well, when we were finally back to school, this man's son (my student) brought me a Thank You card from mom. She said that she fully supported our strike and believes that, "Teachers deserve good pay for all that you do for our students." She ended the note by saying, "...know that you are appreciated!" It felt so nice to know that the whole household wasn't resenting me, though I imagine that it might have created some tension in the house as the days rolled on and mom kept her kids home from school.

Well...Thank YOU! to the parents, families, and community members in Hayward for making a painful strike bearable.
I wish you all peace, prosperity, and the riches that all of life has to offer.

Viva La Huelga!

The strike is over! After 10 days of waiting for negotiations, wondering when we would see our kids again, wondering when we would earn a daily wage again...FINALLY it's over. Whew! What a relief. I got the call at about 10pm on Wednesday night and was back in my classroom Thursday morning at 7:15 am. Driving into the school parking lot suddenly felt like a privilege. It had been 3 full weeks since I had been on that "side". When I opened my classroom door, I felt like Geraldo Rivera cracking open the tomb. The scabs hadn't used my classroom, so it was just as I left it. I'm such a great "hider" too. I had hidden away some things so well, that I couldn't find them again.

The first day back I asked the students to write to me and tell me what they did that was educational during the strike. A few students were out catching ladybugs, while others learned some multiplication tables. For the most part, I think they played, not fully realizing what an emotional rollercoaster their teacher had been on.

I will continue this blog. The strike was the great motivator to get it started, but there is much more to share about this chosen profession of mine. In the end we got a decent cost of living adjustment, but I still say that good teachers are grossly underpaid. Will that be my crusade? Only time will tell. There are so many things I could put my energy toward in the world of public education, but for the next few days I'm gonna enjoy the kids I teach and get back to 'biness'.

Kids First

While we're on strike, some folks are claiming that the teachers don't really care about the kids - that we (teachers) only care about ourselves. EXCUUUUUUUSE ME? Have you BEEN to an elementary school? Have you spent time INSIDE the classroom? Teachers spend their entire careers sacrificing their time and money as a labor of love for their students. We eat, breath, and sleep our students. I drive home everyday thinking about how to improve a lesson I'm teaching or how to get little Kareem to focus in class. I have a colleague that grades papers while she's at red lights. Others go into school every weekend to catch up on work and prepare. We do field trips, enrichment classes after school, homework help before or after school, etc.

My friend M and I were walking her painfully cute pup today and she pointed out that we are SO all about the kids everyday, but it just so happens that right now we have to watch our own backs. We are usually standing up for the children, our whole careers are based on child advocacy, but this time we have to stand up for ourselves. So, YES, the students are missing school while us teachers are on strike. And, teachers, above all, realize that the two weeks of lost instruction time (added to the layer of fog surrounding students after a week of spring break) have us further behind than we want to think about. But that is an unfortunate byproduct of the strike. We LOVE our kids. We really do. I miss those 32 sets of eyes looking to me every morning wondering what's in store for the day. I miss the way they light up when they learn something new. I miss picking pencils up off the floor at the end of each day so we don't run out again. I can't believe I miss the musky "kid smell" of the room, and I also miss the learning, and the laughter. Heck....I even miss straightening out the desk aisles everyday - one of my least favorite jobs.

One of the Hayward School Board Members, J.C.,(that's not Jesus, by the way) wrote an OPINION piece in the local paper claiming that the union does not have the best interest of the students at heart. Well...DUH! That's NOT the union's job. The union represents the teachers and we, the teachers, stand up for our students. What really chaps my hide is when he spends a coupla paragraphs giving lip service to what the students need. Quote: "If students really come first, why have I not heard HEA (nor anyone but the school board) ask first, "What educational 'raise' or increase do the students 'deserve' and 'need'?" DUDE! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!
Every teacher and school site can give you a nice long list of what we've been asking for and NEEDING for years. I was insulted when I read his opinion piece. I had to breathe. Breathe, Sal, Breathe. It's an opinion. But the sad part is that he is one of the school board members.

Where was Mister "get the students what they deserve" when I had 43 students in my class for 3 weeks at the beginning of the year? There weren't enough desks or supplies for all the students in my class AND it was a safety hazard. Kids were perched in chairs, without desks, all over the class, blocking doorways and aisles. Where's the school board OR the district when we don't have enough books for all the students? Where are they when a troubled student is constantly disrupting the learning of others? Where are they when one teacher is given two grade levels to teach in the same amount of time that we teach one grade level? What about the general upkeep of the school sites? Some of these schools look like war zones. What message does that send to the students? Does it say, "Hey, we want you to go to Stanford!" ? When you claim that you wanna do something for the kids,frankly, you're talkin' outta your a**.

Don't talk to me about the kids suffering or about what they need. We know that they suffer everyday in the public education system. But it's the teachers and school staff that find creative ways to make the short-comings of a broken school system transparent to all of our students.

Break It Down

There are lots of teachers reading this, so I really didn't break down the details and demands related to the Hayward Teachers strike. But now that a wider net is being cast, I want to lay it down for ya. Hayward Teachers are striking because we deserve a better raise than what the district has offered. Here are the FACTS:

**Hayward Teachers are the 2nd lowest paid teachers out of 8 surrounding districts.

**The Hayward Unified School District Superintendent of Schools is the highest paid out of the same 8 surrounding districts.

**2002-2003 school year: Increase from State was 2%, our salary increase was 0%.

**2003-2004: Increase from State was -1.2%, our salary increase was 0%.

**2004-2005: Increase from State was 4%, our salary increase was 2.87%

**2005-2006: Increase from State was 5.5%, our salary increase was 0.83% (with 0.41% not fully retroactive for the year).

**2006-2007: Increase from State was 8.08%, our salary increase is what we're fighting for.

**During a few of the little to no increase years, the district was financially in the red. So in order to help the district get back into the black, teachers agreed to not take a raise.

**July 2006: Top administrators are given a 16.84% raise. This was recommended by the superintendent and approved by the board of education. The justification? It was necessary to provide comparable salaries for them in order to ensure their
retention.

**July 2006: Teacher salary is up for negotiation. Since the school board took the lead and approved a 16.84% raise for administrators, teachers are happy to have the same, under the same justification. If we want to improve our district (as the superintendent claims) then we should have salaries comparable to other districts with the intention of retaining the best!

**Oct/Nov 2006: The district offers teachers a 3% salary increase.

**Even WITH the 3% salary increase, Hayward Teachers would still be the 2nd lowest paid teachers out of 8 surrounding districts. Unless you compare the maximum earning potential for teachers, because then a teacher in Hayward would be the LOWEST paid out of those 8 surrounding districts.

**August '06 through April '07: The union tries to negotiate for more, but the district stays at 3%.

**April 5, 2007: 98% of the district's 1,200 Teachers go on strike. In the meantime, the district doubles the pay for substitute teachers from $150/day to $300/day to attract more scabs during the strike.

As of this posting, we have been striking for 7 days. That's 7 days from 7am-3pm walking the lines in the wind, rain, and sun. That's 7 days without pay. That's 7 days of driving to Carl's Jr. to use the bathroom. That's 7 days of waiting. That's 7 days of democracy in action!

Show Me The Money

In a previous blog I mentioned the ludicrous salary disbursements in education. The administration is supposed to support our teaching. Their salaries should also reflect that support role. Our superintendent gets paid $229,000 per year. That's more than Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who is 3 heartbeats away from the presidency! Maybe the Hayward Unified School District Superintendent of Schools gets paid for every vowel in his title. If you had to buy his 18 vowels for $12,722 each, it would just about amount to his salary.

A starting Teacher in Hayward, CA makes about $47K per year. Though that figure is very deceiving because there are no benefits included in that amount. We must "buy back" our benefits. For example, I pay $4,800/year in health and dental with no dependents. Then teachers also pay mandatory union dues of $1,200 per year and a mandatory retirement deduction of 8% of our salary ($3,760 per year for $47K). SO that $47K a year just quickly became $37,240 per year BEFORE TAXES.

Now, after taxes, there are the classroom expenses. Teachers are not required to buy things for their classroom, but if you've ever tried to capture the attention of 32 squirmy 9-year-olds, you quickly discover that you need materials! Every teacher I know spends hundreds to thousands of dollars each year on supplies. I've used my own money to put together a classroom library of books, buy markers and colored pencils for each student, writing and math journals, art supplies, math and language games, etc. I was shocked when I did my taxes last month and discovered I had spent $1,375.00 on my classroom! But I was able to take a $250 deduction as a teacher.

Then there's the extended education courses we must take. I spent another $750.00 on classes last year. (NO, the school doesn't pay for it.)

"Well, you get summers off." Well, let's clarify that too. Our summers are 10 weeks. One of those weeks (minimum) is spent cleaning up your classroom (end of year) and setting up your classroom (beginning of next year). Then there are tons of classes and trainings in the summer. Last summer I spent 3 weeks in trainings and I had to fight off another 2-week course that was being recommended to me. Most teachers I know are doing coursework (required to renew our teaching credential every 5 years), OR are teaching summer school, OR have other jobs to help make ends meet.

Yes, we have more time off, but we are not PAID for our time off. It's NOT paid vacation time. So, even when we do take a vacation, there’s not a surplus of cash funding the excursion(s). Don't get me wrong, I love the schedule, but there are alot of misconceptions out there.

WHINE, WHINE, WHINE!!! Even I hate myself right now. GEEEEEZ. If you're still reading this, you've probably experienced a root canal and decided, this ain't such bad readin'.

Phoning Home

Tonight I started calling my students' parents to check in and tell them that we are still on strike, but desperately want to return to class. After leaving a few messages, the first actual person I spoke to was very sweet. She said, "I support you and I'm really glad you called."

The next person I reached started out our conversation with, "I don't like what you're doing and I think you should just get back in the classroom." I told him that we are doing what we feel is right, and I respected his difference of opinion. But then came the deal breaker... "You guys make more than I do", he said, resentful and angry.

Ah...how to respond? A thousand thoughts rushed through my exhausted brain. First of all, why are we suddenly comparing salaries? Is it written somewhere that he needs to make more than me? And because he has agreed to settle for less, so should I? Also, I don't go to his job to see if he's worth HIS pay. I don't get to tell him, "Well, you make enough already so just get to it, will ya?" Yet, because I am a public servant, EVERYONE gets to weigh in on my salary.

The final insult was when he said, "I don't want to talk to you anymore," and promptly hung up. How ironic. Not only do I get disrespect from the district, but now from this parent too.

The kids get it. In fact, kids have a very strong sense of justice and I teach them to stand up for their beliefs, even in the face of adversity. His son is a great kid and one of my most eager students. His hand is up during every discussion and he participates at every opportunity. I spend 7 hours a day, 5 days a week with his son and dad doesn't want to talk to me. I can't help but worry that his dad's opinion of me might effect our future interactions when we're back in the classroom. We don't all need to agree, but I damn well deserve respect from the parent of a child who I work to educate.

Yeah, maybe I get paid more than he does, and that probably makes him angry as hell. If you don't think you're getting paid enough then you have 3 choices: 1) Get a new job; 2) Ask for a raise; 3) Organize. I wish I had said, "Sir, you should consider training to be a teacher. We can always use more good ones, and as you already know, the pay is SUPER!" Maybe his son will grow up thinking that teachers are so spectacular that even when they are already making good money, they still fight to get more, like a professional athlete, or a rapper. Maybe that will make his son want to be a teacher!

Here is the thing. I am teaching in a working class community where $47,000 a year is damn good money for some, even if you work harder and longer than you signed on for. But my perspective is different because I happened to have come from the big money world of advertising. You are expected to perform at the top of your game and let rich yuppies chew you out over 30 seconds of airtime during the Superbowl, BUT you are paid handsomely in return. This job also gave me lots of respect...for making commercials. It had plenty of cultural significance, but it's a little shy on the moral significance. So now I find myself in a job that CERTAINLY deserves the respect and is morally significant, yet doesn't get the juice. I ask myself, "Why should an administrator get paid more than me? I'm just as capable, if not more." Call me arrogant, but I know I've got the goods and I am worth a helluva lot more than $47K. $47K is alot if you're NOT making that much or if you never have, but I came from a money drenched industry where I am used to getting paid well to work my butt off. So in comparison, I've taken a vow of poverty. I realize that I made the conscious move to a career that would pay me in other, more meaningful ways, but I want to bring respect and a great salary with me! Is that so wrong?!

Choosing to teach has been one of the best decisions of my life, and I have grown far more than even I was expecting to. My age and experience have allowed me a perspective on the true importance of my job. I am determined that the teaching profession be honored in a manner equal with its value to the community at large. At the VERY LEAST, I expect to be respected.

I had planned to call all the parents, but I didn't make any more calls after that. I just didn't have the stomach for it.

Hitting Us With Their Best Shot

As Pat Benetar so eloquently said, “Put up your dukes, let’s get down to it. Hit me with your best shot.” Unfortunately, my employer is taking me up on it. We have been on strike for 5 days and I just got word that Day 6 is happening for sure. The sad development is that teachers are becoming the scapegoats during the strike in my district. It's easy to place the blame on the teachers because we are on the strike line and visibly NOT in the classroom. We are also the ones that the parents, kids, and community know. On the other hand, the board members and highly paid district employees might be passing you on the street and you might never know. Their arrogance and stubbornness are disgraceful, yet their invisibility during this time keeps them safely in the shadows.

In the meantime, many teachers (including myself) are becoming physically ill and emotionally exhausted over the fact that our students are STILL out of the classroom. Rumor has it that the district wants us to feel the burn by keeping us out on strike for a while longer. How selfish and vindictive is that??

The board approved administrative raises of 16.84% over the summer BEFORE looking at teacher salaries. The irony is that the administration is supposed to SUPPORT the teachers, not the other way around. We teach the children. The teachers have an enormous responsibility that should be justly compensated.

The teachers union has been trying to bargain with the district since August, while we were IN the classroom. It went nowhere. We want to be TEACHING! But we are professionals that demand to be paid as professionals. We must stand up for better wages and conditions because it has to start somewhere.



We would never have a Cesar Chavez Day off or know the name Dolores Huerta if they had agreed to accept their conditions because that's the way it had always been. Change must begin somewhere. Teaching deserves to be a socially and financially respected profession.

Come On Down!

“You don’t go into teaching to get rich.” This is what I heard from someone who thinks teachers shouldn’t stand up for themselves when it comes to their salaries. Well, I hope you don’t go into ANY job to get rich. How shallow. Before I became a teacher, I spent a few years pondering my next career move. I wanted it to have meaning. I wanted to like, dare I say love, my job. What a concept, huh? Sure, I didn’t go into teaching to get rich, but I expect to be paid a respectful and reasonable salary.

How does a teacher pay increase help kids? It’s like any other profession. If you pay a decent salary, you’ll be able to hire and retain the best. Teaching is already a labor of love, but it shouldn’t have to be. As some signs said at our recent rally, “I love to teach, but love don’t pay the rent.” When people call me “noble” for being a teacher, I always worry that what they really mean is, “I know you don’t get paid jack, but I think it’s admirable.” I want to be a respected professional whose paycheck reflects that respect. I teach because it is part of my path, but I shouldn’t have to take a vow of poverty for it. I’m not that noble .

Are teachers worth more money? Why not see for yourself?


For decades Bob Barker said “Come On Down!” while hosting The Price is Right. Well, I’m borrowing the saying now that he’s off to greener pastures. Come on Down to my classroom! Volunteer! See for yourself. Let the juggling act begin! Join me and learn why teaching is often called a "labor of love". I’d especially like you to come volunteer so I can have a bathroom break. Sometimes waiting for the recess bell is extremely painful.

Here’s a breakdown if you’re still skeptical:
There are 32 kids in my classroom this year. 32 stories. 32 personalities. 32 learning styles. 32 ideas of what respect means. 32 sets of emotions. 32 sets of needs. Oh yeah... and then there's me. I'm the "go to" person. Need a band-aid? Need to understand why 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4? Need to tell someone what you did last night? Need to have someone tell you, "It's gonna be ok"? Need to decode a word you've never seen before? Need to be taught some basic social skills? Need an adult to help you sort out the argument you just had with your best friend? All of these individual moments take place while I am also expected to teach meaningful lessons that keep students engaged and interested in their learning. In the meantime, they may also be hungry, thinking about grandma who's in the hospital, tired, overwhelmed, anxious, frustrated…etc.
It is a challenge to say the least.

I am an educated professional that has been hired to teach 32 students. In many cases these kids spend more waking hours with me than their own families. That's a HUGE responsibility. Slap the expectations of the state , federal gov't, and society on top of that and we've got some mounds of responsibility. In high school I worked at Burger King and was paid $3.35 an hour. It was a low risk job and I had very few responsibilities. That makes sense. But when I moved up the ladder and become a "Burger King Crew Trainer", I was pushing $4.00 an hour! I had more responsibilities which meant more $$!!! Sound familiar? Of course, because that's the way it generally works. So when some doofus says, "Well, you didn't go into teaching to get rich", I say, "How much are the futures of 32 kids worth in your book?"

Don’t Hate, Educate

When I was in high school, a bunch of the “jocks” used to pick on this kid Robert. They would taunt him and spit on him until he got so angry that he would lose all control. He was never violent towards anyone, but he would yell and cuss and flail his arms uncontrollably. Day in and day out they would harass him. I condemned the behavior of these jocks, but I condemned it in silence. I especially remember J and D spitting on him. That was a vile sight, yet I sat and watched. No one stuck up for Robert. No one stood up to these immature, cruel excuses for boys and demanded that they stop. I feel ashamed for having stood by and done nothing. I can excuse it by arguing that I was only 15 or 16 years old and I didn’t have it together or that there was too much peer pressure, or blah, blah, blah, but the truth of the matter is, I was human, I should have had compassion and the spiritual strength to do something… anything.

Robert had something wrong with him – I think he had a brain tumor, which brought on some kind of mental impairment. This makes the bullying even more abhorrent. What kind of bully picks on the most vulnerable of its population? Well, that’s the same question I’ve been asking at work. I am a public elementary school teacher.


The bullies are the state politicians, school administrators, and in some cases, public opinion. The children are supposed to be a priority, but often times they are not. So this vulnerable part of our population has teachers to stand up and fight for them. But we have our own struggle as well. Right now, the district and school board bullies have refused to give the teachers in my district a fair and equitable salary increase. They have given us no choice but to strike and that is SO difficult for teachers. We have to leave our students. We have to disrupt the routines that so many of them desperately count on. Their education is being sacrificed and compromised by the purse strings of a bureaucracy. And the teachers are forced to live with the upside down pyramid (those that are in place to support the teachers are the ones making the most money). We do all the work with these kids everyday, but are being ignored and disrespected. If the teachers are treated this way, how must "they" feel about the students we are fighting for?