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.