Late Friday a tentative agreement was reached between the Chicago Teachers Union and the city's school board. This means 350,000 students may be able to return to school on Monday if everyone can agree to agree on the things they have apparently agreed to agree upon. Not a lot of which is public yet.
CNN sites a source close to the negotiations saying some of the terms include "keeping the current length of school year and school day; giving principals the freedom to hire their own teachers; and, chief among the dispute's sticking points, updating the teacher evaluation system for the first time in 40 years."
So while there is clearly a lot on the table for these teachers, I am very conflicted over their ability to strike in the first place -- hurdling working parents into a childcare nightmare. It's hard not to put myself in the position of all of those parents that have had to figure out what the heck to do with their kids while the teachers fought this one out. And I feel especially bad for those parents dealing with less-than-understanding bosses ... or those that had their pay docked because they had no other option but to stay home with their kids.
On the flip side -- I went to a public school in a big city with broken desks and classrooms so crowded that the radiators in the back were lined with students taking notes -- with our binders on our laps. I went and spoke before my local community board when I was 16 years old to try to help create change. Explained what it was like. Nothing changed. So I can also understand why the Teachers Union felt like they were left with no other choice. If you don't push for what you believe in -- for what you think is best for yourself and for the students you are teaching -- then you probably will never get what you really need.
More from The Stir: Chicago Teachers are Already Overpaid
What confuses me the most about these kinds of strikes -- because they happen all over the country in big cities and small -- is why it has to come to this in the first place? It is so obscene to try to come to an agreement without having to resort to such drastic measures? Stop. Don't answer that.
Do you think teachers should be allowed to strike like this? Is there a clear-cut winner?
Image via sidewalk flying/Flickr
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Comments 52
Venae- Most teachers hold a Master's degree. Do you really feel that it's fair for a teacher with years of experience and education should be paid at a level consistent with someone who works in a less skilled position? Also, there is a large population of poor in Chicago, which may bring down the average income.
nationsreportcard.gov reports: At grade 4, students whose teachers hold master’s degrees have scored higher than their peers whose teachers hold bachelor’s degrees in every assessment since 2005.
So if most teachers hold a master's degree, why is it that only 15% of 4th graders read on grade level? And if the students can't read, why are teachers paid so much - regardless of their degree, their children aren't learning!
Hey BetweenCourses you are preaching to the choir. I think our state and federal politicians are over paid, and there is no reason they should receive the benefits they do for a public servant job. The bottom line is we need to put our kids first, and having them out of school because you don't like how things are going is using our children as pawns. The union is not helping this country anymore. Not as long as teachers have an advocate but students don't. Even FDR the king of
As for saying we should pay someone more because they have a Master's Degree, that is ridiculous. You can get your master's with a C average, and if your students aren't passing what good did furthering your education do for us. I think we should pay our teachers six figures a year with no benefit package at all. We will give you a hundred K a year and you figure out your own health care and your own retirement. That will never happen but it would save us money.
Venae I loved that you brought up the whole private school thing in Chicago. I thought I would add that it is pretty typical across the country.
Storkneedsgps yeah we are just heartbroken we don't have some big bully forcibly taking money from us and telling us they know better than we do.
Great message for the students at Chicago schools: Bullies win.
storkneedsgps: I would never take a union job because it goes against my principals, so no, I am not jealous. I guess I just misguidedly expect decent work for decent pay, no matter what the occupation. I can see you're a public school teacher, by the way; your English skills are lacking. Your post showcases poor grammar and punctuation, but apparently you do know how to use spellcheck. Also, you're overemotional and accusatory. Good behavioral and coping skills for the classroom, eh?
I notice a lot of the pro protester comments on here saying the parents are mad because they can't find daycare, they think of the public schools as a free daycare. Well if you weren't aware public school is NOT FREE, if you pay taxes you are paying for your kids to go to school. If you own a home, or have a job then you pay taxes that essentially pay for the public schools, so my argument is school is not free daycare. Sorry that was bugging me. Technically this teachers union was not allowd to strike based on their contract unless they were striking about a raise. If they are negotiating about any other terms in their contract, ie. benefits, evaluations... then they were not allowd to strike. If they are so concerned about the students then striking was not the right decision. This is the problem with unions, they have to much power. I can't imagine being in a large city with 350,000 students out of school while most their parents are supposed to be working, I'm sure it has caused a lot of problems and not just for the parents...