Beloit College CTU Strike Talk

On December 3rd I had the privilege of speaking to students at Beloit College in Wisconsin. A friend and colleague, Lucy Gray is an alumni of Beloit and put me in touch with a student who was interested in having someone come speak about the Chicago Teachers Union strike.

I was happy to be able to volunteer but felt it was important to share not only my viewpoint of the strike but also the opinions of colleagues around the city that I respect. Below is the presentation I showed on campus. Following are the transcripts from the fantastic educators that helped make my presentation much stronger than it would have been on my own. Together these educators combine for 163 years of teaching experience and excellence. Thanks to all that contributed statements, videos and pictures.

Go CPS Teachers!!

Hello My Name Is...Reflections of the CTU Strike on Prezi

Full Statements from Educators Featured in the Prezi

Monica former 5^th grade teacher, not employed by CPS during strike but participated

8 years with CPS: works as a field impact specialist with Student Achievement Partners

Did you see it as a positive thing?

I thought the strike was necessary to highlight a plethora of issues that have plagued CPS and teachers in general such as class size, work load, materials for learning and personal available on the first day of school and respect in general.

What made you want to participate (or do you feel like you had to?).

I participated for a number of reasons. As a former union delegate, I stood with my union on many issues that lead up to the strike so I wanted to continue standing for what I was fighting for in the beginning. Just because I was no longer in the system I still the need to support my friends and colleagues who were still being downtrodden. I have always been a rooter for the underdog. I went to to Wisconsin to protest two times for the right of public employees. It was time for people to demand the respect they deserve and at least be taken seriously for once!

On the first day of school, my daughter did not have a desk in her classroom! as I watched her face sadden as she sat at a kidney table with two other students who didn't have desk, my heart sunk. She wanted to have what the other students had, a simple desk! No fault of the teacher, just a systemic problem of over crowding as usual. 30+ students in a second grade room is not an optimal learning environment so I stood up as a parent as well. I had my daughter participate so she could understand why she was out of school and what it meant to stand up for what you believe in.

Did you attend any rallies? What was your overall experience or vibe?

I attended several rallies downtown, at Dunbar High School, Dyett High School, the Hilton Hotel and of course my old school. The vibe was one of unity, togetherness, and power!

Brandon- 7^th/8th language arts teacher, 7 years

I think the strike was a positive thing. With all of the chaos within CPS and the often negative attacks on teachers, the strike was an opportunity to show the determination of CPS teachers. Too often, teachers are the pointed at as the cause of problems within CPS. Teachers are not the problem.

I firmly believe that if teachers were given the opportunity to have a say in District operations and their voice be valued and recognized, substantial academic gains would occur. Too many of the people who make decisions are so far removed from classroom teaching that they have concept how their (often crass) decisions make teaching difficult. The CTU strike was an opportunity for teachers to display their power and voice.

I participated in most of the rallies downtown. I believe that the rallies served as an important reminder of our collective voice as teachers. I never really thought much of the Union or attending the Union meetings. The strike changed my perspective. The Union is the only recourse that teachers have to protect themselves professionally and their school communities. The Union works as an important check on the power of the District to act in responsible manners. For example, the Union is one of the few entities that questions the school utilization. The Union points out how school utilization as a criteria for school closure is a manufactured problem because of the massive expansion of charter schools.

Roxanne, Technology Coordinator, 15 years

I was really surprised by the strike and REALLY surprised that it lasted as long as it did. I did come out to my school everyday to picket and attended all of the rallies. I was really impressed with the level of commitment that teachers showed. One of the biggest things that I think came out of the strike was a level of awareness, nationally, about what is happening to our education system. The fact that there is a large push towards privatization of public school and how much influence some of these organizations have.

One thing that will stay with me though from the strike is the feeling I had during the whole time.....like a "yuck" in the pit of my stomach. It is not what I wanted to be doing by any means, but I felt it was important to hopefully raise more awareness to some of the real issues. It was also hard for me and other teachers from my school and others that aren't affected many of the inequities faced by students in poorer neighborhoods.

Jada, 3^rd grade NBCT 14 years

I definitely thought the strike was a necessary action. I felt I was fighting for more than my career--this is my passion. I believe the strike helped many people to understand how educators, clinicians, paraprofessionals, and others (including students) are sometimes blatantly disrespected by those who should be in this "fight" with us. I hope that many now understand the need for Chicago to have an elected Board of Education (like other districts in our state). A good number of parents, students, and retired teachers came out in support of us. In our building, 10 new teachers and several new paraprofessionals joined us this school year. The strike gave us an opportunity to bond when we may not have had that chance otherwise. I feel we are a stronger staff because of it, and that has a direct effect on our students' success. In the end, we have to remember that's what it's all about-student success.

Jenny, NBCT 7th/8th grade Language Arts, 8 years

This is my 8th year in CPS. I'm teaching 7th & 8th Grade Language Arts. These are my thoughts on the strike - I was very scared and actually pretty emotional when it all started. We are a Track E school so we had already been in school a month and I really didn't like the idea of interrupting the flow - but I also knew it was something that had to be done. Our students, parents, and administrators were amazingly supportive. The energy at the downtown rallies and marches just solidified what we were doing was right and necessary. Considering the ripple effect the strike has had across other districts speaks to the importance of what we did. I also feel like our work has only just begun - the real fight is ahead of us - I have great fear for the future of public education - however - I also have great faith. I recently heard about a movement taking place in April in Washington DC to continue the fight for public education - I hope to be there.

Derek, Lead Technology Teacher, 16 years

Did you see it as a positive thing?

This was the first time in my career that I saw parents, teachers, and students united for a common goal. Talking to the parents and students allowed me the opportunity to see that both stakeholder groups also felt voiceless and powerless as CPS stakeholders. The true power came from CPS internal stakeholders appearing as a united front for all to see and hear. Thanks to the organized efforts of the teachers' union, the voiceless internal stakeholders gained voice and were heard via heavy media coverage. The Chicago Teachers Union may have helped other Illinois teachers' unions in their contract negotiations by showing the power of teacher unions..

What made you want to participate (or do you feel like you had to?).

Poor classroom/school environments, resource disparity, arbitrary punitive administration decisions against teachers, and unfair treatment of teachers by CPS led me to participate.

Did you attend any rallies?

I attended 3 rallies.

What was your overall experience or vibe?

It felt good to come together and learn how widespread CPS issues are a part of the district's educational system. There are certainly more problems in high poverty areas of the city. I am hopeful that the solidarity associated with the efforts to improve education will continue. Sadly, it seems like much of the energy associated with educational reform has already dissipated.

Cherianne, NBCT 2nd grade, 9 years

As for my own personal tidbits...I think the videos and pictures can speak for themselves; the camaraderie and unity felt among my coworkers and city-wide colleagues was immeasurable. I believe that all of us felt that Rahm was insulting our profession as public educators, our students as inner-city youth, and that he and the board were WAY out of touch with the reality in our classrooms...which was really the main factor in what "riled the troops". Personally, I feel very strongly that the students we teach deserve the best possible opportunities and I think we all felt that we were sending a message about how important public education is in our city and throughout the country.

Nicole, NBCT 2nd grade, 9 years

I participated because I felt it was a necessary move by the teacher's union in an effort to fight an employer who was attempting to take what is already questionable working conditions, and make them even worse. Many educators came before us and fought very hard for the rights we have, and I felt as though it was our duty to fight to preserve those rights, as well as hopefully improve some of the inequalities that exist in our system for those who will come after us. In my eyes, you can't go and take a 230 page document and cut it down to 30 pages without a fight. I know for myself and our staff it was a positive, albeit difficult and emotional experience. We really banded together and leaned on one another for support. I attended all of the daily pickets and all but 1 of the afternoon rallies. Overall, I didn't see our resulting contract as a huge victory in that we gained a lot. I did however see it a a victory in that we were able to preserve most of the rights we had and I wasn't too upset about the concessions we made. Hopefully our employer will think twice and bargain in good faith before the next contract, otherwise I am ready to fight again.

Forgot to tell the story of the CPD officer that went into the Mcdonalds we were picketing outside of and paid the cashier $50 for 50 of us to get a coffee. Also the fire house by out picket let us fill our coolers with their ice machine everyday.

Shane, Lead Technology Teacher, 10 years

Thoughts on the strike:

1. Why?- To me this is a question that has different answers depending on how you ask. If you were to ask the head of CTU they would probably tell you something different then me. For me, it was simply about inequality. Meaning, why are there schools on the north side that have better funding and schools that seem to have less organizational issues? Why do my kids on the west side of Chicago not get there books in time for the beginning of school? Why don't my students have air conditioning in their rooms? Why do the schools on the north side have smaller classrooms while mine has 35 kids in a cramped room? How can teachers be evaluated on a student taking a test when that student may have zero help at home from their parents and guardians? Just because a school is getting lower scores overall, does that mean every teacher in that school is a bad teacher? After all, maybe they took that job because they wanted to make a difference. These were some of the issues that struck a chord with me.

2. Was it worth it?- I think it depends on who you ask. From my standpoint if we made people stop their day for a few minutes to even think about it or have a discussion than it was worth it. As a society we cannot continue to ignore the problems with our school system. Not just in Chicago, but throughout our country.

3. For me it was never about the money. It really was about fighting for better schools for the students. Money should not come before doing what is right for every child. I would hate to see the public schools system fall by the wayside. In my opinion, it's one of the last places on earth in which people rich or poor; black, white, brown, or whatever can go to one place and learn together and from each other which is what the U.S. is to me.

Anna, Lead Technology Teacher, 16 years

• I had no idea what to expect as far as what "being on strike" would be like

• The first day everyone at my school showed up for picket time. Each day after that it weened down by at least 1-5 people. I showed up to picket all 7 days. I showed up at 3 rallies. I remember the "thrill" the first day. Everything was new and we were all trying to figure out how this "strike" thing works. We took shifts. Half of us would picket in the chairs by the food in front of the school and use the bathroom (that was always an ordeal) and half of us would stand at the busy intersection. We switched every hour.

• “It was difficult to watch the news each evening after coming home from another day of picketing. By the 4th day I found myself muting the television when the mayor came on.” He's got the market on the media and it was especially frustrating to listen to him.

• “I become proud in a way that I didn't expect. It was a feeling of unity that I didn't expect either. “

• I wish I could describe that first rally for you. Still haven't found the words.

• I remember standing in a sea of people. The noise was so loud that I couldn't hear the person next to me. I turned my head to the left and standing right next to me was a man dressed in a hot dog suit from head to toe and holding a sign that read "Rahm is a weenie". I don't think that image will ever leave my mind. I remember wishing that I had the guts of that hot dog.

• I really became to like Karen Lewis. I was glad she was my leader.

• The day before the strike ended we all had to vote and our vote was counted as one school. This is where things got interesting. We met at a teachers house. All of our lawn chairs in her living room. One last breakfast together. Our delegate read through all the points of the newest submission. Each point read was met with both sarcasm and head nods. I began to see that this was going to be a tough vote. We had been on strike for 6 days and some people were ready to concede on things that they were not before thinking that this was as good as we were gonna get and some people were ready to stay and "fight on". I really couldn't tell which way it would go. Just before we took the vote, a well respected teacher stood up and gave her plea for everyone to really think realistically about what would happen after today if we decided to extend the strike. It was a plea with passion. I believe it swayed the vote at my school to ending the strike. There were definitely some disappointed people in that living room.

• All said and done: It was an experience of a lifetime that I am grateful to have had. It was powerful. It altered my perspective in many ways. I hope to NEVER to do it again.

• Logistics of striking:

◦ Public restrooms in West Englewood. By the second day everyone was bringing their own toilet paper and hand sanitizer .... drinking a lot LESS coffee.

◦ The first day the sounds from the passing cars were more than enough to keep up morale. It was exhilarating. The police officers that patrol our school came by with food and coffee. Photos were being taken left and right.

◦ Between days 3-4 I started to see a shift in the support from the the cars that passed by and also in the tempo of the staff

◦ Striking makes you fat. People bring loads of bad food and you're either standing with sign or sitting with a sign.

◦ We were given chants by the union to use. But by the third day we were down to using 2 of the union chants and we made up the rest on our own. It gave us something to do. Picketing can get a little dull after the novelty wears off.

I've been at my school for 6 years and one of the things that we all thought was that picketing together each day gave us the chance to know each other in different ways.

Abby, NBCT, 2nd grade 9 years

I think the Chicago Teacher's Union strike was imperative to public education across the country. The field of education is quickly changing and those at the forefront of the decision making have barely entered a classroom. What the Chicago Teacher's Union won was a chance to show the public that all students deserve a quality public education, not just the ones that can afford it. While we did not win all of our battles, we have made headway in the fight for public schools that provide students with appropriate resources such as textbooks, nurses, psychologists, art teachers, and music teachers. In addition, the strike brought teachers from across the city together as we shared our passion and concern for the children in our schools.

Jakki, 3rd grade, 16 years

The strike was somewhat of a double edge sword for me. While I believe the strike was something that needed to happen it was painful to have my students losing out on the day to day instruction. It was sometimes an emotional strain because I would often think about if the students were getting the proper care needed. Are they getting the proper meal? Nonetheless, I thought the strike was necessary because as educators we needed to have a voice. I felt that for the most part we had the support of many parents. In addition, as the school's delegate I wanted to be the Strongest Link, ensuring that May teachers would know I was there even if one of them could not be there. It was important for the teachers know that I believe in one for all, and all for one. It was a very challenging time for us all, I'm sure, but we fought a good fight. Lastly, I would like to share that upon returning to school it was fabulous to be able to have a lesson that was engaging for the children. It was clear that many of our families were supportive given the comments from the children.

Anita, 7th/8th grade writing, 6 years

“I felt honored to be apart of CPS's strike. I was honored to stand up for what I believed in, not just in monetary gain but in fighting for better circumstances for our children and for a better educational system.”

Scenes from the Strike