Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Penn Trafford Averts Strike
Learning from Kids about Teacher Strikes
Teachers insist that they need the right to strike. They claim that only through the right to strike can they have bargaining leverage with the school district. We counter that the ability to strike causes havoc among parents, children, and the community. This was recently evidenced in the Penn-Trafford school year where the union struck once in October and threatened to walk again until a new settlement was reached at the eleventh hour.
However, the damage has been done. One student, the student representative to the board, expressed her frustration when she said: “This year has been ruined for us, so thanks board and thanks PTEA" (teachers’ union). Despite claims that they only do what’s best for the students, teachers disrupted students’ year by refusing to write letters of recommendation for college admissions as well as refusing to sponsor clubs and extracurricular activities which are an essential part of student life. Teachers let the impasse with the district spill over into their classrooms and showed disdain for the students they claim to care for. Did this childish behavior cost a student admission to the college of their choice or deny students the opportunity to hone skills developed through extracurricular activities? Is this the type of professionalism espoused by teacher unions?
The impact this dispute has had on the students may run deeper than missed activities. It could have taught them that bullying and holding a community hostage is the only way to get what you want in life. Instead the student representative also noted that “we have been given a lesson on how we absolutely will not act when we are put into a position as role models”. Obviously she learned on how not to act in a dispute. It is only hoped that other students have learned the same lesson.
Most students and parents were relieved that their summer vacation has been spared—a strike could have extended the school year to June 30th. The first strike wiped out their Christmas break. In addition to lost vacation plans, another strike would have sent parents scrambling to find adequate child care.
The details of this agreement have not been finalized, so taxpayers in these communities do not know how much it will cost. However, the costs to the students have already been tabulated. Their losses cannot be replaced. Yet they underscore the importance of eliminating teachers’ right to strike.
Teachers insist that they need the right to strike. They claim that only through the right to strike can they have bargaining leverage with the school district. We counter that the ability to strike causes havoc among parents, children, and the community. This was recently evidenced in the Penn-Trafford school year where the union struck once in October and threatened to walk again until a new settlement was reached at the eleventh hour.
However, the damage has been done. One student, the student representative to the board, expressed her frustration when she said: “This year has been ruined for us, so thanks board and thanks PTEA" (teachers’ union). Despite claims that they only do what’s best for the students, teachers disrupted students’ year by refusing to write letters of recommendation for college admissions as well as refusing to sponsor clubs and extracurricular activities which are an essential part of student life. Teachers let the impasse with the district spill over into their classrooms and showed disdain for the students they claim to care for. Did this childish behavior cost a student admission to the college of their choice or deny students the opportunity to hone skills developed through extracurricular activities? Is this the type of professionalism espoused by teacher unions?
The impact this dispute has had on the students may run deeper than missed activities. It could have taught them that bullying and holding a community hostage is the only way to get what you want in life. Instead the student representative also noted that “we have been given a lesson on how we absolutely will not act when we are put into a position as role models”. Obviously she learned on how not to act in a dispute. It is only hoped that other students have learned the same lesson.
Most students and parents were relieved that their summer vacation has been spared—a strike could have extended the school year to June 30th. The first strike wiped out their Christmas break. In addition to lost vacation plans, another strike would have sent parents scrambling to find adequate child care.
The details of this agreement have not been finalized, so taxpayers in these communities do not know how much it will cost. However, the costs to the students have already been tabulated. Their losses cannot be replaced. Yet they underscore the importance of eliminating teachers’ right to strike.
