...Union. That is the question.
I know many of my peers get upset with me when I say I don't really care if I'm union or not. Truly though, at this point, I don't know what good it's doing me.
That being said, I'm quite uneasy about the district's challenges and decisions that are coming to a head in the next few months. I am hoping that the union and district can be civil and act with some common sense as this moves forward. I certainly wish I wasn't in a career where every few years there's a "fight" between two entities that determines our fate. There shouldn't be any sides to take; it should be about choosing quality educational programs and materials, and maintainig a highly qualified teaching staff.
I cannot comprehend how massive school closings (which, as mentioned in previous blogs, I do agree with, as long as they are done effectively and with a great deal of planning) can be implemented with care, if there is also a huge contract battle going on. When I hear the union fighting these school closings, holding rallies to protest them, it just makes me wonder why? It's not financially responsbile to operate these half empty, falling apart buildings.
These are two major projects, and I don't see how either can be done with integrity, if BOTH are needing to happen in the same summer. Truly, the biggest thing they could do to gain some respect and traction would be to concede to all the closings, agree that the district needs that massive change, and just focus on the teacher issues afterwards.
Yesterday, there was a big union meeting, only open to PFT members. I did not attend. I could say it's because I have a baby to pick up, but honestly, I don't see what good it would have done me to go. I got a recap from many already today. From what was shared with me, the feeling is not good....the feeling is that it will be an ugly fight, the feeling is that we have no power as as union anyway, etc.
I am nervous about what my salary and contract stipulations will be next year, yes. I am thinking I should apply elsewhere, or even look into a career change. This makes me sad, because I love teaching, I really do, but I can't deal with the politics.
And the teachers union, and how it negotiates with the district, is all politics.
I want to educate children. I went to 6 years of college, no online degrees, REAL schools, just for teaching. I'm certified in 5 areas, have a M.A. degree, and am now Nationally Board certified. I don't say this to pat myself on the back, but to make a point. I didn't just pick this job for summers off, or because it was easy, like I hear many people say about teachers. I chose it as a profession, and I want to be treated like a professional.
Bottom line, yes, our district has no money, so changes need to be made. I don't feel though, that they should make those changes in a way that takes away from incentives that keep quality educators in a district that is in desperate need of quality.
And when I hear some teachers complaining about giving in to anything....whether it's paying a bit towards benefits (which, fine, most people do! That in no way disrespects me as an educator to ask for that) or getting less money for accumulated sick days (c'mon, really, I get it, they were "your days" but let's look at the big picture here), I want to bang my head on the desk.
This is the stuff that gives unions a bad name, and that makes teachers come off in this negative light. This is the stuff that makes people in the media (well, conservative media anway) say that unions are killing our schools.
However, despite some of the old, ingrained, union mentality that tends to rub me the wrong way, I do want to point out that you don't hear the media complaining that unions are killing education in wealthier districts. It's in the poor, usually large urban areas, where these battles are happening. So union or not, can we at least admit that the educational problems in these districts are far deeper, and much more related to poverty and parenting, than anything the district or union has or has not done? No one wants to say it, or address it, because it doesn't seem "Fair"....but it's true. We can't make progress until we address the real issues.
To be clear, I love urban education. I went to Temple, and have worked in North Philly schools for years. I love and care for my students, and often go far beyond any minimum contract definition of my job for them.
I hear too, that I'm the type of teacher that should go teach in a charter school. This is frustrating, and confusing. Why should I leave? Because my ideas are creative, are outside the rigid box of union solidarity? I want to stay in a district, where I feel I was blessed with a gift to work this particular, sometime challenging population of students. I just want to be recognized as a professional as I do this.
Come on Philly Education, from both "sides" let's do these changes right please.
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