Today is Day One of the Los Angeles teachers strike. In hopes that anything can be a "teachable moment," I brought my 10-year-old son to school. And I told him this was the plan:
• We're bringing the teachers donuts
• He was going to attend at least one day of school during the strike to have the experience and to see firsthand what it's like
• On all subsequent days, he could determine if he wants to go to school or not for the (hopefully short) duration of the strike
• No matter WHAT his decision there, we're getting up early like regular school time, and bringing the teachers donuts every day.
In the round trip between home, the donut shop, and my kid's school, we passed two OTHER schools. I'm happy to report that a full compliment of teachers were walking the line at each school, with robust support from passers-by. All this, in a steady rain (in L.A., so for you out-of-towners, this might as well have been the apocalypse).
At my kid's school, I was flat-out crying, truth be told. These teachers have been GREAT for my son, and for the community at large. It PAINED them to be outside, carrying signs and singing protest songs, knowing that they could not do their jobs today, watching their own students walk by. I saw retired teachers who had come to walk the line with their current counterparts. And no matter WHAT they were feeling on the inside, to their eternal credit, they smiled, said "good morning," and thanked every parent who was there with their kids.
Inside, all the students gathered in the auditorium. The principal, one heck of a great guy, addressed the kids and the parents. Told everyone they were doing their best. Said they'd have the kids in the computer lab, the auditorium, outside. Said it would be "fun."
District-wide, the Los Angeles Unified School District is attempting to keep schools open with about 8% the usual capacity of actual dang adults. They need the grant-in-aid money that flows to them on a per-student, per-day basis. I get it.
I also get that a strike is the WORST of all possible outcomes. It is NOT good for the teachers, the administrators, the students, the district, the parents. NO ONE wins here.
The teachers' demands are simple, and justified: A cost-of-living wage increase over the next two years, and some additional staff and smaller class sizes. ALL of these are good outputs.
The onus is squarely on the shoulders of the district. It MUST accede to these very reasonable demands.
I will be there every morning, with my son, for this duration. I like donuts. But I'd rather enjoy them in a more comfortable environment, knowing that the needs of my son, the teachers, and the community at large are being served.
Los Angeles Unified School District: Give the teachers what we all need, nnd this strike immediately.
Jim McLauchlin
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