Hello, and welcome back! For those of you who are joining us for the first time, welcome. We're glad you're here! I'm your host, Alice in Pascoland. We have with us today a very special guest, Mr. Teacher. Mr. Teacher, say hello to the parents of Pasco.
Hello, parents. It's good to be with you today.
Mr. Teacher is a highly qualified educator working at one of Pasco School District's many schools. Some of you may have even had him as one of your children's teachers in past years.
That's right. I've taught hundreds of children in the Pasco School District. And I'm looking forward to teaching dozens more this year when school finally begins.
Let's talk about that for a moment, shall we. A lot of parents were shocked to learn that school would not be starting today as planned. Was this a sudden decision? Why weren't people made aware sooner?
It was not a sudden decision at all. It is unfortunate that some people were caught unaware. The union voted back on August 12 that they would strike if a contract agreement was not reached by August 31st. There were parents and students standing on the picket lines all summer long, so it's not as if this has been done in secret.
The tone from PSD indicated shock, though. They are saying they had no idea the teachers were striking, and in fact found out from the news stations.
There are a lot of kids out there who are really upset that they don't get to go back to school and be with their friends. Some were even crying. What would you say to them?
I would tell them their teachers are crying too. We all want to get back into the classroom and learn together, but we can't yet. We can't always give our kids exactly what they want because we are adults and we want something better for them. This is one of those times. Kids want to go back to school, teachers want kids back at school too but with curriculum.
What do you mean when you say we need curriculum?
Most of you remember going to school where a teacher had a book and all the students had a matching book and you would work through lessons together one chapter at a time. This is not how things are in Pasco. Some classroom are like this, but the books are 25+ years old. Some are like this but there are only a half dozen books for all thirty students to share. Some classrooms have not books at all and teachers are using online resources to make up lessons. And worse yet, some classrooms have no outline at all of what topics they are meant to teach. Imagine you are a first year teacher and you are put in a classroom and told to teach reading. Where do you start? Try to really reach your mind around what that would feel like for a teacher. Now imagine what type of quality (or not quality) instruction those students will be receiving. It is really an awful situation.
Curriculum could take years to get, though. Do you plan on being on strike until then?
Of course not! We understand it will take time to get curriculum in hand. This is a big problem that has gone on for years. It will take more than a year to get it solved. What teachers are asking for is an assurance that curriculum issues will be addressed quickly. We can keep teaching another year or two without curriculum if we must, as long as we know there is an end in sight. What we need is a firm commitment with a plan and a deadline to hold PSD accountable to the teachers.
But hasn't the district already said they would work on this? Isn't that good enough?
I wish it were, but they have made promises for years and not followed through. It is actually Washington law that says we must have board adopted curriculum. The fact that the district has neglected this issue for so long is the reason were are in this situation today.
PSD claims that teachers aren't even asking for curriculum, that their biggest request is a pay raise. Is that true?
Every union proposal has mentioned curriculum in a big way. Anyone can see that. In fact the teachers union's most resent request started with a page-long introduction saying they would be happy to move on the salary portion in exchange for getting what they are asking for on curriculum. On paper the biggest part of our proposal is teacher salary, but that is because curriculum doesn't have a price tag. We can't calculate the cost of it. That's like asking what do you value more, air or your car? You paid more for your car, but that doesn't mean you don't value air more.
Some parents are claiming that all of this strife is just because the union is trying to stir up trouble. Any thoughts on that?
When I started in teaching, I never intended to join the union. I have never been a fan of unions or how they work. I only felt inclined to join the teacher's union after seeing all the unethical things that were going on in the district. A lot of other teachers and I have been frustrated for a very long time. We have tried to advocate for change, but our voices have been ignored. We have finally reached a critical mass of outrage that has tipped the scale to a point at which our voices can be heard.
Some people are saying that teachers are being selfish and just using this as front to get more money.
I have heard those comments, and to be honest they really hurt. It is easy to call names and place blame online, but I don't think that many of those people would be willing to look their child's teacher in the eye and say those same things. If you aren't sure what is going on, call your child's teacher and ask. Find out what they are going through. Then decide how you feel. I have children of my own in this district. I am a parent too, so I do understand how these issues affect families. But I am willing to do what it takes now to benefit all of Pasco's kids in the future.
So what can parents do to help you?
Talk to me. Talk to your children's teachers. Find out what they are really fighting for. Visit them on the picket lines. Then call the district administrators and email the board. Join us in fighting to make Pasco schools a great place to be.
Thank you, Mr. Teacher, for your time and all your hard work.
Thank you for having me, Alice.
Alice and Mr. Teacher would like to thank you for reading. We all would invite you to really take time to talk with your own childrens' teachers and ask them what their concerns are. Ask them how they feel about the curriculum they have. Ask them how they feel about their representation in the school district and the union. Ask them how they feel about the administrators who are in charge of them.
Together we can bring about the positive change we all want to see in Pasco. Together we are mighty.
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