Strike Update

Well why not. Maybe someday I will want to look back on this time fondly.

I doubt it.

As I stated the other day, the negotiations ended after less than an hour last week. New negotiations are set for Monday afternoon.

Now to me that means that school COULD start Tuesday. I know that if they come to a tentative agreement, we can be called in with a moment's notice and vote on the contract offer.

What does it mean to the district?

Apparently nothing. They have cancelled school for the rest of the week.

I am so disappointed.

Yesterday I was at Costco and overheard someone saying that we should all be put into jail for refusing to work.

I butted in. I really don't do that, ever. I may make a comment as I walk by, but I never butt in. I explained the situation and we had a nice talk. By the time we left thing they were stunned at what I was telling them and were wishing us good luck on the strike.

When people hear the truth they always leave understanding that what they're hearing on the news and getting in their mail is completely distorted. Okay, maybe not everyone. I know I have posted on message boards, conversing with people who (for whatever reason) just HATE teachers and they don't want to hear the truth. "Don't muddy things up with the truth! I just want my opinion! Lalalalalala! I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"

It's truly amazing.

The attitude on the line today was much better than yesterday. It seems like we go through phases. Some days we laugh a lot, other days we cry. Today was a good day because we were able to find some humor. I know that may sound inappropriate to some people, but there are times in your life when you need to laugh or else you'll cry. We can't spend all of our time crying, so sometimes we find the absurdity in the situation and we laugh. What else can we do?

So it looks like another week of walking the line. I am so not happy about this.

But what I am happy about is tonight! Tonight was Oktoberfest. Usually all the school clubs have booths. It's a big football game. LOTS of fun! Well since school isn't in (but sports are still running) we couldn't arrange anything. However, our parents set up a parent booster club for FBLA and they ran a football toss. Oh I cannot BEGIN to tell you how good it felt to see my kids again! I am serious! I was almost GIDDY with happiness...sitting with them, laughing with them, joking around. Man I can't wait to be back in school. I wish our detractors understood that. This isn't about money. Not really. It's about respect. If it were about money trust me, I would have become a Network Administrator and made double what I make now. I would not have settled for teaching future network administrators. If they could understand even 1/10th of the love I have for my students and the passion I have for my job they would "get" it.

Oh well. This will pass and what is important is that we will soon be back in school and doing great things together.

He's Seeing Another Woman

Hahahahaha!

So I headed to my husband's school to walk with him a few days this last week. As I walked I smiled at a number of my former colleagues who gave me that sort of "Um, hi, do I know you?" smile. I kept walking with Roy, chatting with those who knew me, and walking.

So pretty soon someone comes up to me and says "Oh my GOD Tory! It's you! Oh thank GOODNESS! I was worried!"

She had seen Roy, who she knew was married to Tory, walking with this (her description) "Hot blonde chick." They were holding hands! They appeared very chummy!

Apparently this was of great concern to her. She shared that she laid awake a few nights thinking, "Man he seems like SUCH a nice guy, how could he do that to her? She's been sick! She doesn't deserve that! Do I tell her? If so, how do I tell her?"

Finally I guess she asked someone else about it, approaching the topic carefully.

"Um, has Tory by chance lost some weight?"

"Oh yeah! She's lost a LOT of weight!"

"OH THANK GOD!"

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

She's not the only one who thought this, though. Once people realized it was me a couple of others came up and admitted that they didn't recognize me and were STUNNED to see Roy with this "other woman."

I have to say, by far this has been the most enjoyable rumor that has accompanied my weight loss.

I guess now Roy can actually answer the question "Who was that lady I saw you with last night?" with...

That was no lady. That was my wife!

Warning...Naughty Language Ahead

Okay I am fucking pissed off. I am so sick and tired of things right now that I'm ready to go Vesuvius on someone! Anyone! Just step into my path...I fucking dare you!

Wow, this is so unlike you Tory! What's the matter?

I will tell you what the fucking matter is. I am on strike. I hate it hate it hate it! I cannot begin to express the anger I have right now over this situation.

What? You're on strike? What's it all about?

Okay, I'm a teacher. I love teaching. Teaching is not only what I do, it's a large part of who I am. I get a great deal of satisfaction out of my teaching. I love my students. No, not in a Mary Kay Laturneau way, but in a way that makes me proud to be a part of their lives.

And I'm a good teacher too. I'm not just saying that. I'm going to brag a little about my teaching and I need to do this, so bear with me.

Sure, go ahead and brag. I'm not going anywhere.

Thank you.

I started teaching ten years ago. I started at the junior high school level teaching 8th and 9th graders. Let me tell you, those are challenging grades, but I loved them. They were funny, exasperating, nuts, adults one day, babies the next. But I loved their energy and enthusiasm about things. I taught junior high for six years. When I started I had one and a half business education classes because numbers were WAY low. Elective classes are driven by who signs up for them, so it's a bad sign if numbers are that low. By the time I left my classes were standing room only and I frequently turned kids away every semester because there wasn't enough space in my classes for them. I also took my Future Business Leaders of America organization from three students to over 40. My last year at the junior high school I won the Junior High School Educator of the Year award from the Washington State Business Education Association for my work of infusing business and leadership training into business curriculum.

I was asked if I'd be willing to start a new Network Administration program at the high school. I said yes. I wanted to move to the high school. I started this program on my own, but I didn't stop there. Not only did I start Networking I, but the next year added NEtworking II. When I could see that we needed something to bridge the gap between computer applications courses and network administration courses, I worked with a colleague to start A+ classes. When some of my kids wanted to take A+ but didn't have time in their schedule, I started A+ classes online and an advanced internship program. I've been at the high school four years. I've started, personally, four new classes.

I've also taken my industry certifications so that when I teach these classes my kids are assured that I've met the objectives that industry wants. That means a lot of studying on my own time, taking really boring classes offered by Microsoft, and sometimes even paying my own money to take tests. I don't get any extra pay for these tests, but since my kids are taking these classes to pursue these certifications, I feel like I need to be able to do what I'm asking them to do.

One of my concerns has always been the lack of girls in my classes, so a few years ago I heard about this grant given by the American Association of University Women. I applied to start a new student organization called Future Information Technology Professionals that has a goal of attracting more girls into IT classes. I won the grant. I was one of only 13 Eleanor Roosevelt Teacher Fellows that year. It was very cool. I started FITP and it has become one of the most active student organizations on campus. I'm getting a few more girls every year, but more importantly I'm helping kids who normally have a hard time finding a connection to school, find a real place to "belong" on campus.

I'm also involved in FBLA at the high school (with another adviser). In 2002 I won local chapter adviser of the year for Washington State FBLA, nominated by my students and chosen by the state. I've also been a regional FBLA adviser, and we've had a number of state officers from our school.

But of course what really counts is what goes on in the classroom. My kids relate really well to me. They often take my classes for years. I have kids from my first 8th grade classes 10 years ago who still come to visit me regularly. My kids who come out of my IT program have almost all gone into IT, either directly into industry or into post-secondary education. All of them who have attempted the certification tests have passed. Our district, the same one who doesn't feel I'm worth a damn, hires them to work in the technology department.

Wow. That's really cool. You sound like a really dedicated teacher.

I am! I am a very dedicated teacher! I spend HOURS writing curriculum and studying technology so that my kids know that they're getting the best I have to offer. I take kids who have never been out of Marysville on many field trips a year. We teach community education classes for new computer users. By we I mean my kids and I. I have kids who normally are considered the "geeks" of the school sitting side by side with retired men and women giving one-on-one lessons in how to use a computer. We hold conferences every year. We go to conferences. We even go to out of state conferences. We hold fundraisers. We have community service projects. We have FUN together! All of this stuff is time outside of school that I gladly volunteer. I expect nothing in return except respect. What is important to me is that my kids leave my classes feeling good about themselves, with a strong body of knowledge, and with wonderful memories of their time in high school.

That's so cool! So what is this strike all about?

Ooooh, I am so fucking mad about it. Basically on September 1 my union showed me the proposal that my district made to me for my new contract. It included a number of things, including removing aides for overloaded classrooms, no limit on the number of kids with severe behavior disorders, and removing the limit of special education students. On top of that my district decided that since test scores were low, that the experienced teachers weren't doing their job. (Fact is, they weren't that low and this year they went up substantially, but that hadn't come out yet at this point.) They wanted to go to a salary schedule where I would lose about $4000 a year and new teachers would make more money. So for my loyalty, my hard work, my dedication to the students of my community, I was expected to take this slap in the face.

Wow! You are kidding!

Oh, it gets better.

On top of that we have this TRI schedule, which is payment we receive for all of the out of class time work we do. So you know when teachers go home and grade papers, write curriculum, attend football games, chaperone dances, all that extra stuff...we don't get paid for that directly. Years ago our union bargained some extra money called Time, Responsibility, Incentive pay. It equals 56 hours of pay for those things we do beyond the classroom.

A recent study done by the WEA shows that the average teacher spends 13 hours a week outside of class on work-related activities. I wonder if that includes setting up for the year (which generally takes me a full week of 8 hour days, unless I'm setting up a new lab; then it takes three weeks)? I know I use my 56 hours (we have to keep track) during the summer.

Anyhow, so not only do they want to shift my pay so that Joe Newbie gets a raise and I get a deduction, but they want to cut this TRI pay by 57%. It's not much to begin with, but I guess when they slapped me in the face with the base salary proposal, turning the other cheek allowed them to slap me again.

You're kidding? Don't they know how much time you put in outside of school?

Oh wait, no seriously...it gets EVEN better!

They told us that they do not feel that the TRI gives them "value" for their dollar because they cannot prove that we actually use that time appropriately. We're educated professionals. Papers are graded. Curriculum is written. We show up at activities. We set up our own classrooms and tear them down at the end of the year. We make our own copies. But somehow they think that we enter some form of cosmic time warp to do this, because they think we're just screwing around on this TRI time. SO, on top of cutting the TRI pay they want me to work another 10 "district directed" days. That means I'll still have that average of 13 hours a week of work to do outside of classroom time, but I'll get paid less, AND I will have to work 10 more days a year.

What the fuck? Now I'm swearing! That's just bullshit!

Yes. It is. It is major bullshit.

So we took a vote to strike. The vote was 98% for, 2% against. That's a pretty alarming number of people saying "I will walk the strike line instead of start school."

So now we're in week fucking five. FIVE WEEKS into this strike! Are we getting anywhere? Well the district has budged on some items. They hammered out tentative agreements on the classroom related issues (class sizes, special education kids, etc.) but they still want to go to the salary schedule. However, they did say that they'd freeze our pay if we were going to lose pay by moving to this other schedule.

Well that's good, isn't it?

It's good if the entire country promises to freeze prices. I could have my pay frozen for at least three years (when the contract would expire). BUT, they still want me to work an extra ten days!!

What? Why?!

Because they say that we're such poor teachers that we need classes on how to be more effective. They say that by not offering us even a 1% raise they can put money into more curriculum. Fucking tell me when the last time a box of books and worksheets actually TAUGHT a classroom full of kids? Besides, asking me to work ten more days, a total of 30 over the next three years, for the EXACT pay I received last year is a pay cut!! Is it not? Am I the only one getting this here?

It sure sounds like a pay cut to me. I mean I'm not an educated person, but it sounds like if you previously worked 182 days for $XXX and next year you have to work 192 days for the same $xxx, then you're getting less pay per day. That's a pay cut in my book.

Don't sell yourself short. You've figured it out, why can't they?

But I think the worst part is, they're being so doggone EVIL about the entire thing! They are villifying teachers in the community. Teachers refuse to settle. Teachers aren't up to par. Teachers are paid more than other teachers in the state and the test scores are lower (untrue on both parts), so why shouldn't we be "fiscally responsible" and cut their pay!?

They're saying that? I mean doesn't them making you look bad make THEM look bad too?

Yes it does, but they don't seem to see it that way.

Didn't you say test scores went UP?

YES! They did! Test scores went up last year. Their original reasoning behind the pay cut was that test scores were low and the community was getting poor value for their educational dollar. Well then test scores went up.

So didn't they admit that you were doing a good job then?

NO! THEY TOOK CREDIT FOR IT!!

In addition to test scores going up, our junior high school won a half million dollar grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They took credit for it. Yesterday our high school teachers were awarded a half million dollar grant by the state. The district administration took credit for it.

See, when bad things happen it's ll the teachers' fault.

When good things happen it's because of "district leadership bringing our test scores up."

What a load of shit!

Amen sister....or brother. Um, yeah. Amen.

I can see why you're mad.

Yes. We're all very angry.

So how are negotiations going?

Well today they had a negotiation session. The district walked in, dropped the SAME package on the table and said "This is our final offer, take it or leave it."

Negotiations lasted one fucking hour. WE HAVE BEEN OUT OF SCHOOL FOR FIVE FUCKING WEEKS AND THEY ONLY FUCKING NEGOTIATED FOR ONE FUCKING HOUR!!!!!

What about the community? How are they handling it?

Oh they are as pissed as we are. But many of them think it's all our fault. Our wonderful district, in the name of fiscal responsibility, has been sending letter upon letter upon letter to our families stating that they can't afford to give us a raise. They need to buy curriculum. They need to put money into programs that will help students learn.

Excuse me, but aren't the TEACHERS the ones helping students learn? Am I missing something here? Have all the school board members been hiding in the back of my classroom every week?

Well is it true? Are they out of money?

Well, in the last year $2 million has been taken from the teaching part of the budget (that which goes directly into the classroom and things related to teaching), but the administrative and support budgets have risen dramatically. Our school board budget has almost doubled so that we're paying almost $500,000 a year in a budget for the school board, or about $100,000 per school board member. The auditor found that their books are kept so badly that they can't even tell if there is money missing, but there is the feeling that there is. They have remodeled the district offices two times in the last five years. Our superintendent has received a $30,000 raise over the last two years. They've gone from 2 executive administrators, to 8 with paychecks of around $100,000 a year. Each executive director has at least two assistants and those assistants have secretaries. On top of that, consultants have been hired for almost every executive director because apparently we hire such imbeciles that they can't do the jobs they're hired for.

For example. We have a PR person, Judy Parker, who is paid $102,000 a year. She has two assistants. The pay rate for those assitants is $32,000-$41,000 each. That's at least $160,000 for PR. We're a school district. We're not Nike. We don't NEED a PR department. This week they hired a consultant for at least $3000 to help them deal with the strike PR issues.

We're negotiating and they've hired two people to do the negotiating for them.

Last year one family complained that their little honey wasn't getting fair treatment by the basketball coach. They hired a private investigation firm to investigate all coaches at a cost of over $10,000 because of ONE family. They found that there was no reason to believe that anyone was getting anything but wonderful coaching.

So you tell me. Are they out of money?

Well at this point, yeah! They've spent it all!

Wow. This is incredible!

It's a nightmare!

I just want to teach. I want to go back into the classroom and be with my kids and do my thing. I work hard and I do not deserve this shit! Twice this week while working out someone has mocked me or accused me of "ruining their daughter's senior year" because I'm a teacher. I can't even hold my head up in the community because our administration has done such a good job of villifying its teachers, that we're literally hated.

Do all parents hate you?

No. Not all. Thinking parents are able to say to themselves, "Wait a minute here. A group of highly educated people have all voted to stop work. We've never had a strike in this district, ever. They knew they weren't going to get rich going into teaching in the first place, so this can't just be about money. What is going on here? Not only that, we WANT our teachers paid well even if it IS about money! We want the best for our kids!" Those people are awesome and we love them!

But others are being awful! People drive by and call us "bastards" and "lazy mother-fuckers" (how they think they have such insight into my personal life is beyond me, but they do). We're told to "go to hell" and "get back to work you overpaid whiners!"

I do NOT get paid enough to put up with the shit I already put up with. I REALLY don't get paid enough to put up with MORE shit!

So as you can see, I'm a little stressed out right now. I hate this. I hate our district. Honestly, I just want to settle and go back into the classroom. I can go find another job next year working for people who appreciate all the hard work I do. And I do a LOT of hard work. I will be a great loss when I leave. So will Roy. He's an amazing, dedicated teacher too. But if this worthless excuse for an administration isn't gone after this year, we are.