In case you were wondering...

DramaGeek

being on strike sucks!  :-P

My district went on strike at 6 am Monday.  I've spent two days walking in circles in the rain.  I have two signs - one says "I miss my students." The other I made today because people keep insisting this is all about money (it's not, it's mostly about having the time to do what we need to do to be effective teachers and not being able to be disciplined due to anonymous complaints) says "It's all about the Benjamins...and the Brittanys, Brians and Beths."

I hate being on strike.  It's boring, it's not at all mentally challenging, and every day I'm losing valuable instructional time with my students.  But I also know it's important to stand up for what we need to do our jobs properly and our board just wasn't taking us seriously.

We have another day of walking in the rain tomorrow, but it's only a half day.  The board and union leadership are meeting again tomorrow and we've all been asked to come to the meeting at noon to support our leadership.  Hopefully we leave there with an agreement tomorrow.

Ash61612

hope things go good today at the meeting! good luck

azdancer8

Good luck at the meeting. Hopefully things work out.

BMcLeodTeam

Good luck at the meeting!

mrandmrsbrist

I've been following your FB updates. Hope the meeting goes well today. *hugs*

DramaGeek

No such luck.  The board didn't present us with an offer until 12:30 (the meeting started at 9) and even then it was only a partial offer with the note that the rest would come later.  We sent an offer back around 2:30ish and received a response from the board around 5:30, at which time the school board packed up and left.  When I left our team was still there going through the newest proposal from the board.

At this point, they aren't even willing to guarantee potty breaks for teachers.  We've been asking for language that guarantees teachers a break every X hours to take care of personal needs (read: use the restroom) and their latest response to that is something in the contract that says it's up to building principals to take care of it and if they don't then the person should call the assistant superintendent.  Many of us go 4 hours without the opportunity to use the restroom.

2012FutureMrsB

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_in-case-you-were-wondering?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:10310312-1d53-4745-8832-71882a69405aPost:84df2572-e7f2-445b-9390-19634182c08c">Re: In case you were wondering...</a>:
[QUOTE]No such luck.  The board didn't present us with an offer until 12:30 (the meeting started at 9) and even then it was only a partial offer with the note that the rest would come later.  We sent an offer back around 2:30ish and received a response from the board around 5:30, at which time the school board packed up and left.  When I left our team was still there going through the newest proposal from the board. At this point, they aren't even willing to guarantee potty breaks for teachers.  We've been asking for language that guarantees teachers a break every X hours to take care of personal needs (read: use the restroom) and their latest response to that is something in the contract that says it's up to building principals to take care of it and if they don't then the person should call the assistant superintendent.  <strong>Many of us go 4 hours without the opportunity to use the restroom.
</strong>Posted by DramaGeek[/QUOTE]


Oh my goodnes! I totally relate. I'm a teacher also. Fortunately, my schedule allows me to go every 2-3 hours, but I know some teachers who have sometimes had to give up their lunch break b/c of last minute schedule changes or whatnot. It's absolutely ridiculous how they treat teachers. And the principals often put in 10 hour days without any breaks b/c they don't stand up to their bosses; so in turn, they expect teachers to follow their example and work just as hard.

I had one situation (it only happened once) when I was on my period and had to watch a bunch of kids unexpectedly ALL day (it was during testing) and didn't know when I would get a break. When someone finally came to relieve me for a few minutes, I had to "secretly" get a tampon out of my bag and put it in my pocket without the kids noticing. I was so embarrased that somebody would realize what I was doing, but thankfully, I don't think anybody noticed. I had no idea they were going to be in my room ALL day or else I would have made other arrangements.

Teachers are treated like animals sometimes and nobody seems to think it's a big deal. People just assume that's the way it is and teachers just have to put up with it. Good for you for standing up for your rights! I'll be praying that they can come up with a better resolution!

DramaGeek

The union and district came to an agreement very early Saturday morning.  We haven't seen the contract yet, but I guess we didn't get the pony we were bargaining for :-P  Just kidding, of course we weren't asking for a pony.  We should get the details of the contract Tuesday or Wednesday and then we have to vote to ratify, as does the school board.  I am just so glad it's over.  It was awful.