Many folks appear to view the teacher’s strike in the Neshaminy School District as a direct attack upon children. The teacher’s action is somehow inflicting grievous harm on their children. I don’t see it.
First of all, I acknowledge that the strike can be a major inconvenience. It hasn’t been as bad for our family, because I am home with the kids. If no one is home during the day, then it can be a pain and an extra expense to arrange care for younger children. It is, however, only two weeks. It isn’t the end of the world.
Second, the children aren’t being irreparably damaged. It is two weeks. No one is going to miss out on a Supreme Court Clerkship because of it. It also presents a great teaching moment, even for the youngest of kids. All this talk of scarring kids and having them lose respect for their teachers is, at best, emotional exaggeration. If your kids feel that way, it’s because you talked about it that way and probably talked about it that way a lot.
Third, many of those that are screaming the loudest about the drain on their children are the ones that bring their kids to outdoor rallies. They are the ones that get on-line and bring out the nasty personal comments. They are the ones who scream obscenities and boo and hiss at the school board meetings. Obviously, they are concerned about setting a good example.
We all need to bring the rhetoric down a notch or ten. The teacher’s are striking for two weeks because they feel that they have to in order to get movement towards a new contract. They may be wrong. Their demands may be out of line. There is not, however, anything wrong with the notion that they can make demands. There is also nothing sinister or terroristic about the use of the option of striking to make their point. They certainly aren’t bringing great harm down upon the children. It’s way past time to throw away the hyperbole and for rational minds to emerge. If you are really concerned about your children that is what you should be focused on.
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