In other news, while the upcoming elections seem to be the primary thing on people’s minds in terms of current events and politics, Chicago Teachers Union members, unhappy with the outcomes of this weekend’s contract negotiations, have taken to the street in their second day of strike. Though negotiations began again yesterday, teachers have so far agreed to only six of the 49 articles in the proposed contract. But while these 29,000 teachers take the streets fighting for their rights, what about the students? As exciting and relaxing it would be to not have to go to school, students are missing valuable time to learn. If negotiations and decisions are not made quickly, this could become an issue far beyond just missing a few days of school. The last strike led by teachers in Chicago was over 25 years ago, and lasted 15 days. Hopefully, negotiators will come to a solution that is both fair and quick.
Many people are saying that the attention on Chicago, a town with so much connection to Obama, will have a negative effect on his campaign. Others just want teachers back in their classrooms teaching their kids.
Will this take a toll on Obama's campaign? Do teachers have the right to stand up for themselves at the expense of students' education? What do you think?
4 comments:
I agree that while students having time off from school because of the strikes may be relaxing in some ways, I shudder to think of what they will have to catch up with when they return to school.
But more importantly, the supposed connection between what's happening in Chicago and Obama's campaign. He instituted the Race to the Top program in 2009, I understand, and that has caused some strife between unions and school districts. However, to blame him in some way for this strike seems like faulty logic. This is a matter of local negotiations, not a matter of national politics. The PBS article you linked to said the following: "One of the most contentious remains the issue of tying teacher evaluations to student test results." This is understandable, and if the country want to have a debate about the pros and cons of this topic, I am all for it. But I cannot help but think that Republicans might be trying to make it look as if Obama is to blame for the strikes.
I think that the strike will have little, if any, lasting negative influence to Obama's campaign. Like Taylor mentioned, tying the strikes and closure of the schools to President Obama is far-fetched; it seems just another desperate Republican attempt to shine the president in a negative light.
In regards to the labor unions' vote, no matter what the outcome of this strike is, I don't think Obama needs to be preoccupied on losing the votes of the unions because Romney has been so anti-union throughout the whole presidential campaign.
(For one, the added "devil horns" on Rahm Emanuel are cute and hilarious.)
On a more serious note, I believe teachers have all the right to strike on their behalf. Though parents are quick to blame the teachers for the delay in their childrens' education, the negotiators are actually the ones to blame. The slowness of their response to the teachers' demands and the inadequacy of the contract in meeting their demands is what prompted the strikes; if the teachers had been satisfied, no strikes would be occurring. Likewise, instead of complaining about the teachers' absence, the students' parents should join the strikes and help prompt a faster response from the negotiators (whom, I have to give credit, are already in session). The parents who are already joining the strikes on the teachers' behalf as mentioned in the last linked article are already assisting the teachers' cause.
Though I agree that teachers are justified in fighting for their rights, I cannot help but worry about the implications that these strikes will have on the education of the students. Heavy courses that cover loads of material require as much class time as possible. While a strike that lasts a couple of days is unlikely to make a huge impact on the students' learning, one that lasts about or over a week can definitely hurt the students in the long-run. I am curious as to whether the days lost to the strike will be made up before the end of the school year.
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