Teachers Unions

 

In the Washington Post the other day, columnist George Will decided he had nothing better to write about than the deleterious effects these days of teachers unions. (Link to piece.) He chides unions for opposing in-person schooling right now; he notes that some teachers are not going to work but are hanging out on beaches. He includes lots of biting sentences Luke this one: “Teachers unions always justify their aggressions as ‘for the children,’ but always are serving their members.”

Duh: That’s what they’re for—to protect and improve the lives of their members. And as he neglects to say: By going to school during a pandemic, teachers are risking their lives—and the lives of their students.

Yes, of course, in-person learning is far better than remote learning. But, no, it’s not worth dying for.

People who assail teachers unions are often annoyed principally because teachers are insisting on some fundamental rights—and respect.

Consider: When I started teaching public school in 1966, my salary for the year was $5100, my paycheck $168.42 on the first and the fifteenth of each month.

I had no health insurance, no dental insurance, no other perks—except for a decent retirement system.

My first year I had 200 seventh graders (five classes of forty) and three different subjects to prepare for. I didn’t complain; I thought that’s just the way it was.

When the school system realized that it had a bus-scheduling problem, the solution was to add thirty minutes to the end of each day at the middle school (where I taught), and we were asked to come up with some “activities” to sponsor—clubs, etc.

All the teachers eagerly jumped in (I kid you not), I among them—with no extra pay at all.

During my first five years or so I received no extra pay for directing the school plays, for the school newspaper, and for the other clubs and activities I sponsored. Not one red cent.

A few years later, the union (Ohio Education Association) became more vigorous, and by the time I retired (1997), we were receiving extra pay for sponsoring activities, health insurance, dental insurance, help with grad school tuition, occasional “personal days”; class sizes had diminished, and on and on.

Sure, unions have their downsides (name me a human organization that doesn’t—anything from the Vatican on down). They sometimes protect members who don’t deserve it, etc., etc.

But they have greatly improved the lives of teachers, making the profession more attractive, which, of course, improves the lives of students, as well.

But, George, isn’t it a bit much to ask teachers to risk their lives by going to work every day? Do you do that? Or do you stay at home in your office and read and write?

It’s what I do now ... I’m retired ... it’s really fun for me ... and perfectly safe.