Teachers can seem scary. They assign dreaded homework. They bore us with never-ending lectures. They schedule stressful assessments weekly.
They also want nothing less than the best for their students.
WSSD teachers have been without a contract since June 30.
The reason for this impasse? According to the Wallingford-Swarthmore Educators Association [WSEA], who handed out a flier on back-to-school night to parents detailing these issues, the topics of dispute include classroom size caps, preparation time for teachers, guaranteed classroom aide time, preservation of adequate lunchtime, and preservation of fifth block.
According to WSEA, fifth block was saved by parent and community advocacy. They continue to fight to protect the rest of these equally important items as they negotiate a contract with the School Board.
Students have a better experience when class sizes are reasonable. Teachers can prepare better lessons when they have adequate time, resources, and help to do so. Great lessons help students understand the content, which results in higher grades and experiences for students. What’s better for teachers is better for students too.
And we can all agree on the importance of enough time to eat lunch.
The last time the teachers were without a contract at this point was 1978. What happened in 1978? The teachers went on strike, and the football team was forced to forfeit three games. Whether or not you find yourself at King Field on a Friday night, you need the teachers.
Although the idea of no teachers feels akin to a brief vacation (with some well-deserved rest), we can’t have the education that makes Strath Haven the school it is without them. They aren’t asking for these things for themselves—nothing in those protections will solely benefit them—they’re asking for us.
At every school board meeting, our futures are decided by people we’ve never met. Often, it feels like students don’t get a say in much at all, besides homecoming themes and DJs that never play what we request anyway. No one asked us about the renovations, or if counselors should be getting assigned to whole grades.
Whether or not teachers get a fair contract is something that we have a say in. This is where we can make an impact before the final decisions are made.
We need to take some ownership of our education. Complaining about how we never get a say will not improve anything unless we prove that we are capable of speaking.
On the flier, WSEA states, “We are fighting for protections that are best for students and teachers,” and even if you hate every second of school, you have to believe that they really are. Last year, we launched our editorials by writing that students are not alone. This year, let’s show our teachers that they aren’t, either.
Can you imagine walking into a school without our teachers? Without Mr. Pignataro somehow keeping us alive during fifth block music, without Ms. Everly’s dedication to directing theater productions, without Mr. Haney in the hallway to throw you his football? Without a life-saving extension on your homework because you had band, orchestra, a tennis match, a track meet, a football game, or were simply worn out the night before?
That could have been a reality on day one of school. It could have been a reality any of the days leading up to the day you read this. But they came to school anyway, despite the absence of a fair contract.
And not only do they come to school, they do far more than we could ever imagine. Many have office hours for students to learn. Many others spend time far into the afternoon advising clubs and coaching. And still more create plans for engaging and informative lessons and grade work on their own time.
If we do not act now, the teachers who work so hard for us might not get the fair support they need. So what can we do?
Show your support by paying attention. Talk to some of your teachers. Thank them and show them your support. Talk with your family at home, or your neighbors. Consider attending a school board meeting.
School politics can be dull, but a few board meetings ago, no one would have believed that an exodus of parents would come to ask for an evaluation of former superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille. What these many parents did had an impact. We can make one, too.
We’re challenging you to be the first one to bring it up. At home, in a group chat, at lunch, we’re willing to bet quite a few people don’t know that teachers are still fighting for a fair contract.
We support WSSD teachers. Do you?
