We had one at our school and lots of us felt hopeful. Unfortunately the promise has disappeared, and it's been replaced with picket lines and student walk outs. The news is filled with images of anxious parents, who wonder about their children's care next week. Safety concerns come first, closely followed by the very real fear that our children will fall further behind in their studies. Teachers are worried about their students and many distributed packets of work and extra books to help kids weather this unscheduled break in the term.
Teachers are also worried about their salaries and their own families and bills.
Negotiations will continue, we're told on the news. So here we sit, glued to our radios and TV's, hoping against hope for an eleventh hour resolution. On top of my feelings about our students, lies my personal history as a trade unionist. From the time I was small, I learned never to cross a picket line. I now find myself outside the bargaining unit.