Thoughts on the #RedforEd movement in AZ?

Question

not too entirely sure if this is controversial, so i apologize in advance if it isn't ☺️
what are your thoughts on teachers walking out & not attending school to try & get better pay/funding for classroom supplies, better infrastructure, etc.? 
the "strike" started last thursday, april 26th, and has continued on this whole week. needless to say, a lot of public schools have been closed during that time due to lack of staff. i've read countless statements & comments from parents stating that teachers are being selfish & greedy for not going to work and still getting paid (which isn't entirely true, a lot of teachers used their paid vacation time & those who didn't, aren't getting paid for their time off), & that the parents should be re compensated for having to pay for child care during this week. 
i personally agree with & support the #RedforEd movement. Arizona is notoriously known for having one of the worst teacher pay rates in the US. A walkout worked in West Virginia, but it hasn't worked here yet.

Answer

It's not like they're asking for excessive or ridiculous benefits like a Keurig in every room or teachers lounge with a spa. They just want to be paid commensurate with the standard for the job. Kids aren't going to fail at life for missing a few days. I could see how this would affect the parents for missing work; perhaps if they have to miss work they can protest with to hasten a deal??

Answer

I 100% support the movement for the teachers. What i was afraid of happening is now happening though😑Now the bus drivers and cafeteria workers are protesting for a raise! Another thing that bothers me is that my nieces and nephews have now been out of school for 4 days and my brother and wife have had too take turns staying home from work. Summer is literally next month, I feel they should have waited until Summer break instead of pulling kids from school and parents from work.

Answer

I live in Arizona and support this movement. Teachers here definitely don’t get paid enough to support a family, let alone themselves sufficiently. It’s super tight. While I was applying for jobs, I saw multiple schools hiring for teachers and teacher assistants, none of them paying over $13 an hour. It’s ridiculous.

Answer

Good news for everyone here in AZ! They came to an agreement for a 20% pay raise over the next couple years. 10% this year, 5% next year, and by 2020 it’ll be another 5%. School is resumed and the kids don’t have to make up the time as far as I know. 🙂 sounds like a great start to some positive change.

Answer

I live in Arizona and get to see this first hand. I even have my two high school teachers on Facebook. I support it 100%. Arizona senators and the community are trying to demonize the teachers. I even see people saying the teachers aren't doing this for the kids. This is for the children. Getting better funding and better pay for the teachers only benefits the kids. We are the lowest when it comes to education. Better funding equals resources. Better pay equals more people willing to be teachers. I've even seen people say we need to fire all the teachers protesting. And replace them with who exactly? Currently there are 2,000 open positions and people want to increase that gap. People here are screaming "what about prom?" "what about graduation?" Okay, what about a better education for your children?

Answer

I’m an Arizona student. We are actually back in school, and won’t be making up those days at the end of the year. But I support red for ed 180%. My teachers have held me up during hard times. Have stayed after school to hear me talk or wait for my ride. They have wiped my tears and gave me courage to push through. They have worked with me on subjects that are hard for me. Stayed before and after school, and have even given up their lunch for me. My teachers deserve to not need a second job to support themselves. We have amazing teachers that teach because they live teaching. They love their kids. They buy our school supplies when our parents can’t. They buy things for the room that aren’t on their pay check. If you’re against this movement, do you really want the best for your kids? Because the best they have our these teachers that were fighting not only for themselves but for us. Be the future you want to see.

Answer

Honestly I’m not sure anymore. I dislike the teachers union in my state (not Arizona) and I don’t know much about Arizona’s system. I think many of the things teachers have and unions fight for are bad like tenure. I also think how their pay works is  totally dumb a f because I know a Spanish middle school teacher who makes $120,000 at a public school and only works 6 hours a day because he has fulfilled certain criteria that each come with a pay bump. other teachers are getting 40k and busting their humps! It makes no sense. And I don’t see a union making this any better since they fought for these backwards rules in the first place.

Answer

These are the people who are educating our children. They deserve everything they're asking for and more. Our teachers are far more important than our culture gives them credit for.

Answer

Yes, it can make things a bit difficult for the parents but the teachers deserve to be paid properly as well and unfortunately, this has seemed to be the only way to get that. Our state (Oklahoma) did this the beginning of April, school was shut down for 2 weeks but most of the time lost, they were able to use unused snow days to cover that. The teachers got what they wanted and needed so I am all for it! Oklahoma was one of the lowest paid for teachers so I definitely supported the walk out.

Answer

I think it’s inappropriate for anyone - teacher or otherwise - to refuse to do perform his/her job obligations. While I respect their right to protest, I also respect the administration’s right to fire all of those who participate in walkouts. Freedom doesn’t mean there are no consequences. 🤷‍♀️

Thoughts on the #RedforEd movement in AZ?

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