Teachers protest in front of Government House on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. Daily News photo by Dena Fisher
Guest Article by Sister Mariel Blake, a VI Daily News columnist originally posted in the Virgin Islands Daily News on Friday, April 21, 2016 in response to the local teacher protests of the same week.
Social media timelines are crowded with posts about the teacher’s strike on all three islands. Emotions are high on all sides. The issues of step pay increases and retroactive pay owed are not new. When I worked for Education back in the early 90s it was an issue. It is a can that has been kicked down every road and byway on all three islands.
The conversation surrounding this long standing pay issue comes on top of so many other issues that make the masses of the people feel like they are being ignored and disrespected. Corruption cases coming to light. Fiscal mismanagement coming home to roost. It leads the average citizen to ask what are our priorities?
The governor released a statement claiming to detail negotiations and action being taken in good faith to fulfill promises made to the education union. The language of the statement and the comments by the administrations labor negotiator came across as vague and dependent on conditions that undermine promises that were supposed to be unconditional.
The teachers’ decision to stage a walkout also brought to light the state of working conditions our teachers and students are enduring. Outdated equipment and unsanitary classrooms are among the stated complaints.
There is room for being right on both sides. Maybe what Mapp says is true and salary increases are in the works with no strings attached. Maybe concerns are better addressed strictly through negotiations.
I’ve been a teacher. My parents and in laws were teachers. My husband and sister are teachers. My friends are teachers. I know what it’s like in the trenches. I know that teachers are teachers not for the money, or recognition or even the vacation time. Teachers are teachers because they want to help their students grow to their highest potential. They want to help equip their students with what they need to find success in their life and with their chosen goals. They do not take time out of the classroom lightly.
Teachers give their job everything they’ve got. At some point every educator has worked 10,20,30 hours of overtime a week to help a student or prepare for lesson or to plan an extracurricular activity or organize a fundraiser or participate in continuing education and training. They spend out of their own pocket on supplies, trips and materials. They put up with being insulted, disrespected and sometimes even assaulted.
It is not a profession for the weak or soft hearted. It takes guts, energy, optimism and determination. It also takes a certain amount of faith that what you do will be appreciated and compensated because despite what politicians say on the stump, education does not always seem like a priority.
It is easy in this situation to try and paint the other side as being unreasonable. Ultimately we must accept this is where we are and so we need to ask some really hard questions about what we want our education system to provide our children.
The world isn’t getting dumber. Jobs aren’t getting easier to get for those with few skills. The competition for jobs and careers isn’t going to get lighter. If we want to do right by our children and offer them a quality education that will allow them to compete on the world stage we have to be honest and admit we need to work together, educators and politicians, in a way that has been sorely missing for a long time.
People take drastic action when they feel unheard or uncertain. Rather than tell them they are wrong for feeling that way, why not have an open and honest discussion about where those feelings are coming from and how they can be addressed.
When I first started teaching one of my mentors gave me advice I still use in all areas of my life. When dealing with students, he said, the main things to remember were to always be true to my word, to treat them as people deserving respect, to insist they show me respect and to communicate openly, honestly and with integrity. It is advice that would serve well in our current situation with education in the Virgin Islands.
As we navigate these waters the first question we have to ask is who do we want teaching our children to succeed and determine their own path in life? Do we want complacent sheep who accept whatever crumbs and false promises they are given. Who never question the actions of those in authority? Do we want disgruntled, bitter people who decide if they aren’t getting paid they aren’t doing their job? Or how about under-qualified underachievers who just want a little piece of check and summers off? Maybe people with outdated ideas and antiquated methods or people from off island who have no connection to the VI and just thought this would be a way to be on vacation all the time. Maybe you think I’m being flip but I guarantee you I ask these questions in all seriousness because if the past few school years have taught us is that our teachers are not only realizing they have other options stateside but they are also willing to leave.
This situation needs communication and honesty not condescension and defensiveness. Educators need to know that their concerns are being given more than lip service and they they don’t have to sacrifice what they are owed just to get what they are due.
