Yesterday at Hometown Days I learned that some teachers have been really going to town with parents — and students! — about the inability of the District\/Board and the teachers’ union to reach a negotiated salary settlement for this school year.<\/p>\n
Don’t get me wrong, I would never argue that teachers don’t have a right to express their opinions. They do.<\/p>\n
But threatening to leaflet a parent’s home because a meeting with parents and the superintendent is going to take place there, to talk about the District budget situation?<\/p>\n
And telling students in a classroom that their teachers will probably go out on strike because they’re being treated badly? Are these really messages that teachers want to send?<\/p>\n
Because the lesson being learned probably isn’t the intentded one. Instead, parents are getting scared about what may happen to their children.<\/p>\n
Sure, in the short term that will turn up the heat on the Board and the District. But it will also damage the relationship between parents and the schools, because fear is a powerful force. What’s worse, teachers may never know what kind of damage they’ve caused, because few parents will risk angering their child’s teacher by speaking candidly when they think they’ve been threatened.<\/p>\n
I don’t see how that’s in the interest of teachers. Preserving good relationships with parents is vital to ensuring the long-term health of the District, and the long-term employment environment for teachers in San Carlos.<\/p>\n
There is a time and place for confrontation, but there’s also a time and place for persuasion. I think teachers’ interests would be better served by trying to persuade parents, and leaving whatever confrontation they feel compelled to dole out for the Board and superintendent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yesterday at Hometown Days I learned that some teachers have been really going to town with parents — and students! — about the inability of the District\/Board and the teachers’ union to reach a negotiated salary settlement for this school … Continue reading