The Strike is Over
Although the strike has ended, our work is far from over! As I walked into the school building and saw all of the faces of those that marched along my side, I experienced an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and relief. It’s over friends, we did it, and we did it together. My principal and AP prepped a staff breakfast for everyone to welcome us back, we shared hugs and descriptions of our feelings. I expressed my wobbly bucket, how it felt like all the things inside my bucket were swishing around and wouldn’t settle. I looked across the room and saw some that never joined us on the picket line, but still came in for the food, as if nothing happened. (I would be lying if I didn’t admit that bothered me.) I looked at our union rep, (shoutout to TJ!) present and in his Halloween costume, ready to take on the day even after all of the emotional and mental trauma of leading us through this. I looked at all my friends, old and new, and felt grateful for the connections and bonds that were built. My emotions were all over the place, and being back was a stranger adjustment than I imagined it would be.
Then it was time to pick up the kids and go on about our day. -As if things were normal. -As if we hadn’t just spent ridiculous amounts of time together; marching, freezing, crying, laughing, chanting, snacking, napping, and getting back up to do it all again. It didn’t feel normal. I figured, “once I pick up my kids it will all be great! They’ll run to me while smiling and shouting “Hi Ms. Roberson!” But NOPE. I approached my class and they all stared at me for a good 30 seconds, almost as if they were staring at a ghost. I didn’t even know how to react to that, so I smiled and told them how excited I was to be back, then went on with the day. We attempted to talk a bit about the strike, I gave them all the space to share feelings and experiences… but honestly.. it was Friday. The first day back. The day after Halloween. So we tabled the conversation, and decided to get back to it next week.
I could go on and on about all of the up and down emotions throughout the day, but I think you get the point. This strike lasted two weeks (felt like two months) and although we are back, it doesn’t feel like it’s over. That’s because it’s not. We still have so much more work to do.
We all need to give ourselves the time and grace to heal, decompress, build up our immune systems, and get back to the swing of doing what we do best. Teaching. We have to talk to our kids about the strike, what it was for, what it was like, and what it means.. not only for our school or our city, but the entire country. We need to stay on top of the politics of this profession, vote, stay informed, discuss, and remain involved. It might not be what most of us want, we want to teach (and that is already like a million jobs in one). However, the people making decisions for us should not be the people who have no idea what being us is like… we need to demand more agency in the educational system. We need to make our voices heard. We need to remember those who supported us- parents, friends, community members, teachers throughout the country… and keep them informed. There is POWER in numbers! We may no longer be marching(for now).. but our voices and demands need to remain strong! This was not for nothing. It made an impact… and although the strike is over, the fight for justice in public education continues! #GoetheFuerte
With love (from a very grateful and heavy heart),
Ms. Roberson <3
