Factory occupations and school stories

It was really exciting to hear about the plant occupation by workers at Republic window-- it's hit the national press. Raises all kinds of ideas about what to do when the corporate interests that own factories --and run schools -- renege on their commitments. At Republic, they closed the plant from one day to the next -- and workers took over the factory, demanding they give 60 days' notice and pay the pension requirements and HEALTH CARE the company owes.
So, if the the Chicago School Board reneges on its commitment to public education, and closes more schools -- shouldn't we, as proposed at the union meeting, do an emergency picket the Monday after this is announced? Yah, yah, the union has AGREED not to take job actions while a contract in is force -- but what if the Board doesn't meet its commitments, and closes schools for factors teachers don't control... what are the options open to us? What would our fellow workers be willing to do? How would we get support from parents and community?

It's still pretty hard to get motivated to sub--especially since it takes so much more initiative than just, making myself available. I have to call schools to ASK if they have openings-- probably more likely to find individual schools who are willing to call than rely on the central call-center to call.

I write today to try to set up a pattern.
I am thinking of a book to be titled, "why I am a bad teacher ' the first impression is, WAY too self-deprecatory, but it's in the spirit of Linda Bubon's performance, 'Why I am a Danger to the community, " about a copper-miner's wife fighting the copper bosses in (Arizona? New Mexico?) a la Salt of the Earth. And Ray Hanania's, "I'm Glad I look Like a Terrorist". He wrote pre-9/11 I think, he's a liberal Palestinian writer who did talks for the Mayor's commission on human rights....
Of course I am a bad teacher. Too much going off on my own. I took my lead from my students, to organize the social justice club, to start the GSA, to organize a trip to Europe ( on Easter vacation to Rome, no less....).When the principal suggested I should organize a tour to take her and her favorite teachers to Europe as chaperones... I just faded into the woodwork. And got told no fundraising schemes were permitted because they weren't legal. Till they were done my another teacher, for another cause. What is that button, DOES NOT work well in groups-- at least in the scratch your back group that passes for taking a lead from the boss and delivering favors. I'll never forget the way one principal brought me into his office to show me how another student group showed their appreciation for him by bringing him flowers! This is how you kiss up, dear. And my colleague and I were spending 15 hours a week after school putting together plays. Amazing. That was NOT the way to get his attention. Takes my breath away to think about it.

I set up a website where students wrote their own poems ' Yo soy de...' a bilingual poem trying to get kids to talk about their own lives and learn the Spanish words for struggle, hood, fried chicken, basketball court (as opposed to where the law is decided).
And I fought, argued, STATED the teachers' side when I was the delegate and a High School vice president pf the CTU. I didn't 'get to yes. I have acquired more negotiating skills, on HOW to explain to the local manager ( as a principal is) how things would go better if they got teachers' support versus central office. But I knew how to convince teachers better than bosses. Not a bad thing, just, doesn't put you on the short list for darling of the school system.

And oh, did I want to be admired for my teaching! Oh, my. Still the student who wanted the A. They say most teachers are that kid who strains and strains for the teacher's praise -- for whom the model worked, in some way. Teachers are also the single occupational group most likely to have significantly changed their class position by going to school OF COURSE they love Horatio Alger!

While I found it harder and harder to say, you can be whatever you want. To tell kids in the inner city and children of two parents both working ten hours a day at less than living wages, you can be president.
Instead I fastened on, in your life, there are many in the society who are waiting for you to fail. They expect, and they teach you to expect it to. Conditions in the world (class dynamics, the controllers, whatever) have conspired to give you a narrow little space, thismuch room where your initiative matters. But this is the space -- use it, take it, push it to the limit. For all those who are waiting for you to fail, prove them wrong.

But I wasn't good at organizing a network of support for myself. I read too many superhero comics -- heroic knight in armor, Saving people?

I still like the quote, in the book Civics for Democracy (K. Isaac) where Ralph Nader says,

" a democracy is a society in which less and less courage is needed of more and more people to spread justice and the blessings of liberty throughout the land. "

I used it when got the school to let me teach political science at the high school level, NOT an AP class. Now, what if I had known how to do that, with other grownups?
I haven't found the voice yet, to tell the individual stories of just HOW I feel I was broken, traumatized, how I literally watched friends die (a teacher, in constant conflict with the principal over running the school and on the LSC, who dropped dead of a heart attack during a 'professional development' meeting where some overpaid expert nattered on at us about brain research and wasted our extremely precious free time Telling, not Asking. Anyone else get a Fry grant?)

So many wrongs in so many ways. So many stories of victories and defeats. I guess that's what this opens. I find a place to mention the stories and will go back here to tell each one. With details. And breaths. And complete sentences.
The definition of stress is, all responsibility and no power.