Today I am borrowing the blog to speak on a personal topic  that is not related to photography. The following post was written by my sister Natalie and myself in support of the teachers in our hometown of Medford, Oregon. 

My heart breaks for the Medford community right now and living hundreds of miles away has left me feeling helpless. I have done my best to stay educated on the situation between the Medford school district and teachers’ union, but I am not an expert on the matter. I have not memorized specific numbers and statistics, but I can give you an idea of the situation from the teachers’ perspective and I can tell you about my dad.

My dad has taught in the Medford school district for 20 years. He teaches English and History (often both in the same year) at various levels (regular, honors and Advanced Placement). I believe he, along with his colleagues, are invaluable to our community.

Much of my respect for my dad comes from things he does that the rest of the world will never see, and a truly humble heart that has no desire for them to. Waking up at 3am to grade papers and prepare classes for his 180+ students is a weekly occurrence for him and even more regular towards midterms and finals. My dad cares tremendously for his students and does all he can to ensure that they learn and succeed. He also often spends part of his limited prep time talking with students about their lives and will open up his classroom during the lunch hour for students who need a safe place to eat.

Teachers like my dad were both shocked and saddened by this year’s contract negotiations. Despite years of collaborative bargaining in which the Medford school district and MEA successfully settled a contract, this year the district took on a combative stance. This strategy was employed in order to push a contract that, despite promises otherwise, not only does not compensate teachers for years of cut backs (after the 2008 recession), but actually presents further cut backs. The reduced contract combined with the district’s hostile position has led teachers to feel betrayed.

This feeling of betrayal is compounded by the school board’s public campaign against teachers in recent months. The Medford school district has put slanderous adds in the paper and made an enormous effort to turn the community against the teachers in order to break the union. Sadly, it looks as if they are succeeding as a large portion of the community is confused by lies and half truths that point to teachers as the enemy. Seeing these remarkable people who have taken on the responsibility of educating the future generation be so misrepresented and disrespected is heart wrenching.

For specifics on the contract, I implore you to talk with a teacher and get the whole story. I know for some, the issues that matter most are not the monetary ones (although those are troubling) but the ones centered on working conditions. Teachers are concerned that they will not have enough prep time to adequately serve all their students and that they will have too many students to give each the attention they need.  It is for these and other issues that they now stand on the picket line.

For the sake of the teachers that come to mind when you think of your own education, for the kids in your life, for yourself: get informed. Here are a few good places to get started:

www.iteachmedford.org // Medford Education Association 

www.mailtribune.com// The union’s position without the district’s spin 

www.mailtribune.com//  School Board has pursued a combative leadership style 

www.oregonlive.com // Medford draws some hope

Dad,  I  wish I didn’t live hundreds of miles away so I could stand on the picket line next to you and the other teachers who  greatly impacted my life. I am sending all my love and prayers for a quick resolution and restored heart.