Our local teachers’ union voted to authorize a strike once again (“Minneapolis, St. Paul, teachers and support staff authorize strike,” StarTribune.com, February 18).

In St. Paul, we’ve seen this melodrama many times before, and here’s what I’ve learned over the years.

Our schools have an annual structural deficit of $43 million. If the St. Paul (and Minneapolis) teachers’ unions were truly interested in solving the problems, they would have called on the public loudly and often to lobby with them for needed funds at the State Capitol. Instead, the goal of our teachers’ union is to channel community frustration of all kinds into the one tool at the center of their existence: their contract with the school district and a threat of a biennial strike, and to pretending that it can magically solve the financial constraints that keep getting in the way of having the kind of schools we would ideally have.

I noted the essential elements of their approach: making people angry at a school board that is powerless to do much to solve the problems; decide key public policy issues and financial trade-offs between teacher and community priorities behind closed doors in mediation; speak on behalf of parents and community members, denying them the power they themselves enjoy as union members, power that any kind of organizer would recognize as essential to empowerment; expelling people who disagree with them from the school board; and to buy the silence of civil servants by trying to dominate all levels of governance, by helping civil servants “blind” to the toxic aspects of trade unionism, by drowning out the real voices rooted in the community.

In a nutshell, they are illiberal in the very way they wield power. As a progressive person, I am certainly philosophically inclined to support unions. But looking at the actions of this union, my thinking has evolved. As a civil servant, I belong to a union of principles in which I have always trusted and supported. But when you abuse your place in the community, threaten strikes every two years for a decade, and lose faith, the crying wolf wears thin as does any sense of our unconditional support for the labor movement.

Our children and our community deserve real problem solving; whether they recognize it or not, our teachers’ union sells us all short.

Bob Spaulding, St. Paul

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The expected (increased) starting salary for education support professionals in Minneapolis and St. Paul of $35,000 is appalling because it is so low. Composer Charles Ives supported his family by selling life insurance and thought a lot about what the nation needed to be strong, including that the highest paid people in our country should be the essential workers: teachers and farmers. They are the ones without whom we could not live: we could neither eat nor learn.

Today we are in a struggle over the direction of our nation. David Brooks’ February 17 New York Times op-ed tackles the question of how we got here, ending with these words: “If the 21st century is to get brighter as it goes. .. have to care about people who destroy democracy. We have to worry about who builds it. Teachers and educators strive to do this construction work. They have suffered far too much denigration. We need them. We should pay them well.

Melinda Quivik, St. Paul

‘BILL OF PARENTS’ RIGHTS’

I don’t always appreciate a letter “back when my kids were in school”, but here I am writing one. “Bill Wants Parents to Know About Education” (front page, February 15) reminded me of something that happened when my son was in college. Several parents were unhappy with a science teacher (the complaint was that he “didn’t fit the curriculum”). I received a call asking if I wanted to attend one of his classes to take his classes. Other parents sat during his other classes. I was working full time at the time. I am an interior designer. I didn’t and haven’t spent a minute in a classroom as a student learning how to educate others. I very politely declined this parent’s request and jokingly told him that if this teacher ever needed help choosing a rug for his home, I would be happy to help.

My children are now full members of society, and both are grateful that their mother and father stayed in our halls and gave them the freedom to discuss what they wanted/needed to share with us. from school. This, combined with parent-teacher conferences a few times a year, was all the information we wanted (and needed).

Liz Strom Knutson, Minneapolis

BOOK BAN

Last week’s article “Tennessee Parents, Teachers Push Back on ‘Maus’ Removal” exposes a central question for American identity. It is necessary to examine the society in which Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel ended up. Titles included in the American Library Academy’s 2021 10 Most Banned Books list have been identified as having been banned due to concerns about anti-police views, profanity, sexual references and abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, opinion public or allegations against the author, racial slurs and stereotypes.

These subjects cross political lines, representing conservative and liberal issues and creating a question outside of what is right or wrong but who decides. This is of particular importance because the people primarily affected are the students, not those advocating the changes. The degree to which the student experience is centered varies. The ALA noted that one of the banned books, “Of Mice and Men”, was “banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes and their negative effect on students”. “George”, on the other hand, another of the most banned books of 2021, has been criticized for “not reflecting the values ​​of our community”. Books like “Maus” are not removed because their relevance is debated. They are not removed despite relevance They are removed due to relevance Jason Reynold and Brendan Kiely’s “All American Boys”, which follows a white high school student and a black high school student as they navigate their coming of age adult in the context of racism and police brutality, was banned for being “too sensitive at this time.”

As former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy said, “The right to think is the beginning of freedom, and speech must be protected from government because speech is the beginning of thought.” In addition to being breeding grounds for student thought, our public libraries and our schools are essential places where we can exercise our duty to uphold these freedoms. Understanding harm and healing in the literature is complex. We will be wrong. But, we can decide how much margin of error we allow ourselves. We can decide how disastrous these mistakes can be. Censorship greatly increases these risks. The solution is rarely to ignore but to fight.

Greta Cunningham, St. Paul

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If parents really, really want to keep their kids in a safe bubble, then they should forget about banning books and requiring access to programs and taking down all their screens. Kids have instant access to anything and everything with the smartphones they’re anchored to and the tablets, laptops, and gaming systems they can’t live without. This means, mom and dad, that you should lock up and not use your devices when the kids are around; forbidding them to be with friends who have devices; don’t let them visit grandma and grandpa, who also have devices; throw away the TV; turn off all streaming services; don’t let them go to the library and even beware of lessons taught online by your church.

Kids know how to hack things you don’t even know exist.

Stop being afraid of books and teachers and start paying attention to what your kids are doing. Discuss things with them. Listen and re-listen to everything they say. Teach them how to react instead of how to react. Teach them to stop and think. Encourage them to come to you with their questions and concerns.

Validate your own sources. Social media is rarely a credible source of anything. It’s the epitome of the old telephone game.

Be the adult in the room. You will sleep better too.

Janet BatesEagan

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