Long Live Librarians!

LONG LIVE LIBRARIANS

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

The  bold and brilliant ten day strike by Chicago school teachers has made an indelible impression on the world. It is certainly unprecedented. It starkly shows that only fools take teachers for granted. This strike was not just about securing a decent wage, but fought for a well thought out social agenda where issues such as the homelessness of teachers and students was addressed as well as class sizes and the facilities available to school students. It is evident to any astute and objective observer that the main aim of the strike was to achieve a more caring and improved education system. Unfortunately, many important aims of the strike  were not met, such as ending an unfair evaluation system which has led to unfair dismissals as well as the failure to restore the jobs of many librarians. 

            

And libraries play a great role in schools. They are just important as nurses or psychologists. A librarian is not just some luxury or extra. It is not an inconvenient expense but an urgent necessity in schools. The leaders of the strike should have been bolder in insisting that  librarians be returned to schools.

            

The attitudes of some officials reminds me an incident I recently read in a Russian history book. During the 19th century, the local government in Suzdal were punished by government officials for daring to allocate 50  rubles for building a  Russian library. Two noble woman were arrested for teaching illiterate peasants in their free time. All this was part of the crude counter reforms of Alexander the Third and Nicholas the Second which ultimately led to the revolution. The philistine attitude of so many people who were opposed to libraries was summed up by the crude saying: 'You can't eat books'.  But in Chicago the unmentioned saying should be: "Books won't help you subsidize real estate projects'. 

            

Libraries are imperative. We urgently need a librarian in every school. Too often people share a misconception of libraries being dull, dreary and pointless places. A grim silence reigns in them as they are not part of this world. They are seen as belonging to 'the other world.' Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a library can be an alluring and enchanting place. Libraries don't just offer a quiet place to study or books, but organize storytelling sessions where children can tell and listen to stories, writer workshops , art exhibitions and a place where people can gather to make friends with each other. A library is not just a place to read books. It can be a warm and thriving community. 

            

I recall a kind librarian who visited my school to give a talk on his profession. He asked pupils, "Which is more important ; books or people?" And then he warned, "The correct answer is people." His words have haunted me ever since. Because libraries are not just about books, but about caring for readers. My Aunt Betty once told me how a library was the only place of refuge she could go to get some peace from her strict father. So often a library might be one of the few refuges where children can enjoy some peace away from a tense family situation.

            

When I visited a local library called the Platonov library near Sokol in Moscow I was amazed at what I could see. The library was beautiful. On display one could only marvel at the beautiful photos on display, the pictures and the poems written by children as well as courses available for people of all ages. You could just feel boundless positive energy around the place. That is why we need the librarian as much as the physical education teacher or nurse. Both complement and assist  each other rather than compete with each other. Doing sport helps you read a book better and reading books can also inspire you to physically keep on the move and perform exercises. 

            

In some old schools of the nobility one of the exercises which students had to perform was to walk around in an erect position with a book on your head. The exercise was meant to help children develop straight spines. And this would at least help some of them alleviate if not avoid later back pain in old age. So although you can't eat books they can help you to straighten your spine. It sounds very practical! The role of the librarian can be priceless. You just can't measure it in terms of dollars or gold. We must  never give up the struggle to give librarians back their jobs.  

Strike Ends!

Strike Ends! - But Was it a Win for Teachers?
By Jim Vail

CTU Presidents Karen Lewis and Jesse Sharkey have led the latest CTU teacher strikes

The Chicago Teachers Strike finally came to a crashing end after an historic 10 day walkout, the longest teachers strike since 1987.

The union and its supporters are going to say it was a win.

The opposition and those with high hopes will say it was not.

And that was reflected in the vote - 364 - 242 to end the strike.

So the union was a bit divided when they voted on ratifying the tentative agreement. 

Chicago Teachers Union CTU President Jesse Sharkey stated that the delegates vote on the contract, that he is not here to sell the contract.

But he then went on to sell the contract - saying repeatedly it would be a risk to strike for another week or so with no guarantee we would get more in the contract. But he didn't sell it hard, he knew people would be disappointed.

CTU Vice President Stacy Gates played politics - putting a tweet on the board for the delegates to show that the Speaker and the Governor have agreed to support an Elected School Board. 

Another political promise?

Mayor Lori Lightfoot campaigned on empty promises of supporting the neighborhood schools and adding more social workers and nurses, straight from the CTU playbook. When it came down to putting her pledges in writing - she refused until the union and the strike forced her to put some things in writing (about $400 million in extra staffing and support for the schools).

She promised to invest in the South and West Sides that have been neglected, and now in office she is fighting against activists who sued the Lincoln Yards $1.2 billion TIF where tax money to help those "blighted" areas is instead going to a wealthy development company called Sterling Bay. She gave these guys everything they wanted in writing.

She also campaigned for an elected school board and then immediately stopped it. The union has a right to be furious with her.

So the strike helped expose the lies of politicians, and the fight between the people 99% and the billionaires 1% who supported Lightfoot's campaign. It was an eye opener to teachers who voted for Lightfoot based on her lies.

The union leadership organized and ran a very successful strike to fight for better schools. They are to be commended for that.

But the union leadership also plays a dirty political game that they say they have to in order to get anything in this system.

So it was disappointing to hear our leaders say Mayor Lightfoot was fanatical, or religious, a true believer - who wanted a five-year contract (crazy for that long since she can do a lot of damage by closing a lot more schools in her alliance with development), no extra prep time for elementary school teachers (this preserved the 'longer school day' that she they say has led to higher graduation rates) and no change to the Reach teacher evaluation system used to fire lots of teachers at a time of extreme teacher shortages.

What was the union zealous about? What exactly were we all willing to not go back to school until we got it?

The union framed it as a cap on class sizes - we got some good stuff in writing, far from perfect, a nurse in every school, every day (look close at the contract wording!), veteran pay (not that much considering $25 million over five years) and extra pay for Para Professionals (a definite win the union and teachers can be proud of). They forced CPS to increased the sports budget by 35%, adding $5 million to a meager $15 million was a win for city athletics.

It was very inspiring to hear many high school delegates say that their schools still wanted to strike to support of the elementary schools getting a 30 minute prep period each day, to ensure a better school day. Solidarity!

This contract is a reflection of the ruling class attack on public education that was at the apex when President Barack Obama took office in 2008 and implemented the Race to the Top.

The teachers unions supported President Obama (the newly elected CORE leadership was able to abstain from an endorsement, though former CTU President Karen Lewis pushed for it).

Like one of the many colorful signs said during the teachers protests - Unlike Burger King, you can't have it both ways!

But ultimately politics played a very big role here. It almost became a pissing match between the Mayor and the CTU. Nobody wanted to lose - within the box they were playing.

As the great political philosopher and linguist Noam Chomsky says, in the American system you put everything within a box - and within that box you can have some very rigorous debate and free speech. But in this system you are not allowed to go outside that box.

So this strike won't change the ugly reality we live in today - where over the past 30 years or so the 1% have accumulated 21 trillion dollars, while the rest of us have lost 900 billion dollars.

It is a fight not only for teachers, but all of us!

Fichter Sex Case

WE WON"T FORGET  - HER CAMPAIGN CONTINUES

Sex Abuse Gone Crazy

By Stephen Wilson

Editors Note:  Teachers have been documenting a workplace of fear in the Chicago Public Schools as teachers have been investigated for any little accusation of sexual abuse. Most cases have been thrown out, but many educators have suffered by being taken out of the classroom, or forced to attend hearings. It's safe to say the Chicago Tribune - a pro-business publication that hates unions and public education - lead the witch hunt after featuring a series of sex abuse cases. Our news blog would like to feature the stories you do not read in the mainstream press owned by the 1 percent. The stories about higher up officials who get away with sex abuse, and teachers like Jennifer Fichter, a teacher sentenced to 22 years in prison for having sex with a 16-year-old student. Had she crossed north into Georgia where 16 is legal consent, she would have been a free woman. 

             

Jennifer Fichter, an American English teacher who received the draconian 22 year sentence for having consensual but illicit sex with three 17 year old students has been languishing in prison for five years. But her valiant supporters are in no mood to give up on her. 

            

"Anything you are willing to do to help me gain my freedom is so appreciated. Thank you " states part of a letter sent from her to well-wishers and activists who have been persistently pursuing a relentless campaign for her release. 

             

For those who are unaware of the case, Jennifer Fichter was an English teacher in Polk County, Florida, who was arrested by Lake land Police in April 15th 2014 and charged with sexual battery with three 17 year old students. She was found guilty, receiving an incredible sentence of 22 years imprisonment. This was followed in April 2017 where she was sentenced to a 3 year concurrent sentence. The injustice of this sentence provoked an outcry, especially in Russia where she retains enormous sympathy and support. Almost as many as 77,000 people signed her petition. 

             

What provoked the wrath of many people was that her sentence of 22 years even surpassed the 21 year sentence granted to a deranged fascist mass murderer who who killed 77 people and wounded over a 100. What is more, while in many other countries, the usually deemed  appropriate punishment would be to dismiss such a teacher. The severe sentence and attempts by some to demonize her as a 'pedophile', 'maniac', 'pervert' and 'kidnapper' only reinforced the belief that she was a victim of some religious moral witch hunt. Critics of the sentence regard the case as an example of 'legal despotism ', 'petty tyranny' and 'United States legal tyranny'. A Russian teacher, Aleksi Kutnetsov, stated : "This is a repressive sentence, basely, extremely cruel and hypocritical ". Another indignant supporter complained "She is not a maniac, pervert or pedophile. She never raped, beat up or killed any children. Contrast this with the case of a Norwegian Neo Nazis." 

             

However, the supporters of the Free Jennifer Fichter campaign which can be found on Face book are anxious that with the passage of time, her case can be forgotten. The campaign might run out of steam. A spokes person on the site warned: "The worst news is that Jennifer has been in prison for five years.

             

If initially Jennifer's case caused a public outcry, in the world, now it has slowly begun to forget about it. That's sad. Unfortunately, the petition on the website Change.org by Denis Shirynaev , which has collected nearly 77,000 signatures has been closed by site administration. Why, we do not know, and Shiryaev doesn't know. But there's another person on this site in support of Jennifer, author Mike Brandner. There are only 633 signatures. Please sign it ". 

             

The campaign appeals to supporters and activists not only to sign the petition, but write a letter asking for Jennifer's pardon to Florida governor Ron De Santis and directly to President Donald Trump. They even provide addresses:

             Ron De Santis

             https:// www.Flgov.

             Com/email-the governor/

             Donald Trump

             http;//www.whitehouse.

             gov/contact/

             

The campaign also urges supporters to write to any famous people they know in politics, or art as well as U.S. ambassadors all around the World. The activists are far from being naive. They claim 'letters of support of her will not lead to an immediate positive result. But we can draw public attention to such a terrible and unfair sentence. We can find an influential person who will feel sympathy for Jennifer and in the end it will have an effect. '

Of course, the activists and advocates have long pondered over which legal procedure might be the most effective in securing her release. Some have suggested the need to appeal to the Supreme Court on the fact that the case not only violated the constitutional separation of religion and the law, but entails cruel and severe  treatment which is prohibited by the Constitution. Ernest Taylor states, " This punishment does not fit the crime. It is totally railroading and a violation of church and state '.

            

'Let's not forget about Jennifer and help her.' declare activists. We certainly won't forget. We will do our best to help her!

             

{Editor's comment. Second City Teachers covered this case in two articles dated July 20 ,2015, and February 28, 2016}

         

TIF Storybook

TIF Storybook Reading
Video Posted by Ed Hershey


This cute video posted by Ed Hershey during the Chicago Teachers Strike features a delegate reading a children's version storybook based on the story Are You My Mother? where a little bird is looking all over for its mother, asking different animals until it finally finds its mother.

In this version written by teachers and former public school students, a little girl is looking for her mayor so she can get a nurse, social worker, librarian and other support staff in each school like in the surrounding suburbs. She runs into important looking men and women like billionaire Penny Pritzker who tell the little girl, no the city is broke and cannot give money to the schools for those basic necessities because they took the TIF or Tax Increment Financing money for their hotels, businesses, Navy Pier, or luxury condos, and there's no more money for the schools. The little girl does find the mayor in the end, and Mayor Lightfoot finally tells her what every city person who cares about education wants to hear ...

NY Supports Chicago Teachers!

Educators at Pathways to Graduation School at the Manhattan Hub wore "red" today in solidarity with the Chicago teachers' strike.  UFT members included counselors, teachers, secretaries, school aides and also a school worker from 32 BJ.    We are proud to stand up for the union solidarity.

Teacher Salaries

"I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I'M PAID "  

NO STANDARDIZED WAGE SYSTEM FOR TEACHERS

By Stephen Wilson

 

               

At school we were taught to never ever ask such an intrusive and unwanted question : "How much do you earn?" It was just not done ! It was not just a case of encroaching upon a person's personal privacy which is regarded as sacrosanct, but rude. There are other practical reasons for refusing this, answer especially to a stranger. You might entice a criminal or the person, if he or she is narrow-minded and myopic, can respect you less. Many Russians ask me this question, but I never retort: " Mind your own business" or "Go to hell".

               

In fact, I just frankly answer: "I have not the faintest idea ". That is the answer many Russian school teachers might well answer because there exists no standardized Russian payment system in Russia where there is a typical average salary. For not only do salaries dramatically vary from region to region, but even a teacher's personal monthly salary can vary from month to month. In fact, the system of paying out salaries remains almost a conundrum.

               

In Soviet times the payment of school teachers was much more straightforward. Your income was dependent on how many hours you taught. Now, almost a quarter to a third of the salary is based on stimulated pay. A teacher is paid according to how many school students do well in Olympiads or obtain a five in exams. But in some schools you can be awarded points for taking students on an excursion, starting a poetry group on a patriotic theme, supervising a study circle or even organizing a special school newspaper. You receive points which can be converted into rubles according to an often complex point system decided by headmasters.

               

But in some schools, you might not be paid for those activities, while in another school you will obtain pay. In one school, there might be an 18 point system while in another school it can be a complex 100 point system which confuses teachers. A school which is poorly funded in a small impoverished town might not pay you while one in an enormous town can pay you. 

               

But there exists an enormous yawning gap in income between regions which represents the most glaring injustice. The Russian government agency Rosstat  can't even completely conceal this. And yet they present a rosier picture of the level of income. According to a recent Rosstat survey of 2019, a monthly teacher's salary in Moscow comes to 95,774 rubles, a salary in Dagestan can be 25,730. A teacher working in the southern regions of Russia can make as little as 18,126 rubles yet has to work 31 hours a week at school. And this is only at school. He must also check school notebooks as well as plan lessons, claims Valentina Fedoseeva, a member of the Union of Workers in Education and Science. "The cost of a lesson - for a colossal workload comes to a meager 91 rubles an hour. We are interested in how much a cashier in a supermarket earns. And frankly speaking, I am not surprised by the result : 150 rubles an hour", states Valentina. 

               

In the Altaiski region of Russia a young teacher earns approximately 6000 rubles a month for an 18 hour week. In a huge town with massive local government budget, the young teacher can earn 60,000 rubles!

               

In order for poorer teachers to earn a half decent salary he must work 36 hours or more and this may well be the situation of over 80 % of teachers in  Russia. But such a staggering workload takes an enormous toll on a teacher's health. And of course, the more hours you do, the poorer the quality of the lessons. What is strange is that so many people presume that the more pupils you have, the better your teaching. It means you are popular and hence in demand. But a teacher is not a business man. The level of pay or the number of students can't be correlated with the performance of a teacher. Even the grades students obtain might not reflect teacher performance. When directors threatened to cut the pay of teachers unless so many students got excellent results, the teachers dramatically awarded higher marks! The number of school students being awarded a five suddenly shot up. You have 'grade inflation' which is a common affliction in not only Russia but Britain. Anxiety about keeping your job can lead to teachers becoming too lenient! 

               

So you have an absurd system where in Moscow, a school teacher might make 500-800 rubles an hour, while a few kilometers beyond Moscow a teacher earns 50- 100 rubles in a poor town!  Asking the question, "How much do you earn?" is worse than a rude question. It is almost insulting!

Wednesday Forum

Come to a Forum & Discussion
Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. 
United Electrical Workers Hall, 37 South Ashland, Chicago


Across the country there has been an escalation of racist and outright fascist attacks. From Charlottesville, Virginia to Portland, Oregon, white supremacists have unleashed murderous violence against immigrants, African Americans, Latinos and those who fight back against racist terror. 

Chicago, one of the most rigidly segregated cities in the U.S., has been a focal point of racist reaction going back to the 1919 riots against black workers and segregationist mob attacks in Cicero in the 1950s and ’60s. Today, fascist groups target Chicago in support of the police who terrorize African American areas, as the cop murder of Laquan McDonald and official coverup highlighted. That terror reflects the economic devastation caused by shutting down of industry, the slashing of social services and closing schools in impoverished neighborhoods.

To defeat these attacks, the Internationalist Group Wednesday, October 9, 6:30 p.m. United Electrical Workers Hall, 37 South Ashland, Chicago calls to mobilize the power of the multiracial working class in defense of the oppressed and to break with the capitalist parties of racism and war.

While Republican president Trump whips up anti-immigrant hysteria, Democratic mayors from Rahm Emanuel to Lori Lightfoot are the bosses of the racist killer cops. Massive labor/black/immigrant action is needed to stop deportations and racist attacks. An example of what’s called for is the resolution put forward by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) in Portland calling on labor to stand ready to act to crush the racist threat.

This motion was taken up by the Chicago-area IUPAT District Council 14, which took it to the Painters union recent national convention, where it passed unanimously. But to turn such calls into action will require concerted action by class conscious workers in the ranks.