When her teachers went on strike, Sophia Miller, a freshman, chose to show up and support her teachers. “I love my teachers,” she said, “[but] for all the work that they’re putting in, they aren’t getting enough in return. So I wanted to help in any way I can.”
Sophia showed up to the picket line and the larger afternoon protests every day of the strike to do exactly that. Initially, she thought that it was going to be grueling, boring or depressing, she said that she “didn’t know what to expect.” However, after picketing and protesting, and singing and dancing, she found it all to be entertaining and exciting. She said “it was an experience I’ve never had before.”
While Sophia believes that more people could have shown their support, she felt empowered by the students—of all ages—and the community members from across the district that she saw picketing alongside her.
“The biggest takeaway and the biggest lesson for me was seeing the real community out here.” She said, “I didn’t know who was gonna show up or, you know, if anybody, but there were so many people, and by the end, when we would do our big marches, it would be 1000s, and I was just wowed by the way that people showed up for each other. It just proves that people really want to work together.”
“I think for the people who did show up, even if it was for 10 minutes or a day or whatever.” Sophia continued, “[they] felt a little more understanding of their teachers and staff’s situation.”
Sophia, herself, also learned a lot more about the school system and the conditions her teachers work in. She said, “It was wild, really learning the details, cause I had never known that they were doing, you know, bargaining for almost a year, that they were arguing for all of these things and that they were being denied all these things. I had no idea. Nobody ever talked about it.”
But more importantly than that, Sophia has gained a new perspective on her teachers. She now realizes, even though it isn’t always visible, how much effort her teachers put in to make sure their students are receiving a quality education. Sophia ends by saying that “getting everything done is a hassle. And then they’re [her teachers are] getting everything done and not getting what they are deserving of and they’re still doing it.”
By learning about her teachers outside of the classroom and understanding their struggles—which they put aside to show up every day and teach their students—the way Sophia views her teachers has changed, and she now holds more respect for the work they are constantly putting in behind the scenes.
