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There are many reasons. And when you combine them – excessive class size, lack of support staff and insufficient resources for vulnerable students, to name a few – the reason why teachers are striking becomes much clearer.
: They do it because they say their students deserve better.
CNN contacted dozens of Los Angeles teachers to listen to their stories. Here's what they said.
32, 39, 42. Here is the number of students reported to various teachers by CNN in their classes.
The pupil / teacher ratio has dropped and many teachers fear not to be.
"I have courses of nearly 50 students at different times," said Henry Slavens, an English professor at John Marshall High School.
"I see the potential and
Wendy Mumolo, a fourth grade teacher at Cantara Street Elementary School, has similar problems with the growing class school." She had 34 students in her class – 11 of them with special learning needs.
Some educators must teach in separate classes or multi-year pupils in the same class.
Shabraya Hays is the only one in the class. one of them She teaches in a classroom of 10 fifth graders and 24 fourth graders at Cantara Street Primary School.
"I have a split for me throughout the day, "she said." I do not have AT. No additional help. My school is understaffed. "
There are not enough nurses, counselors, and librarians
Many teachers interviewed by CNN this week have talked about the need to recruit more support staff schools This includes vital roles such as nurses, counselors, psychologists and librarians
Marisol Alvarez is an educator who falls into this category Social assistant in psychiatry, she collaborates with high school students from the community of academic leaders of the Miguel Contreras Training Center
she provides mental health services to students and needs more people in roles like hers, as well as nurses and counselors,
Judith Barnett, kindergarten teacher at Cantara Street Elementary School, explained why students needed it.
"They deserve to have a nurse who will help them in case of illness, "she said. "They deserve to have a counselor who helps them solve the emotional issues they face, so that they can focus on education." They deserve to have a librarian so that They can actually consult books on a daily basis instead of once every two weeks. "
Students with special needs deserve more attention
Luis Fernandez has been a specialized teacher since over 13 years old and was previously a special assistant. He is passionate about his students and wants to make sure they get everything they need.
Although LA has a growing number of charter schools, traditional schools serve a disproportionately large number of students with special needs.
"The problem is that if they accept federal funds, they should serve all students," said Fernandez, a teacher at Cantara Street Elementary School, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. [19659002] Chantile Emerick is an inclusion specialist who works with high school students with special needs. She serves some students who attended charter schools but now attend her school, Academic Leadership Leadership.
She is receiving more and more specialized students, but no longer has additional resources to help them.
hold charter schools responsible for special education, as we are, "she said. "We do not reject any students, but it adds to our workload."
They want the district hires more teachers
Teachers say they need more books, computers and other educational materials to help them. do their job. But students also need enough teachers to educate them.
Meghann Lee is working with newly arrived students in the United States, many of whom have been in the country for just a few weeks. She teaches English language development in the academic leadership community.
"The school district believes we can teach with a team of 17 teachers for more than 400 students in our school, we do not agree." she says. "We could use our funds for computers, technology and books to buy seven more employees."
Low-income students need more resources
Many of the students Lauren Ebley serves come from
"Many have experienced real trauma and we have too few counselors in our staff "said Ebley, an English teacher at Maclay Middle School.
"The people we have are absolutely great, but the student / counselor ratio on our campus is frankly unacceptable, and our kids need people they can count on."
They say that they? Fight for students who have no voice
It's simple. Teachers are out of class on strike because their students can not.
That is why the English college teacher, Karla Amaya, does picketing.
"I am here on strike in 2019 for all children who do not have a voice., Who can not be here to defend their interests and those of … all the working families who trust us in education to do what is right, "said Amaya, who teaches at the Alfred Bernhard Nobel Charter Middle School.
I will stay with my teachers until this is done and we get respect for our profession, "she said.
They believe that they are fighting for something bigger
A solid education makes knowledge germinate in every child. And teachers are essential to help train our children and inspire them to become productive leaders and citizens.
Judith Barnett, a kindergarten teacher, strikes for many reasons, ranging from overly heavy classes to lack of support staff. But it's also an overview for her.
"I do it because public education is the foundation of democracy," she said. "And if we can not get quality education, we will not have a quality democracy."
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