Rose Palmer and Jam Shidkhajavi
Rose Palmer and Jam Shidkhajavi Ansel Herz

ROSE PALMER
Hazel Wolf K-8 (temporarily relocated to the grounds of the John Marshall building near Greenlake)
Teacher, grade six
Salary: Unsure

Why are you picketing today?

I was in the first strike in 1985. This is a different strike. We have never been more unified. When we voted for that strike in 1985, it was not unanimous. And we were out there for a very long time. There were the court injunctions. Oh, get back to work. It's like, "No. We need this."

And then there's the fear of, "What happens to all the kids?" The community stepped up. Parents stepped up. Everybody said, "You know what? The teachers and educators are doing what they need to do for the betterment of our school district." So community centers, families—everybody said, I'm going to help out. I'm going to watch the kids. I'm going to take them to enrichment activities, to the museum.

This building is a learning community. COMMUNITY! We have parents, teachers, neighbors out here. But here's the thing: Seattle Public Schools has told our administrators, "Don't lift a finger to support this. Don't wear red, don't support." Inside that building right there her window is open. Debbie Nelson supports us. Period. That's the principal—the best principal in Seattle Public Schools. She wanted to give us throat lossanges. To show her support, she wanted to give us Advil—she knew, you know, that some of us would be aching [laughs]. But the district said, "Do not." So she waves, she smiles. We know she supports us. [Later, the principal walked by and smiled. She did not want her picture taken.]

What's your biggest reason for being out here?

I'm out here because I want more money. PERIOD! I am living in this city and raising two daughters. I love students and I want a living wage. Period. I don't think that teachers and money need not be in the same sentence. I love children. I love a living wage... My favorite sign yesterday was one written by a mom. It said, "Teachers deserve better pay." And there were dollar signs on it.

That is not a bad thing. It is not a radical proposition to think that educators—educators of the democracy that is the foundation of our country—should be paid more. President Obama has said education is the secret sauce. I think the school board and the superintendent need to fucking pay for that secret sauce.

How affordable is Seattle for you right now?

My personal situation is that I am planning to put two brilliant daughters, ages 16-19, from Seattle public schools through college. They want to go to private colleges. Should I say no to that? They should be able to go to the college they can get into. Yes, they'll have scholarships. But as a parent, I want to help fund that for them. Why wouldn't I?


JAMSHID KHAJAVI
Jane Adams Middle School
Counselor
Salary: "I make more than other people and I'm a single guy, so it's easier on me."

Why are you picketing?

Our district hasn't been there for our teachers. They work so hard. They're asking teachers to work extra—and they're already putting in so many extra hours. I'm here—not for myself. I'm here for the whole community. [Palmer interjects and chuckles: "Peer pressure!"]

No, looking at the general picture, seriously. You have all these huge corporations, test makers. The companies like Pearson, DRS, and McGraw Hill. Those guys are dominating our education. They're telling the politicians what to teach. So the teachers are forced to teach based on the test because their evaluation comes from that test. It doesn't make sense. We're not preparing our children if it's just focused on the tests. They pass it, but they're not going to be good humans. They're not going to have empathy, resources, problem solving.

Did you vote to strike?

Absolutely. One hundred percent. It's all over—it's not just this union. They want privatization all over this country.

Derek Grandbois
Derek Grandbois Ansel Herz


DEREK GRANDBOIS
Hazel Wolf K-8
Teacher, first grade
Salary: $55,000

What's your motivation for being out here?

For me, I think it's the equity issues. Pay is a big deal, but for me, the equity issues in Seattle are really big. There are three that I think about: the first is RESAs—speech therapists and language pathologists and psychologists. Right now they don't have a cap on how many kids they can serve. So, if they have a lot of kids, they just can't serve those kids the right way. And those are the kids who need the extra support. I think that's a disservice to our students. We have to make sure the kids who need the most help are getting it.

Then there are the equity issues as far as race, discipline, and the amount of recess that kids get. A lot of things like that are skewed based on where you live. So if you live in the north end, if your population is more Caucasian, it's a lot different. You're getting more recess.

What's the situation like at your school?

We have a great principal. She already gives us thirty minutes of recess. But then she says if you need extra recess for your kids, she allows us to do that. So we have a 15 minute recess at the end of the day before we teach our science, so we can get the kids out there one more time to get them ready to learn. But there are other schools that are only giving 15. So that equity issue is really big for me. Discipline is another big one.

Are there many kids of color at this school?

Yes, but unfortunately, we had a larger ELL population. When we made the transition to this school for a couple years, those numbers have dropped off. We're looking forward to finding ways to get them back in our community. What was nice, initially, was it was really the face the city.

Did you vote for the strike?

Yes, of course.

What will you do if the district goes to court and gets an injuction?

I don't think they will. I'll tell you why. I've been reading that they've been inundated with parent phone calls. I feel like we have a lot of support from our families. Because of that, I think they're starting to come around and think, we really need to negotiate.

So you'll be out here again tomorrow?

It's 9/11 tomorrow. So we're going to be doing some community service work tomorrow. And we haven't decided as a staff if we're going to picket for the day, because we want to make sure we're being thoughtful about that as well.

Picket
Pickets outside Seattle-area schools will continue through today. Ansel Herz

This post has been updated.