I am an elementary school teacher in Fairfax County who has been teaching for 27 years in Virginia's public schools. I know I speak for my colleagues in saying we all want what is best for our students and their families.
We see the effects of 31 third graders in a classroom or teaching positions staffed by a patchwork of substitutes because there just aren’t any teacher applicants to fill them. We experience burnout caused by administrative requirements, too little time to plan, and thus “burning the candle at both ends” due to our dedication towards providing well planned, meaningful lessons for our students. We also see the exodus of quality teachers due to such burnout.
Despite these challenges, we work closely with our students to further their successes and close gaps. But none of the conditions described above are conducive to student success.
Legislation currently moving through the Virginia state legislature would change that by enabling collective bargaining for teachers, which provides a forum for employers and employees to join together to tackle such problems through negotiation. Kudos to the majority of our state delegates who supported the collective bargaining bill for educators. I hope our state senators will support it as well!
The importance of access to collective bargaining for teachers cannot be overstated. It would give us a say in decisions regarding our students’ education. It would help ensure that policies are applied and adhered to in the same way from school to school within a district. Most importantly, it would enable us to work collaboratively for the betterment of all, which is a win for educators, for students, for the school system and our communities.
Dan Hale
Fairfax County