We're all in this... together?

Alright, so after a long day of teaching, I have manymanymanymany more thoughts on all the education talk going on right now.

First off.

After all the hullaballoo surrounding Unions lately, it's interesting to see what's happening with the unions in WI.  I am the first to admit that I don't entirely believe in Unions (in all respects.)  I will say that I do think that in a way, they can hamper change in education.  They can make it harder to do any real overhaul in schools.  Etc. etc. etc.
There are plenty of documentaries circulating now about the wonder of charter schools and the horrors of public schools.  These same films also tell us that (for the most part) unions are to blame.  That because of unions, education has become stagnant.  We can't move forward and change the system, instead we're stuck as we are.
I feel like education is becoming similar to the "what causes cancer phenomenon" - where it has gotten to the point that everything causes and prevents cancer.
In education, people are SO quick to blame everything.  The teachers are to blame. No - the kids are to blame.  No, the lack of funds are to blame. No - now we're back at the teachers.  No one can settle on one thing because it's not just one thing.
The fact remains, education changes daily.  As I've talked about before...

That being said.

While everything changes, people typically do not remember what education is all about. The students.  That through all of the budget cuts, the long hours, and blood/sweat/and tears the go into education - the students are why we do it.
What they fail to realize is that no matter what they take away we will still be here, plugging away, because it's what we believe in.  It's what we as teachers believe at our cores - that no matter what happens, children have to learn.
When our government looks at education - they see test scores.  They see funding per child.  They don't see the children.  They forget about us teachers, working 12+ hours every single day, without the necessary resources, without the recognition, and without the pay to match the work we put in.

However, it IS the unions that are there.
**Note : I currently have no union, which I'll talk about in a moment...
Unions are there to make sure that we aren't working past our contract hours (which we do...) but they make sure that we have planning time, that we have professional development, that we are treated fairly.
Now that I do not have a union, I can vouch for their importance.  Schools want to work in the most efficient way possible.  This means that even when we're supposed to have a full day for teacher workday and planning; if we can do a training them we should!  This is what's best monetarily for a school.  However, it is not what is best for the staff.  Normally, unions are there to stop this.  However, without one, we frequently lose our planning times (which are SACRED) because we have to do lunch duty, we have to do some training, etc.  Instead of fitting it around OUR work time, we have to push back our work in order to accommodate the needs of the principal.
There are reasons that being in a charter school is lovely, don't get me wrong.  BUT.  Teacher's rights are rarely heard.

We are frequently ignored.  Our funding is cut and then we are blamed when our students can't perform.

It might not be a perfect system.  But.  At least with unions we have someone out there standing up for teachers as a whole.

In conclusion.
Keep  fighting Madison.  I'm there in spirit :-)