As a prison guard, James Petrella knows what it is like to be part of a union and in the midst of tough negotiations.  At a recent school committee meeting, he told committee members about some of his interactions with his child's teachers, who are working under an expired contract.

Petrella said he first realized work to rule was in play last fall when his son’s teachers stayed away from the Winsor Hill School open house for parents.

When his son’s report card arrived with all A’s and B’s, except in music for which he got the equivalent of a C, Petrella called the school to ask about the low mark. The teacher said his son had been disruptive in class, shouting out answers.

Petrella asked why someone hadn’t called to tell him about the problem as another teacher had done in the previous school year. He said the teacher said he was under no contractual obligation to phone a parent.

Petrella persisted, asking why the teacher didn’t at least write a comment on the child’s report card to explain the C. The teacher, he said, responded that the contract doesn’t require him to do that.

On another occasion, he said, his wife asked a different teacher for some homework exercises that would help her son address a slight slip in the boy’s math scores. He said the teacher advised his wife to go to a store in Cranston and pay for a tutorial system called “Up With Learning.”

     Teachers are under no contractual obligation to attend open houses, write a short note on a report card, make a quick phone call, or suggest extra work.  If that's the case, does their contract specifically state that they should ask students questions, assign homework, or offer encouragement for a job well-done?  Probably not, but these things are done because they are part of a teacher's job.  Claiming that a note or a call isn't contractually obligated is nothing more than a tactic used to pressure the school district by giving less than a 100% effort.  Far less.

     Next time we hear teachers portray themselves as martyrs because of their undying devotion to their difficult and demanding jobs, remember how many unions encourage working to rule.  If they were as devoted as they claimed to be, they wouldn't be using their students as a pawn in contract negotiations.  By the way, this post comes from someone who has been a teacher for 7 years.


http://www.projo.com/news/content/JOHNSTON_CONTRACT_COMPLIANCE_02-16-09_STDA4UO_v77.3c8e5a5.html