This Chicago Teachers Strike Is Not About Money, It's About What Right For Children

Last night I told 19 Connecticut teachers, to look to the Chicago teachers for leadership that matters in public education. I said I have no faith in our nation's policymakers, legislators, CEOs, presidents, governors, mayors, non-elected school broads, billionaires, commissioners and secretaries of education to save our public schools.

The endless flow of campaign contributions pushing failed high stakes testing education reform is a cabal of the greedy who have turned public schools into profit margins and testing factories.

I have walked for 40 days from Connecticut to DC twice to protest this cabal of profiteers that hijacked childhood and our profession. Like these Chicago teachers, I am a teacher who was forced to become an activist for justice in our public schools. I marched on Washington. I marched on my state's capital, I have joined two United States Department of Education Occupies with United Opt-Out, I have traveled multiple times to the Selma Jubilee Education Summit with BATS, UOOs, and SOSers to stand up for our children, their teachers, and our public schools. This July I met with some CTU leaders in Chicago. I claim brotherhood with these Chicago Teachers. Call me their number one fan!

This is not the time to hold our heads down. This is the time to lift them up, to move our profession to boldly stand up against these hijackers of childhood. We may not see it yet in our local unions, but it is building. Labor leadership either leads a bold stand to save our children, our fellow teachers, and our public schools, or it gets out of the way.

If this resistance is not led by teachers? Then who? Parents need and expect us to stand up for their children.

Teachers we are the heroes we have been waiting for. I see heroes rising in Chicago, teachers fighting for smaller class sizes, a living wage for Para-Professionals, and for nurses and social workers in every school. This is not about money, this is about doing right by their children.

I ended by saying teachers, start pushing union leadership to follow the lead of Chicago. If they refuse, then vote for new ones. Chicago is less about a strike it is a teacher revolution to save our public schools.
Call me another revolutionary marching save our children, their teachers, and our public schools.
I stand with these Chicago Teacher Revolutionaries,
Dr. Jesse P. Turner
Connecticut Moral Monday Education Ambassador

July 2019 lunch in Chicago with CTU's Michelle Strater Gunderson & CSU-AAUP 

Call me CTU's Number One Fan!

If you are wondering what song inspire my morning walk in the rain...its What's Going On cover by Play For Change https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEp7QrOBxyQ