North High students and parents say they support their striking educators
Bethune Community School teachers and support staff formed a picket line outside Sumner Library. Photo by David Pierini
North High School students have been reporting and writing about the teachers’ strike for North News.
By Zelaun Black, North High School junior
Minneapolis Public School teachers and educational support professionals began striking on Tuesday, March 8 in part because they say they aren't being paid enough. Many students are worried about the strike and wondering what the outcomes will be.
Ramiyah Jackson, a North High junior and student council president, said she is feeling optimistic about the strike but has concerns for her classmates. “I’m feeling fine. I just wanna make sure my peers are okay,” she said. “As student council president they are my first priority, and I wanna make sure everyone knows what’s going on and that they have a safe place for them to hang out at.”
Ramiyah said she supports her teachers and wants to see more changes in her community: “I agree 100 percent with the teachers. No, I didn’t want the strike to happen but it is a problem that we as citizens have to keep fighting for something we need–whether it’s police brutality, changing the borderline, or teachers not getting enough pay. If the strike needed to happen, then I'm behind it. I’m hoping that the teachers can get what they are asking for.”
Kelly Jackson, a parent of a North High sophomore, is feeling optimistic about the strike, especially because the North High PTA has created a safe place at nearby Shiloh Temple for students to spend their time during the strike.
“I am feeling hopeful, secure and happy knowing there is a space for the kids to have a place to come together to eat, talk and hang out,” she said. “The strike to me means taking a stand and having a voice to speak out and requiring that our students have a safe and stable school. I am hoping for more teachers of color to be able to have a living wage that they can live and not just get by (on) so that the students can have veteran teachers and teachers (won't) feel like they have to leave to make a living.”
Kameron Clay, a North High student and football player, said he is feeling hopeful and happy about the strike and is ready for the outcome of it. “Right now I feel like they need to hurry up and give our teachers what they want,” he said. “The strike means the teachers' struggles aren’t going unnoticed. They are hoping for better pay so they aren’t living paycheck to paycheck and most teachers are even raising some adult’s kids not only their own.”
Jeremiah Sims, a North High football player and student, said he is feeling chill and cool about the strike. “I am feeling decent,” he said. “The teachers just want to get treated how these other districts treat their teachers. They want to get paid well. Our teachers at North treat us as family, and they care a lot about us. They want to have good pay and they deserve it the way they care for us.”
Renessa Miller, a parent of a North High 11th-grader, said she is feeling worried about the students and teachers for the strike because the outcome could affect the students’ future.
“I feel that it’s well deserved and needed,” Miller said. “To me, the strike means unity, power and respect. I feel like it demands self-worth. I hope that they get what they are asking for because it's hard being a teacher and not being paid enough for the hard work and time.”