My kids returned to school in late November for the first time since Halloween. Public school students in Portland, Oregon, have been out of school for more than three weeks due to an educator strike. During that period, our children did not attend classes for 11 days.
Portland Public Schools (PPS) is one of the largest school districts in the Pacific Northwest, serving more than 49,000 students in 81 schools. Last fall, teachers went on strike while the PPS district and the Portland Teachers Association went toe-to-toe at the bargaining table over issues such as pay, scheduling hours, working conditions and other issues. The two sides finally reached a tentative agreement on November 26, allowing students to return to classrooms the next day.
PPS families received notice just a few weeks ago that the strike could begin on November 1st. Students were sent home with their assigned laptops, but no lesson plans (online or physical) were provided. Free lunch and breakfast were provided daily at school to ensure students did not miss meals.
With so little information and time to prepare, PPS parents were at a loss. Reorganizing work and child care, preparing for new out-of-school routines, and filling gaps in instruction were top priorities for many families like mine.
In some ways, this sudden disruption of school routines reminded me of the early days of the pandemic. It especially reminded me of the fact that we had no idea when our students would return. As in 2020, uncertainty and lack of routine have left parents feeling anxious and stressed. Every night I looked helplessly at my email looking for news. When the strike began, the district said they would let us know every night at 7pm whether school would be open the next day.
My husband and I were very lucky. We both have flexible jobs. I am a substitute teacher who can pick and choose when I work, and he is a small business owner with many employees who can run things without him. Fortunately, the strike did not affect our work.
Other families were not so lucky. One friend had to use up almost all of her year's worth of paid leave to stay home with her children during the strike. Another had to quickly work with two other parents to swap childcare during the week to ensure everyone missed as little work as possible.
My family also benefited from my educational background. During the pandemic, I've been able to adapt to my new role as a homeschooling parent, and I've had to call on those skills again during the strike. I know many other parents who have no teaching experience and are at a loss as to what to do without planned online classes for their children.
During the first few days of the strike, our children did not feel fear or anxiety, only excitement. It was fun to have an unexpected holiday for them. As elementary school students (ages 8 and 11), I didn't have a lot of homework, so I didn't feel the anxiety that older students definitely felt. They said they only had to play for a few days because they didn't know how long the strike would last. (We also considered taking a short vacation locally, but couldn't risk it knowing that schools might open the next day.)
To protect my base, I've decided that if the strike lasts into next week, we'll go into “homeschool mode.”
Naturally, the strike continued. So, I created a reading log and had the children read regularly for 30 minutes a day. I also had them log into the school math platform to do a few lessons a day. Even though I was doing academic work every day, I still worried that it wasn't enough.
One day we visited teachers on the picket line. I asked if there was any extra homework they could send me to support the children's learning. They said teachers were unable to access school emails or educational materials during the strike. Obviously we were on our own.
It was clear that my children were hit academically during the strike, but the social and emotional toll was also significant. Although we talked on the phone with friends and had the occasional playdate, it wasn't the same as being with our classmates for 30 hours a week. Soon the excitement of the strike died down. Both children showed symptoms of depression and anxiety. Without regular school life, their motivation and energy began to fade.
Now that they are back at school there is a huge difference in their happiness. As I write this, it's only been a few days since the strike ended, but it's clear that our children's happiness and energy have improved dramatically.
The unexpected educator strike has had a huge impact on my family and countless others. Not only did the children lose the opportunity to receive a professional education, they were also denied important human relationships. Thousands of parents suddenly had to reorganize their lives and try to be the best educators they could. The lesson we learned in Portland is that consistency in our educational environment provides our children with confidence, happiness, and essential camaraderie.
Stephanie McCoy is a writer and mother from Oregon.