Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

16-Year-Old Minneapolis High School Student Speaks Out in Support of a Teachers’ Strike

Teachers in the Twin Cities voted early this morning to go on strike for better wages, student mental health support, and smaller class sizes. A high school student speaks out in support of the teachers.

Left Voice

February 18, 2022
Facebook Twitter Share
Minnesota teachers standing in line outside to vote to authorize a strike.

Teachers in the Twin Cities voted early this morning to go on strike. Their demands include better wages, better student mental health support, and smaller class sizes. Left Voice interviewed 16-year-old Isaac Stets who is a sophomore at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis and is in support of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul teachers’ decision to strike.

What are the current conditions in your school, especially in the context of the pandemic? 

Throughout all of the pandemic, classes were completely online, except for a quarter of last year. Lots of students were struggling academically, which is why they opened up the school at the end of 2021. It was an OK transition. I know I was glad to go back and be able to be with everyone again. 

Why do you think that some were students struggling?

We live in a big city and some kids don’t have the resources they need to succeed [academically] at home or they are not in a safe environment. School was a necessary place for them, where they could get away from their home life, so [in-person] classes were necessary. And the motivation is better with in-person learning since you are actually talking to your teacher versus it being assigned to you over the internet. 

How do you feel about the strike? Why are you supporting the teachers?

I definitely consider myself in full support of the strike. I think the demands that the teachers in Minnesota Federation of Teachers and Educational Support Professionals (MFT 59) have put forward are straightforward and should have come a lot sooner. Ed Graff (Superintendent of Minneapolis Schools) sent an email and is putting out these vague consequences of what will happen if teachers strike and I think it’s really misleading. [The email warned of classes being canceled, making up missed days to meet state and graduation requirements, delaying graduation of students and possibly extending the school year into the summer.]

I think one of the reasons why I am supporting the strike is the wages for the Educational Support Professionals. They have been paid so low for so long. Wages for them should be a huge priority. They are barely getting paid to live. In addition, the teachers are demanding better Covid precautions. The resources they have provided us [for protection against Covid] have not been adequate. They are talking about better mental health resources for students and teachers. 

A lot of the mental health support now is the same as before, except for some inspirational messages that don’t mean a lot. There is not enough educational support for students who can’t get school work done as easily as they could before the pandemic. A lot of the expectations are still the same. Everything is crazy right now and it’s hard to carry on like before. There are unrealistic expectations regarding how the school needs to be operating. 

What would you say to people who claim that a teachers’ strike would hurt the students? 

I think they are not taking into account why teachers are going on strike. We will be able to get better education and learn effectively if the teachers get their demands met. Teachers and Educational Support Professionals often have to work two jobs. They will be able to dedicate more time to teaching. By striking, the teachers are trying to improve educational standards. 

What are other students saying about all of this? 

I have not come across any negative sentiments from people I have talked to. No one I know has talked badly about the strike. The only bad things are coming from district officials. I have some teachers that are very pro-union and we talk a lot about it, but there is not a lot of dialogue in the media. There is obviously discussion within progressive spaces on social media. I think there should be more discussion that is accessible to students. We should have resources to learn about teachers’ strikes in the school media that are distributed to students. In our advisories there are school bulletins and I have not seen anything about strikes and that would be a great way to get the message out. 

Do you feel that the Black Lives Matter movement, the George Floyd Uprising and subsequent protests have had an impact on struggles like the teachers’ strike?

I definitely think so. Because of all that, there is a greater social consciousness. More people are willing to call others out and force them to take accountability for their actions. It has become more mainstream, both to our detriment and our benefit. To our detriment because when things become mainstream they tend to become more moderate and get co-opted. But it’s still definitely beneficial to have that message out there.

What is the kind of public education system that you would like to see?

An ideal public education system would not be focused on making the most productive workers possible and dehumanizing them. Success should not mean how much you can contribute to the ruling class but what you can achieve for yourself and your fellow workers.

What is your message to other students who are thinking about the teachers’ strike?

Do your research. Listen to actual union members. Do your best to combat misinformation about the strike and support any teacher who chooses to go on strike.

Facebook Twitter Share

Left Voice

Militant journalism, revolutionary politics.

Labor Movement

“Our Big Push Was for Union Democracy and a Plan to Win”: An Interview with the Amazon Labour Union Democratic Reform Caucus

Two years after the historic victory at JFK8, Amazon workers voted in a referendum in their union. They want to hold new elections and revise the constitution, as part of a struggle to make ALU more democratic and militant. Left Voice spoke with two organizers to discuss the struggle in ALU.

Luigi Morris

March 20, 2024
A banner reads "Real Wages Or We Strike" at a rally for CUNY, which is experiencing cuts from Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul.

CUNY Faculty and Staff Have Gone One Year Without a Contract — It’s Time to Strike

CUNY workers have been without a new contract for a full year and the university has yet to make any economic offers. It's time to take action.

Olivia Wood

February 29, 2024
Florida governor Ron DeSantis stands at a podium that reds "Higher Education Reform"

U.S. Higher Education Is Being Gutted, but We Can Fight Back

Across the United States, higher education is being gutted through program eliminations and budget cuts. We must prepare to fight these attacks with everything we have.

Olivia Wood

February 28, 2024
CUNY workers at a demonstration hold a banner that reads "STRIKE TO SAVE CUNY."

CUNY Workers Launch New Strike Campaign

As Governor Hochul proposes another $528 million in cuts, workers at the City University of New York are fighting back.

Olivia Wood

February 12, 2024

MOST RECENT

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024