"We Teach Tacoma"....no more.

I stumbled upon a video on MSNBC that showed the the teachers of Tacoma Washington staging a massive strike. They sat shoulder to shoulder in the high school gymnassium chanting "WE TEACH TACOMA!!" Later in the video I learned the teachers took a poll, and 87% of them voted for the strike. Fear of layoffs and lack of job security is what drove them to this harsh step. Its no secret that recently in the United States, bad economic times have occured. It is a situation that we are all suffering from, and struggeling to overcome. I believe that being a teacher is one of the most important jobs in our country. It is up to teachers to instruct and guide the youth of America so that the next generation will be well educated. Also, my mother is a teacher, so i have heard stories and seen first hand at how challenging it is to mold the minds of young pupils. With the stress of being an educator added to the stress of possibly no longer having a job is what pushed the 2,000 teachers in the Tacoma schools over the edge. I think further investigations should take place, and more should be do to ensure that the teachers of Tacoma Washington will have their jobs in the future. Finally, when I first saw this news story, my first thought was the children of Tacoma and what kind of example where their mentors showing them by going on strike. After pondering for a moment I realized that the example the teachers are setting is actually a good one. They are showing their students that it is right to stand up in what you believe in, and when things are not going the way you would like them to, it is your calling and duty to be proactive and change them.