Flashback

While reading the Star Tribune today I realized that it has been six years since Senator Paul Wellstone passed away.  I actually was able to meet Wellstone weeks before his death when he came to visit Red Wing, MN and the 220 teachers who were on strike.  I remember being very impressed by his visit and completely shocked and sad when we heard the news of his death at our striking headquarters.  

Throughout the day today I have been thinking about the strike and my roll in it as a new teacher. Because I was a non-tenured teacher I wasn't able to be on the front lines, but rather had to be behind the scenes.  Every morning I visited my fellow co-workers with fresh baked goods and then headed off to strike headquarters to work on signs, man the phones, go out on coffee runs, etc. 

Honestly, as I'm typing this, it all seems a bit surreal like it never happened at all.  I do know, though, that I learned some invaluable, newbie teacher lessons.  Unions are important and there is a lot more to teaching than they ever could teach in college.

Hopefully that will be my only striking situation in my teaching career.