An SLP Shares Lessons Learned from the LA Teachers Union Strike

No one really walks in LA, and we usually stay indoors when it rains. So heads turned when tens of thousands took to the streets all over the city. We chanted with our colleagues, jammed the subways wearing red for education, and made signs with messages demanding funds for schools. Our cause? To get the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) to invest in our students, improve school safety, lower class sizes, cap charter school expansion, and provide a fair contract and wage. We were loud verbally and nonverbally. Speech-language pathologists like me joined the picket lines and marched alongside educators despite the pouring rain. The LA teachers union also represents us. Our district considers SLPs to be itinerant related service providers, a category that includes occupational therapists, psychologists, physical therapists, and others who serve diverse, complex caseloads in several schools. It was a difficult week physically, mentally and emotionally. We raised our voices and our signs for students in preschool through high school. During the week-long strike we got to know our colleagues better and met people in the community who joined us in picket lines, donated food and beverages, and even opened up their homes. Every honk of support, every wave, every hug, every text of encouragement, every weary smile meant something. As ugly as the strike sometimes felt, human kindness and consideration ruled. After the respite of a holiday weekend, we marched again e...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Advocacy Audiology News Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: blogs