The Undervaluing of Educators

Minneapolis teachers go on strike

Over the last few months, Minneapolis teachers and students have worked together to organize and protest against the unfair treatment of educators. By working with the union to fight for their rights, educators and students were able to effectively go on strike for two weeks.

I had an insightful conversation with Emi Gaçaj, a Minneapolis high school senior who worked directly with the protest and strike. Emi helps run Coalition of Student Leaders, a social media account dedicated to helping students and teachers with the strike, and she also runs the body org, a youth organization dedicated to reproductive justice and supporting youth with free wellness supplies and services. Emi is passionate about helping the community, especially in areas of social justice and organizing protests.

According to the Coalition of Student Leaders instagram, the teachers and students goal is to “fight for the retention of educators of color, fair and equitable working conditions, smaller classrooms, and mental health supports that reflect the needs of our student population.” For years, teachers have been undervalued for the amount of work they do in and outside of the classroom, so they decided enough is enough.

Emi at the Davis Center. Photo from Coalition of Student Leaders Instagram

To gain insight about the strike from a Minneapolis student’s perspective, I asked Emi about the strike’s impact on students. Emi said, “There was overwhelming support from students,” and they went on to discuss how students occupied Davis Center as a form of protest. The Coalition of Student Leaders hosted events from March 23-24 as students continued their occupation. Throughout the two-week strike, students continuously supported teachers in their efforts to protest for better working conditions.

The Minneapolis strike demonstrates how the undervaluing of teachers greatly impacts students and the education system as a whole. Despite the need for valuing educators, St. Kate’s recently decided to cut the elementary education program. I had a discussion with St. Kate’s student, Jennifer Graham ‘25, about her future plans to enter the field of education.

Q: As a whole, how do you think America treats educators?

A: Generally not very well. Despite them being one of the most needed professions at the moment, there’s no increase in wages and there’s no incentive to become a teacher like other jobs might have.

Q: How has the recent teacher strike impacted your choice to become a teacher?

A: It makes me a little nervous thinking about how teachers are treated in the area that I want to teach in the future.

Q: How does St. Kate’s cutting the education program impact your future?

I actually am transferring next year because St. Kate’s does not offer a secondary education program, and you’re not allowed to ACTC it.

Saint Catherine University’s mission statement is to educate women to lead and influence, but by cutting these programs, St. Kate's failed at fulfilling their promise. Although the teacher strike successfully helped educators in Minneapolis, teachers nation-wide might not see the same improvements. In these next few weeks, make sure you thank your teachers and professors for the work they do. Without education, who knows where we’d be…