School Strikes By Students?…
What’s that all about?
I can vaguely remember one school strike happening at the high school I went to and it was pathetic to say the least. I can’t even remember what it was about, but it was arranged that after the bell to start afternoon lessons went off, students who were taking part in the strike were to congregate in the playground and take a stand (against what, I can’t remember!).
I also remember it was during a catering lesson, which took place in a classroom on the first floor of the school, overlooking the playground. I remember looking down at the handful of students taking part, who were all huddled crossed legged on the floor and wondering if they realised just how daft they looked.
The strike probably lasted all of half an hour and the students who took part were all given detention. Hardly worth it really.
Fast Forward To The Here And Now…
Here in Greece striking is considered par for the course. Office workers and government workers strike at the drop of a hat and I suspect that most of the time it’s just an excuse for a day off, as they tend to be mid week, one day strikes and nothing ever gets achieved by them.
I am not sure if it is just a coincidence that teachers tend to have the odd one day strike just after the long summer holidays (it must be hard getting back in the swing of things after a three month holiday!), but that’s the way it is. And it doesn’t take long for high school students to follow suit.
One of the high schools on the island was shut down by students for a week already this year, they were protesting against the changes that were implemented at the start of the last school year – yes, that’s over twelve months ago now! When a school strikes, students go to the school in the middle of the night and barricade the gates with desks and chairs dragged out of the classrooms. I have heard that when the students are threatening to strike that the head teacher leaves a window open making access into the school easy!!?**?? Unbelievable, but probably true!
The gates are also chained and padlocked closed.
Police Policy On Re-Opening Schools…
It appears there is none. The police were apparently powerless to reopen the high school that was closed on the island by students a few weeks back, something to do with the amount of children on school grounds at the time. I am not sure why just a few children have the power to close a school, when there are students who actually want to go in and learn something.
The students that start the school strikes rarely get punished. I know one student who played a big part in closing my sons school for a week last year, ended up being voted school president. What message is that sending out?…
Why Students Feel The Need To Strike…
The reasons for striking can be various. My daughters school was closed by students for one day last week. Why?…Brace yourself!…
- The boys toilets don’t have a mirror after a new one that was put in got broken.
- The chewing gum in the tuck shop is too expensive at twenty cents a piece.
- The classrooms get locked during breaks, preventing children wandering freely in and out of the classrooms and getting up to no good.
- Feeling left out as other schools on the island are getting days off because of student strikes!
Absolutely ludicrous!
The Teachers Take On School Strikes Instigated By Students…
Some of the teachers I have come into contact with seem to except the fact that students will at times take it upon themselves to show dissatisfaction at things going on in schools by striking. I have also heard idle threats made by teachers to make children go to lessons during their holiday time to catch up, if the school is closed for more than two days, but I have yet to witness these threats being carried through. Probably because it would mean teachers missing out on holiday time too! (Although my two children have both informed me that schools on the mainland have had these threats carried out.)
Another fact I find interesting is that when teachers go on strike they don’t get paid, but when students go on strike teachers still get paid. The other morning when dropping my daughter off at her barricaded school I saw teachers sat in their cars, waiting for the nod to go home without ever having got out of their car or even attempting to re-open the school.
Children are still obliged to go to school even when it’s closed by students and can only go home when the teachers who are there tell them they can go. A pain for parents of children who live any distance from the school.
They Don’t Know How Lucky They Are…
Unfortunately our children take school and education for granted. They have been bought up in a world where education is normal and something both boys and girls get to benefit from.
Tell a child from a first world country that there are children in the world fighting for the right to an education and they will look at you as if your are crazy. Tell a child from a first world country that there are children in the world walking barefoot for miles just to go to school for a basic education and they won’t believe you.
I showed my children a newspaper article about some children who had to climb steep hills and go across rope bridges just to learn to read and write and they were gob smacked.
My Unrealistic Dream Is…
- That one day our children appreciate that they have the right to a decent education and that there are many children in the world who don’t have that.
- That children realize that the price of chewing gum or the lack of mirrors in bathrooms, is in no way relevant to the education they are lucky enough to get for free.
- I hope that my daughters school doesn’t spend good money putting another mirror into the boys toilets as it will only get broken again.
- And if children are going to kick up stink about tuck shop prices, then get rid of it. They can always buy there goodies from the cornet shop on the way to school!
Do children where you live have the power to close schools?
© 2014 – 2015, Debbie. All rights reserved.
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