To the Editor:

Last week was Teacher Appreciation Week and I hope that our Newtown teachers felt more valued than usual through the efforts of our Board, their administrators, the parents, their students, and of course, the voters who recently supported our education budget. If they did, maybe it could salve the wound inflicted by the March 4 unanimous rejection of their grievance by our Newtown Board of Education.

These are trying times for educators and in fact, for the entire US institution of public education. And these times are reminding me of another era when Newtown’s voters were so consistently unsupportive of our schools, and the Board so disagreeable to our educators, that it resulted in a major crisis. I’m not sure how many of you know that 50 years ago this spring Newtown’s public teachers went on strike. It’s especially memorable for me since my mother was a striking teacher, and my father was a very vocal opponent of the strike.

From what I gather, things all came to a head after a decade of this community’s refusal to invest in human and physical capital, which resulted in the seemingly permanent use of “temporary” portable classrooms, and the horrors (for all involved) of double sessions during the 1969-70 school year.

The threat of an unthinkable return to double sessions in 1973-74 set the tone for very contentious contract negotiations. In fact, teachers started the 1974-75 year without a new contract, and negotiations continued throughout the year, ultimately failing. During that time, I remember some disparaging anti-teacher rhetoric swirling around town. A common refrain being: “What are they complaining about? They work bankers’ hours for God’s sake!”

Our teachers are amazing. They were amazing back then, and they are amazing today. Newtown enjoys (sometimes against all odds) an unbroken chain of extraordinary talent. We have a core of caring, bright, and energetic teachers here, who’ve got a great devotion to this district. Ask anyone that has had experience in other districts and they will tell you that we are exceptional in this way.

So as we look back, and look forward, I hope we will all take care of our teachers by treating them with the respect that they deserve so as to never break that chain. But before you go showering teachers with gifts or generic accolades, try asking them directly and in earnest what really makes them feel appreciated.

Randi Kiely

Newtown