I was associated with higher education and with teachers for over 35 years of my career.   By and large, I loved every minute of it.  I’m told I was pretty good at it, and I’d like to believe that’s true.  If you’re doing something you love, you’re often good at it.
But I will publicly make a confession here and now:  I know I did not have what it takes to have been a K-12 classroom teacher.  I’m not physically tough enough.   Among other things, I would not have had the stamina, either short-term or long-term. 
Here’s something to ponder:  Have you ever been in a job where you’ve had to be full-blown, adrenaline-flowing ‘on’ for essentially 7 straight hours a day? (OK, you can have 20 minutes for lunch, and maybe a planning period that you can never really use for planning.)  And then go home and wrap up the day (grading), while preparing for the next (lesson-planning)?  That’s hard enough as it is.  Imagine doing that 5 days a week, 4 weeks a month, essentially for 9 straight months. And then spend much of the three non-classroom months planning how to do it again the next year, only even better!
I admit to myself and to you that I couldn’t have done it, at least for very long. I think I have the dedication, I have the knowledge, I have the caring.  But I would not have had the toughness. I honestly don’t think many of us would.
I’m telling you right now, in as calm a tone as I can manage.  Anyone – I mean anyone – who even remotely hints that being a classroom teacher is somehow an easy job simply does not get it.  Period. Such a person has absolutely no idea what he or she is talking about.  But that perception is most assuredly part of the overall problem.
Here’s the thing.  Classroom teachers do get all that.  And they do it anyway.  They do it for reasons most of us never experience or understand, let alone appreciate.  They certainly don’t do it for the money.  And that’s part of the overall problem, as well.  Legislators and policy-makers (and sometimes school officials) know this, and often take advantage of it.  Until finally, teachers must speak up.  And then, the legislators seem shocked!
So, while I’m in this mood, I will go further.  Anyone – and I mean anyone – who even remotely suggests that teachers are somehow selfish to point out that they barely make decent living wage in some states, let alone a wage that pays them what they are worth, (and let alone that their schools are often under-funded, which is part of what they are pointing out!) are not only not getting it, they are embarrassing themselves.  And if those people happen to be legislators who could do something about that, then it is the legislators that are the problem, and not the teachers.  Teachers are NOT like teenagers asking for a newer car, as the Oklahoma governor foolishly claimed.  They are more like teenagers who are fed one skimpy meal a day and are simply asking for nourishment to get through the day.
If someone asked me if I supported strikes and striking in general, I’m not sure what I’d say.  But I support teachers. And I admire them. They are literally our everyday heroes, too-often doing battle under demanding circumstances.  And we are making them an endangered species.  They deserve to be supported.  They need to be heard, especially since no one except them seems to speak for them.  What are they to do, if no one will listen?