— from Arla Sutton —
Personally, I think that the school staff did a good job of working with us, supporting our first amendment rights, and letting us organize on our own. They walked the fine line between supporting us and fully excusing us (and therefore partially discrediting our “strike,”) and making it overly difficult for us to express our political beliefs and stand up for our rights.
All students who participated in the strike on Friday were aware that their absence would be counted as unexcused and that there would be no other consequences or repercussions other than the absence. I hope that community members and supporters will direct their efforts not towards fighting to get our absence excused, but towards combating the climate crisis that is upon us.
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Hi Arla,
Thank you for the work you did focusing the community on the Global Climate Strike. Please know that your work is supported, appreciated and amplified by concerned community members in our work on issues and with elected officials and that is definitely the most important part of the message I wished to send on behalf of OWC.
That said, there were kids and parents, or at least parents I spoke to directly and who spoke to members of our Environmental Action Team
who were not clear on the consequences of participation in the strike due to written policies and the letter sent home. That part of the conversation is continuing and will hopefully result in the written school district policy aligning with the school board’s heartfelt desire to promote Civic engagement. It should in no way be allowed to steal focus from the Climate Crisis. It is a small side conversation, but a good one to have in a community that values preparing students for a lifetime of informed advocacy. We are trying to find as many ways as possible to say we hear you.
With respect and admiration,
Cindy Wolf
Co-lead for PACE-OWC
I am with the students who joined the Climate Strike.
Bravo!
A grandmother and ancestor for future generations.
Instead of standing on street corners, waving signs, and yelling, it would have been much more effective if the teachers (some of whom also “walked out on strike”) had led their students in a letter-writing campaign focused upon our legislators.
There could also have been organized, polite confrontation with our local legislators in which convincing arguments could have been forcefully presented.
It would have been a “teaching moment,” involving good letter-writing form, good use of the English language, good critical thinking, and maybe also good forensic skills.
It would also have taught the students about achieving effective political action.
Further, it would not have been an unexcused absence.
But, of course, it’s so much easier to stand on a street corner, wave a sign, and yell.
“Instead of standing on street corners, waving signs, and yelling, it would have been much more effective if the teachers (some of whom also “walked out on strike”) had led their students in a letter-writing campaign focused upon our legislators.”
How do you know this, Mr. Henigson? Do you have some far reaching insight as to the power of letter writing? I do, it doesn’t work too well in times of crisis. What works is massive protests and sit-ins. I am reminded of my time in San Francisco in 1970 during the mass anti-Vietnam war protests. I didn’t see anybody writing letters. We are past the time of letter writing. If you know your history, Mr. Henigson, those protests helped end the war in Vietnam.
How would you suggest we save the planet? Write your congressman?
It is interesting to be part of a community where anyone with a worthy cause feels it is appropriate to use our school children to further that cause by encouraging them to skip school and go to a party on the Village Green. I’ve seen this approach several times, and am not surprised that many kids are ready and willing to skip school for a “worthy cause”.
There are a very large number of meaningful worthy causes in our world to day, and, in light of that fact, coupled with our demonstrated community values, I would like to propose that we do the following:
1. Appoint a committee to identify the 180 most worthy causes in the world.
2. Assign each of these causes to a particular school day.
3. Fire all the teachers.
4. Sell all the school buildings.
5. Encourage the children to come the the Village Green each day in support of the designated “Cause For The Day”.
This would allow us demonstrate our community values to the world, while also significantly reducing our tax burden. And would probably generate a lot of nationwide publicity.
Well said, Arla. Judging from a few of the comments below, adults could use a lot of teaching from the youth! Two things exacerbate the bickering and perpetuating misunderstanding and “us” vs “them” by adults who ought to know better:
1) the rumor mill: spreading things before substantiating them with fact from “the horse’s mouth.”
2) people who did not attend an event, making assumptions and judgments based on #1.
Many protests I’ve been to, if not all, include letter and postcard writing to our legislators; the bill often footed for the mailing by someone who puts their money where their mouth is. It’s not enough, though. Mass protests, resistance, and boycotts are necessary in times of crisis.
I support the students in the walkout, and think we have a lot to learn from them if we open our minds and hearts and actually listen to them, and as always, Tribal leaders; they are the ones feeling the brunt of the Military Industrial Complex, and facing down the loaded barrel of a future that includes mass extinction.
Thank you, Arla, and the rest of the students who felt it was their right to have this student walk out and hold a rally on the Museum Grounds. Your speech and Birdie’s were very thoughtful and showed your strength in how all of you felt on Climate Change. Keep standing up for your rights. Proud of you.