Teacher Families Have Had Enough!

"I strained my back carrying boxes of paper to her car," complained Walter Jee of Queens, N.Y. whose wife works at PS 899.  "It happens every year.  It's just too much."

Tired of being asked to assist with school responsibilities, family members of teachers organized themselves into a group called Fed Up Families (FUF).  "A few of us met when we traveled with our loved ones to a teacher conference.  We had so much in common we decided to stay in touch. It grew from there," explained President Lucille Nana, whose daughter teaches in Chicago.

Nana describes many of the group's early meetings as "bitch sessions." "We had a lot to get off our chests. For instance, every time my daughter visits, I can't find my craft scissors.  Some of us have been mistreated for years."

As their membership grew, the children, spouses, parents and siblings of educators decided to work via Skype to draft a list of their complaints.  This list includes:

• countless hours spent in teacher stores, Staples, Office Max and Target
• hoarder-like conditions at home 
• lugging school materials to and from the car

"We're fed up," cried fourteen-year-old Patty Walborn of Norfolk, Virginia.  "Last week my mom dragged me to her classroom twice.  I helped her put-up bulletin boards, level books and wash curse words off desks.  I'm sick of it."

Patty's sentiments echo those of many FUF members. "The problem is no one understands the sacrifices we make to support our teacher family members," explained President Nana.  "We just want to raise awareness about some of the issues we face." The group is considering holding an October rally in Washington D.C.  Others think more drastic action is needed.

"I think we should go on strike," Patty eagerly suggested. She had more to say on the subject but her mother, a middle school teacher, pulled her away.