There were a dozen of us, and you could barely hear the song we were dancing to: Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” But there we were in front of Venice High, mostly in sync, definitely in the rain, decked in our finest red, dancing for public education and calling on our community, our city, our state, our entire nation, to think about what they were trying to do to us.

I became a teacher so I can advocate for my students and community, and I stand with the teachers across the city who are advocating for common-sense regulation to address these concerns.

Amid the sea of red shirts that flooded Los Angeles in early January, it may have been easy to miss those worn by the members of Eastside Padres Contra La Privatización. An all-volunteer organization formed in 2017 in response to a planned KIPP charter co-location at Marianna Avenue Elementary, Eastside Padres is a leading force in the community struggle to defend public education.

We strike for just teaching and learning conditions. We strike for the schools our students deserve, and because we want to be able to meet the very diverse needs of our very diverse students. This is about the heart and soul of public education. That is why I will strike. 

“Our strike won an overwhelming victory on the issues. We launched the teacher strike movement in California and accelerated the teacher strike movement nationally. We made history.”

By Howard Blume Demonstrators, some of whom chanted in protest of Supt. Austin Beutner's leadership, prompted the shutdown of Tuesday's L.A. Board of Education meeting. (Howard Blume / Los Angeles Times) School district officials are busy “reimagining” the...