Striking Teachers to Parents: It Hurts Us Just As Much

The teachers of Bais Rivkah who are currently on strike due to months of owed pay have a message for the parents of their students: “this is just as painful for us as it is for you.”

The following is the full text of the letter they sent on Sudnay:

Dear Parents,

WHO IS ON STRIKE!

Our past week has been quite challenging. We are running from school to home, and some to strange houses/shuls- to conduct an atmosphere of learning so our kinderlach, do not miss out on learning.

Yes, one day of missed teaching is WRONG! How can someone take achrayus for a student to have 1 day without structure- let alone all this time. Each day and every hour missed may have negative effects on our precious kinderlach.

We all feel that ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! It is time for our children to go back to regular learning in a proper educational setting.

It is time for THOSE RESPONSIBLE to stand up to their call of duty. They need to ensure a proper learning schedule in a proper system- in school.

We, the teachers, are workers.

Workers – who want to come and teach.

Workers – who sincerely want the best for our precious kinderlach!!

Workers- being held HOSTAGE by the many months, yes months, of working with no pay.

How can a teacher, a relied-on breadwinner of the family, teach with the worries, stress, and hardships which come along with no money?

How do you expect a teacher to fulfill her job fully? You have locked us up. We have no choice. YOU, the ADMINISTRATION-BOARD are taking way too long to work out your differences.

Stalling with time is PARALYZING our school.

YOU are responsible for the learning of our children.

How does one have the CHUTZPAH, OUTRIGHT CHUTZPAH! To keep these children out of school? This is not a teacher’s strike, it is an administrations-board’s responsibility of having a functioning school!

How will YOU answer the Rebbe when asked about these precious children?! Parents, we are aware of your frustration. We are parents too!

Please remember, if you don’t want another strike, we need to focus all of our pressure on those responsible.

Call the ADMINISTRATION-BOARD and find out why it is taking so long to smoothen out their differences. That is the ONLY way we will have our children back in school!

With tears,

Tears of pain for the Rebbes Kinder

Tears of hope for the Rebbe’s school.

16 Comments

  • Kol Hakavod

    Kol Hakavod to all these selfless teachers.
    How many of us working at any other job would allow even one payroll to pass without being paid?
    How many months have they suffered in silence?
    How much interest have they incurred by borrowing money to pay bills that they would have been able to cover had they been paid on time?
    The spotlight of fault for this mess should land squarely on those responsible for paying the teachers. They need to stop taking advantage of the good will of the teachers, and start doing what they have to do.

    • Shame on you

      The teachers have been teaching the children EVERY single day, except they don’t do it in the building where the shameful fundraisers sit and enrich themselves and eat lunch 7 times a day, and then bully the children and the teachers daily.

      Shame on you for insulting the amazing dedicated teachers who have Mesiras Nefesh for Chinuch of the Rebbe’s holy children and who teach them in their homes even when there’s no pay.

      And shame on the ones who have the responsibility to raise the necessary funds to pay the teachers (before they pay themselves and buy real estate all over the state) and fail to do so for decades without fail.

      And shame on you for insulting our intelligence, we do read what the letter says and we do know what’s really happening, unlike you who just shoots from the hip.

    • TEARS of Gratitude

      To #3-
      Who insulted the teachers?
      I am grateful to my daughter’s teacher for giving them a couple of hours a day. But I believe that we are shamefully being taken for a ride.
      and our daughters are suffering emotionally and academically etc.
      My daughter goes to sleep crying because of this very shameful “strike”

      every part of this fiasco, stinks!

      Please think before accusing commentators.

  • Citizen Berel

    It’s not a strike when you don’t come into work when you aren’t being paid. This is not what the airport workers in France are doing when they don’t go to work because they want to renegotiate their compensation packages. See the difference there?

    These teachers have no more obligation to come into ‘work’ to teach the kids without being paid then does any other able bodied adult who could in theory do the same. If they have to do it, then WE also have to do it. And if WE don’t have to do, then THEY also don’t have to do it.

    Again: ‘Strike’ is a misnomer. This isn’t a strike. This is insisting on receiving the previously agreed upon wages.

  • The kangeroo

    Common sense would dictate that the teachers must be paid and the school should vigorously pursue the education of the young.There is no need for this al heit crying or this or that philosophy.If Lubavitch in general and crown Heihts in particular can not acheive that They should declare spiritual and material bancraptcy.

  • nothing will change

    PARENTS WANT ANSWER FROM NEW BOARD WHEN CAN AN OPEN FORUM MEETING BE HELD ???????????????????????????????????????????

  • chani

    i’m told it’s over this week.

    Old admin leaving. Vaad taking over.

  • with the old breed

    When yeshiva Torah V’Das Rabbiem went out. Reb Moshe ruled they had to be PAID for that time. just some thing to think about….

    • Mendy J

      Perhaps parents should give a tip to the teachers that stayed through all this hardships.
      The afternoon teachers of grades 4-8 and pre1a deserve a big thanks

  • Nope

    A certain Morah A walking around bragging that she has BR on strike. And her side kick Morah W who loves her students so much that she leaves them for a substitute one day a week. These two teachers are the satan in tallis and tefillin

  • Administration

    Funny, how the administration have no problems living high and have no issues that teachers are going without being paid. How do the heads of a mosed go to sleep at night without paying their workers on time?

  • hearing

    hearing the new board wants to land grab or steal for themselves the land to belongs near the school to build condos and pocket the money anyone know anything about this

  • cccb

    lets see some of the advice from letters of the Rebbe from years ago.
    Get real about this.
    alot of things which have taken place are not 100% from years ago. Didnt the Rebbe give some directives which were never followed through?
    Go over the Rebbe’s directives and do what he said. then maybe things can fall into place.
    be a chosid and do it the right way, the way the Rebbe guides us

  • Rafi Plotkin

    I am not surprised by this episode.Just look at what is happening in Australia with Chabad and their rabbis and institutions. It turns me off religion completely.