So Scott Walker credits his faith with getting him through the Act 10 protests. And what got me through Act 10?
Like most public school teachers at the time, I was more worried about getting my students ready for state testing while tending to the emotional and intellectual needs of eight and nine year olds than I was about state politics. We were pretty much blindsided by Scott Walker and Act 10. I can't describe the physical and emotional discomfort when the reality of the proposals caught our attention. I was angry at my colleagues who were suddenly alarmed but admitted they had not voted in the previous election. As angry and concerned as I was, I still had to attend to the needs of my 20-some third graders.
Our union called emergency meetings. A bunch of us arranged to carpool to Madison on Saturday to demonstrate. I have to say, as demonstrations go, it was incredibly civil. Yes, we trampled the grass on the lawn of the Capitol. Yes, someone had Sharpied in "Walker" after the brand name "Scott" on the toilet paper dispensers in the building. But we politely observed the rules--leave our picket signs in the large cans outside the building, use only the proper type of tape to fasten poster board to the Capitol walls. Gathering outside for the speakers, the teachers were highly conscious of propriety. A water bottle that had fallen to the lawn? Oops, pick it up and dispose of it in the proper container.
My distressed heart soared when the firefighters entered the building with bagpipes, playing "Amazing Grace." It was a cold day, and when I stood in line and waited for a brat served by the ironworkers union, I asked how much I owed. Nothing, they replied. The least we can do.
Faith? Yes, I'm sure it may surprise some conservative Republicans to know that a member of the state's largest teachers' union is a Christian. Yes, I prayed a lot during that time. A pastor of a Lutheran church in Madison, whose services were broadcast on the local tv stations, was aware of the angst Act 10 was causing in his city. He advised, in very general terms, to pray for those with whom we disagreed. I prayed hard. Please, God, turn the hearts of our governor and legislators. Let them see the damage they are doing to people like me, and to our public schools. I saw teaching as not just a profession, but also as a calling. This was my mission in the world. It didn't mean I didn't think I should be justly compensated for it. But money, for me, was not the biggest issue. The total lack of respect that I felt as a human being was what broke my heart.
Scott Walker and the legislature got their way. I still have faith, Scott. You cannot claim God for yourself in this. I am sorry if you got death threats. No one I walked beside on those cold Wisconsin days would have done such a thing. But you, who had all the power, can't claim God solely for yourself and your purposes. I am still waiting to learn how God will answer my prayers. Among the public employees you vilified, Governor Walker, are Christians, Jews, Muslims, atheists, agnostics, and others. We all shared a common faith, the faith that our mission was to serve the children of Wisconsin. I haven't lost faith that the people of Wisconsin will see what has happened to their state. I haven't lost faith that things will change. I watch from the sidelines now, retired and in another state. But I haven't given up. I have faith in Wisconsin.