The claims the union seeks to gain support for, through strike action, are totally unreasonable in the current economic climate.
The one-day strikes are a low-level action, but they have created inconvenience - inconvenience to pupils preparing for NCEA exams, inconvenience to working parents who must find a way to keep an eye on their sons and daughters.
For pupils in year 9 and 10, there is virtually no inconvenience - merely the prospect of a day off in, hopefully, warm summer weather.
But in the bigger picture, this action does nothing to advance pupils' achievement and little to advance the cause of the PPTA.
Longer, more persistent strike action may capture more attention from the public, but it is unlikely to win hearts and minds.
A 4% pay claim comes on top of 4% increases in three successive years. This is out of step with the reality of the New Zealand economy.
The Government is borrowing $240 million to pay its way.
The latest economic price index shows inflation to the end of the September quarter running at 1.5% - the lowest since 2004.
In many other parts of the public sector, there are no increases and there are job losses.
There is no 4% for police. There is no 4% for nurses. There is no 4% for primary teachers (who settled for 2.7%).
Things are just as tough in the private sector - if not worse.
New Zealand communities are generally supportive of their teachers. Just look at the efforts of thousands of boards of trustees, and home and school members across the country, and countless other parent volunteers.
Nonetheless, even the fairest-minded parent will struggle to support such unrealistic claims.
Larger-scale strike action will quickly isolate the PPTA from public support and strengthen the Government's hand.
It is time for the PPTA to rethink its strategy.
It is time for the union to review its claims and come back to the negotiating table with more realistic expectations.
It is time for union to open its eyes to the economic reality of the communities which pay teachers' salaries.
It is time to act more like adults and less like the teenagers who fill their classrooms.
ALEX MABON
Year 9, Waitaki Boys' High School
