"While many districts across the state recently agreed to contracts that featured substantial salary increases for teachers, Tacoma, the state’s third largest district, remains at an impasse, along with Puyallup and a handful of other districts around the state."

So far it hasn't rained. It's usual to get at least some in September, at least in my memory. Now the first week has passed and the sun is shining.

Rain would be bad on the picket line. But yesterday the dry weather opened windows on cars going by, which allowed drivers to shout out encouragement. The teachers on the line wore summer clothes while shaking their heads in dismay.

"We haven't heard anything," was the common response when I asked if the strike would last through the weekend. One man with a short graying beard told me he worked the apparel industry before teaching.  This was to be his first year on the job. "I have a degree in Communications," he said, "but I had to take two courses in communications to get my teaching certificate."

The man standing beside him said "They don't make it easy to become a teacher."