Teachers have flexed their muscles in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky in recent weeks, winning raises or increased education funding or both. But as impressive as that is, the wave of teacher organizing isn’t over. There’s Colorado:

Scores of Colorado teachers left their classrooms Monday and descended on the state capitol in Denver for what was billed as a "Day of Action," in which they lobbied legislators to boost their pay and provide more funding for education. The teachers also held a boisterous rally at the capitol this afternoon, chanting, "You left me no choice, I have to use my teacher voice!" "One clear way to value educators is by funding our schools. Legislators are working with a positive state revenue forecast in this session -- they have substantially more money at their disposal this year to invest in educators and our students," the Colorado Education Association said in a statement.

And Arizona:

Teachers in Arizona are voting this week on whether to stage a classroom walkout, after previously conducting several walk-in protests in which they demonstrated outside their respective schools before walking in with students to conduct classes. The Arizona teachers are demanding a 20 percent pay hike from an average of $43,280 a year for elementary school teachers and annual pay of $46,470 for high school teachers. The teachers also want more money for support staff and for lawmakers to restore $1 billion in cuts to education over the last decade.

This isn’t just about teacher pay—though that’s a worthy cause to fight for in itself. But beyond the right of teachers to lead comfortable lives without working two and three jobs, and the ability of school districts to recruit and retain teachers, these teachers are fighting for schools that are funded enough to have up-to-date textbooks, adequate classroom supplies, support staff, and well-maintained buildings. And even if you aren’t a teacher, or a student, or a parent, you benefit as our society and our economy benefit from a good public education system. And if you’re a worker under difficult conditions? These teachers are offering up a whole different lesson about organizing to build power.