It was not the longest strike in the history of U.S. teacher labor unrest, but it may be among the most infamous. Teachers in Middletown, N.J. walked out on a Friday in late November 2001, and were back in the classroom just over a week later. In between, 228 members of the Middletown Township Education Association were jailed for their action, creating indelible pictures flashed worldwide of suburban teachers in handcuffs, one in a "God Bless America" baseball cap raising the cuffs overhead to make a visible thumbs-up sign. In this article, the author talks about the impact brought about by the strike to the community and its school system.