Leave it to the teachers to provide a valuable lesson.

While the other public worker unions are still talking stink, holding signs, fighting among themselves and crossing fingers for the widespread economic disaster to somehow skip over them, the Hawaii State Teachers Association wisely settled for a contract that was less than what they hoped for but certainly better than what they would get if they kept holding out until the economy "turns around."

Not an easy thing to do. Not a comfortable thing to agree to. But smart, given the current circumstances. It doesn't seem like things will get better soon, and chances are things will get worse before they get better.

Some experts are saying the national recession is coming to an end, but like all trends, it takes a while to reach Hawai'i. Even when things start to get better, there will be a long way to go before we're out of the hole. The teachers' contract is for two years, which seems a reasonable amount of time to wait for a turnaround. Two years from now, we could have a very different state budget. We will definitely have a different governor, one who does not have a track record of beefing with public school teachers.

The tentative agreement, to be voted on today by HSTA members, is less than the 14 percent pay cut that Gov. Linda Lingle was gunning for. Yes, an almost 8 percent pay cut will hurt, but during a time of crisis, sometimes the best you do is limit the damage.

Lingle gave up one of her favorite hammers in the bargain: the random drug testing she's been hanging over the teachers' heads since the last contract negotiation. The new agreement allows for drug testing only if there is reasonable suspicion.

Certainly, 17 furlough days a year is a significant blow, but a furlough offers opportunities that a pay cut does not. Those days off can be an asset, and resourceful teachers will find ways to use that time wisely. (Any teacher who has survived the public school system has lots of practice being resourceful.) Some are probably already figuring out how to run a Friday homework/day care program. A desperate working parent will pay top dollar for a reliable place to put the kids on Furlough Fridays.

Public school teachers didn't need more complications to their already difficult jobs. They are already expected to do more and more with less and less. It isn't fair. But life isn't fair — a hard lesson to learn. The HSTA figured out how to make the best of a bad situation, an example others should follow.