Tenure

Tenure for teachers is job protection so to say. Teachers go through a lot of observations and evaluations, with tenure teachers cannot be disciplined or fired without being taken to court first. Some say it is meant to protect teachers with more experience from being fired to hire younger teachers with less pay. Tenure was given to teachers after working 3 years in a school; this was called your probation period. The teacher would then have to be recommended by the principle of the school to receive tenure. 2.3 million Teachers received tenure as of 2008(“Should teachers”). Former Mayor Bloomberg and the Department of Education recently issued a new tenure-decision making framework for principles as a guide when choosing who to recommend for tenure (“Tenure for”). This made it more difficult for teachers to receive tenure. They now had to work for it. Tenure is meant to recognize outstanding teaching but it seems that for many years it was just given to anyone.

           It all sounds pretty fair, good deserving teacher get job protection. How about the teachers that have tenure and don’t deserve it? Over 6,000 teachers are up for tenure this year, yet student’s grades have not progressed in years; the numbers aren’t adding up. It would be senseless to entirely put the blame on teachers, but if the educators aren’t highly affective, the child suffers. One wonders, if a teacher isn’t highly affective, why then reward them with job protection. As unfair as it is, a teacher’s effectiveness is tied to student’s achievements. If the teacher cannot teach then the teacher should not be teaching, and definitely not granted job protection. Who’s to say that these teachers that already have tenure won’t stop teaching at their best potential? They will still be evaluated but by the time they are reprimanded and taken to court, students have already suffered.

Essentially, what needs to change are the evaluations teachers undergo and a drastic reconsideration and thorough look at those already granted tenure.  

Work cited

 “Tenure for Newer Teachers”. UFT.com. United Federation of Teachers. N.d. Web April 10, 2014

“Should Teachers Get Tenure?”. ProCon. ProCon.org. N.d. Web. April 9, 2014