The Ethical Tightrope

Tenure is when teachers are rewarded with permanent positions after working at their school for a certain amount of years. The number of years to receive tenure is decided by the state.

This is great for teachers who actively work with the students and care about their futures, but what about those who could care less about the students?

The Wall Street Journal writes: "One of the biggest obstacles to putting a good instructor in every classroom is a tenure system that forces principals to hire and retain teachers based on seniority instead of performance. California grants tenure to teachers after merely two years in the classroom. New York, like most other states, makes teachers wait a grand total of three years before giving them a job for life. In most cases tenure is granted automatically unless administrators object, which is rare."

It makes me nervous when teachers are being chosen based on tenure. In any other career, you aren't noticed for how many years you're on the job, but for how effective you are at that job. In the Army, you can have 20 years of military experience, but still be considered a rookie, based on your accomplishments. However, if you're a two-year veteran more decorated than the Rockefeller Christmas tree, your superiors will notice you.

What about the effect on the student body? According to The Los Angeles Times, "The district's evaluation of teachers does not take into account whether students are learning. Principals are not required to consider testing data, student work or grades." That is an incredible shame.

"This means that large numbers of ineffective teachers wind up with ironclad job protection. When low-performing teachers can't be fired, it's the students who suffer."

A New Teacher Project study looked at tenure evaluations in multiple states last year and found that "less than one percent of teachers receive unsatisfactory ratings, even in schools where students fail to meet basic academic standards, year after year. Less than two percent of teachers are denied tenure in Los Angeles, where the high school dropout rate is 35 percent and growing."

This doesn't make sense to me. When I was in school, the slogan was "we are the future." Now it looks like "we take what we can get."

Every year, teacher organizations petition and strike for higher paychecks. How about teaching your students instead of complaining about the amount of zeros on your paycheck? Teacher's unions should fire those who don't produce good numbers.

Say, for the sake of argument, that you have a marketing job. If you don't pull your weight and get clients, you'll be kicked out. You don't have job security, you don't have "tenure," and, thanks to Obama, you don't even have "golden parachutes" any more.

Taking anything away from tenured, but ineffective, teachers would be like pulling teeth. Can't we reward the teachers who are making the effort to help the students? That would make their day, wouldn't it? Imagine presenting a great teacher with a raise, and their face lighting up with joy and amazement because the system is reimbursing them for their care and effort.