Can You Hate Tenure and Love Your Teachers?
The Los Angeles Superior Court has struck down teacher tenure and protections in Vergara v. Los Angeles. This, by the looks of venomous comments in newspapers, seems to delight some people.
Arne Duncan, who represents the Obama administration’s viewpoint, apparently loves it too.See here.
Great isn’t it? That the President of the U.S. thinks so highly of his teachers? And that the citizens of America find delight in looking for everything teachers do wrong, rather than bolstering them as professionals?
Just remember this. Thirty years ago teacher tenure served America well. Our students were never failing like America was led to believe, and teachers, while always in need of improvement, did a fine job of educating America’s workforce.
There were many problems, albeit which included teacher performance, in poor schools, but the solutions were not to de-professionalize teachers, which is what the removal of tenure does, but to instead increase professionalism.
It is interesting to me how tenure has become equated with poor teaching, when tenure, in reality, is all about teacher strength. And teacher strength means giving teachers more rights and power to make them valued.
Instead, many American’s decided to disempower teachers. How has that turned out since the the business community has worked to convert schools to private entities? Are students doing better? No. Not really.
Tell me how strong are teachers’ voices now?
Without tenure, teachers are told what to do and how to do it by those who may not even be Can You Hate Tenure and Love Your Teachers?: