Having Teacher Tenure Shouldn’t Be An Excuse To Slack Off

Seven New York families will be filing suit tomorrow to end teacher tenure for New York State educators. The families, five of whom are from some of the most struggling neighborhoods in NYC, claim their kids were under-served due to teacher incompetence and are upset that there isn’t an easier way to remove teachers who aren’t performing. They are claiming that their children’s constitutional right to a sound, basic education has been violated, and I’m inclined to agree.

According to StudentsFirstNY organizer and parent of five Nina Doster, of South Ozone Park, Queens:

”There’s no reason why my kids should not be reading on grade level. The law should be changed. Every child should be subject to the best education and teaching in every classroom.”

The lawsuit is being backed by education advocate Campbell Brown. According to The New York Daily News, she and her reform group Partnership for Educational Justice, argue that “the current tenure, seniority, and dismissal protections make it almost impossible to fire bad teachers in New York State.” They go on to say that the district’s layoff policy, which is essentially “last in, first out,” deters the brightest new educators from even applying. Because of course it does. If you’re a rising star in the education community, are you going to work for a district that will fire you because you’re new if there are layoffs, or will you go with the district that has a record of taking care of dedicated teachers? I think the answer is obvious.

The accusations made against various New York educators is stunning. One parent, Tauana Goins, claims a teacher in Far Rockaway, queens, called students “miserable” and went as far as calling her 8-year-old a “loser.” Another mom, Natalie Mendoza, claims a kindergarten teacher at her child’s school in the Bronx slept through class. These are just the tip of the iceberg. Obviously these are just accusations at this point, but if even half of this stuff is true, it shows a serious problem going on in the New York educational system.

I talked to a few teachers about their feelings on teacher’s tenure. Ohio teacher Ron Smith, had this to say:

“I agree with the idea, but disagree with the way it is executed in most districts. It should only be awarded after a decade of exemplary performance. ..not after as few as three years and only because someone spent money on a master’s degree.

There will always be those who will abuse the system, but making sure there is a performance standard rather than just a degree and time standard will weed many out. Funny thing is, one of the myriad of reasons I didn’t pursue my masters was because I was put off by someone telling me I should get it so I can get paid more and go for tenure.”

The idea that under-performing educators should be easier to discipline and potentially let go is something frequent Mommyish commenter JustMe also feels strongly about:

“Although I’ve never had direct experience with teachers tenure (it’s not an official option here in [my state]), I’m a big fan of “if you’re doing your job, you get to keep your job and if you’re not, you’re fired after due process.” Here in [my state], even though we don’t officially have tenure it is fairly difficult to fire a teacher based on classroom performance which really bothers me. I have a friend who teaches in Colorado and her district is very cutthroat in the fact that the teachers basically have to prove their worth to administrators every year. Quite frankly, I feel like if people know their job isn’t 100% secure, they are more apt to strive for growth and improvement on a yearly basis, and then turns around and better serves the children which is what we all want.

There are absolutely great teachers that would not abuse the tenure system because their hearts are truly invested in educating children. But the tenure system isn’t fair to the kids that get that teacher who really is just putting in their years before retirement.”

I also spoke to a couple of educators who didn’t wish to be directly quoted, but all of them echoed a similar sentiment.

I think it’s important to mention that many of the complaints lodged against various NY educators could easily be blamed on the myriad of other questionable policies in place. Teachers are underpaid and overworked. Schools are poorly funded and understaffed. Last year I wrote about my own problems with the NYC School District. One of my major concerns was that my daughter’s teacher had been denied an extra set of hands in the classroom via a para-professional, even after the class number hit 32 and she became entitled to one. She was rightly frustrated at being expected to competently guide 32 children through the hell that is the common core standards alone, and I eventually withdrew my children from the school.

Tenure can be wonderful for dedicated teachers, but the current system in place in many districts is too easy to abuse. Teaching isn’t a job you can slack off on once a requisite number of years have passed. I wouldn’t go as far as to say get rid of tenure all together, but something needs to be changed and I hope this lawsuit is a step in the right direction.

(Photo: YouTube)