Spinoff Question for teachers....

What are your thoughts on tenure? Do you think it's really a good thing or does it create a sense of false security? Do you think it makes older teachers lazy? Or do you just think it's the best thing ever, and why bother questioning it?

I ask this because I work in the private school system, and we do not have tenure. I don't really care because if I do my job and I do it well, my job is secure. So, I'm just wondering what everyone else's thoughts are on the subject (as I leave to go do an event on a Sunday at my school ).......

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

I think it is a double edged sword. In the public school system tenure is held over teachers heads (most of the time) and most of the teacher I know do not get "lazy" just because they have tenure, they just finally don't have to be at the beck and call of every admin in the building for fear of losing their jobs.

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

I'm a state employee and we have the same thing--permanent appointment. I think it can definitely be abused by those who are lazy. I don't think it is a bad system in and of itself, I just think principals/supervisors need to be more diligent about getting rid of people in the beginning when there are signs that they will abuse the system.

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

I have mixed feeling about tenure. On the one hand, I once had a supervisor who was horrible, and harassed teachers terribly. I was tenured at that point, so I didn't stress beyond being angry. But had I been untenured, I would have gotten an ulcer. And in NYC these days, there are more and more principals who were never teachers, and were trained to see the bottom line (scores) and little else. So sadly, I think tenure is needed to protect us from unfair administrators.

On the other hand, I have co-workers who make me sick because they do nothing. And the process to remove them is so arduous that my admins leave them alone and pray that they retire soon. And because tenure where I work is pretty much guaranteed, even some new teachers don't do a whole lot. I think the tenure system needs an overhaul.

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

I think that it is good and bad - some teachers definitely get lazy after they receive tenure; I see it in my school. However, that being said, the other 95% of the teachers I work with (whether they have been teaching 5 or 15 years) are AMAZING, and continually go above and beyond what is expected.

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

Posted by prncssrachel

What are your thoughts on tenure? Do you think it's really a good thing or does it create a sense of false security? Do you think it makes older teachers lazy? Or do you just think it's the best thing ever, and why bother questioning it?

I ask this because I work in the private school system, and we do not have tenure. I don't really care because if I do my job and I do it well, my job is secure. So, I'm just wondering what everyone else's thoughts are on the subject (as I leave to go do an event on a Sunday at my school ).......

Message edited 1/28/2007 8:19:51 PM.

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

definately a double edged sword... for me i love having that security.. but I see many teachers abuse it...

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....

Re: Spinoff Question for teachers....