So, this is a conundrum.
When you get hired by someone, and teach the way they want you to teach, and then they leave, and you continue that method of teaching, and the new person wants to fire you without giving you the chance to learn the new way, you have a problem.
However, I’ll tell you this. I’ve always taught critical thinking, so Common Core wasn’t a big change for me. I’ve always worked up Bloom’s Taxonomy, trying to teach my kids to think for themselves.
And they fight me, every step - just want to know what the correct answer is rather than why it is correct.
Good teaching is good teaching. A teacher that cares for their kids, is engaged with their kids, and holds them accountable is a good teacher regardless of what’s going on in current teaching theory. My first year teaching, I was clueless. But, I shut the door, read to them, made sure they knew that I cared about them, and they moved three grades in reading.
Today, in my current school, it looks a little different. I’m pretty loose with my kids, but I make fun of them all the time, and, make fun of myself. The give and take, understanding the boundaries, and being creative in discussion, to me, is important.
Almost every year I have a kid that I bust on. That kid is popular, smart, and understands that I really like him or her. I’ve never had that kid’s parent call me about anything. It’s always that quiet kid that never says a word that complains.
Alright, totally off topic, sorry.
So, to go back to my point, let me ask you this. If you were in my class once in September, and I sucked, wouldn’t you know?
If you were the Principal, or an AP, wouldn’t you make it a point to get me a mentor, to have some management and assessment in place to make sure that I didn’t continue to suck.
Wouldn’t you be in my class every month?
Wouldn’t you then know by May whether I sucked or not?
So, as I see it, the issue with tenure is the granting of it.
I do realize some people get burned out and become shitty teachers over time, but wouldn’t it be easier to remediate that rather than trying to fire that teacher?
Just my thoughts, admittedly defensive.