Education Essay

What Could Tenure Be?

            It is no great mystery that America’s education system is severely flawed. While there are many issues and problems that plague the world of education, such as under-paid and over-worked teachers, the issue that really strikes a nerve with many is that of tenure. Tenure has not always had a bad rap. The word tenure comes from the Latin tenere, meaning “to hold” or “to keep” and was created in 1866 with the original purpose of protecting educators from losing their jobs for arbitrary reasons (Chesley). Since its beginning, however, the overall perception and understanding of tenure for teachers has been skewed. The problems associated with tenure, however, could be solved if several steps are taken. Principals could avoid giving tenure to undeserving teachers by following such guidelines as more meaningful evaluations for new teachers, ensuring more involvement by teachers in not only their classrooms, but also their communities, and finally, providing better guidance and intervention for those struggling during their early years (Chesley).

            The process of evaluating workers on their job performance is not a new concept. Many companies routinely evaluate and track the achievement of employees in the workforce, and make adjustments accordingly. The idea that teachers should be evaluated is also not new. While most teachers are evaluated and tracked, the problem comes when the administration gets lazy. Since the guidelines for measuring the effectiveness of teachers will vary from state to state, it is up to the schools to make sure that the teachers are performing at their very best (Marshall). In an article by Patricia Marshall, which reviewed the tenure policies and related resources in ten states, she discovered that many administrators use a “classroom-teaching-performance check list” which fails to measure such things as the teacher’s “reasoned commitment to the education profession” (Marshall). This should be changed. Although it is important to evaluate teachers on their ability to educate the students, it should also be taken into account the way they feel about their jobs and how much they strive to improve themselves on a daily basis.

For those individuals planning to enter the world of teaching, it would serve them well to be actively involved in their communities. Teaching should reach far beyond the classroom and day to day instruction. Teachers, both new and those with much experience, should all work together to foster learning in their classrooms and communities. Some ways to become more involved would be to hold open houses, allow for many parent teacher conferences, as well as volunteering in the surrounding community. According to a NEA policy brief,

“Parent, family, and community involvement in education correlates with higher academic performance and school improvement. When schools, parents, families, and communities work together to support learning, students tend to earn higher grades, attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and enroll in higher level programs” (NEA).

Not only does community involvement help the students, but it can also help the teachers feel that that are a part of something bigger. Principals and other administrators in charge of granting tenure should take into consideration a teacher’s involvement and overall feelings toward the community in which they work and live.

            Teaching is a scary profession. It is perhaps most terrifying in the first few years. New teachers are thrown into a world in which they are given the task of shaping young minds and building the future of this country. What could be more intimidating? “So well-known is the hectic nature of the early period in a teachers career that it is commonly referred to as the “survival stage” (Marshall). That being said, many may find it unfair to judge teachers during their first few years on the job and use those judgments to determine their eligibility for tenure. An article published in the American School Board Journal in 2009 titled “5 Reasons to Quit Whining About Tenure”, offered this suggestion; “Identify your poorest-performing teachers and work with them” (5 Reasons). The article goes on to suggest such methods as regular evaluations and coaching, providing the teacher with a mentor, and offering professional development (5 Reasons). These are all great ideas to help teachers who are new and might just need that extra push to get where they need to be. Everyone has room for improvement, and given the right tools, teachers who are struggling may be able to overcome the difficulties of those first few years on the job. As the article states, “The worst that can happen: The teacher doesn’t improve, you have invaluable documentation for a termination hearing, or maybe the teacher will see the handwriting on the wall- and quit” (5 Reasons).

            “Schools take the path of least resistance by allowing the mere passage of time to automatically affirm a teacher’s abilities. Teachers receive tenure by default in the absence of a finding of gross incompetence” (Chesley). This is a trend that needs to be stopped. We should not be allowing teachers tenure merely because they managed to “stick it out” for a few years. Principals and other administrators must put the effort in to make the changes necessary to ensure that all schools are filled with competent, wonderful, and caring teachers who have a natural passion for helping others. “Now is the ideal time for educators to redefine the concept of tenure. Principals can establish a culture in which granting tenure is not the mindless, default position” (Chesley).