My Own Story. Why Teachers So Desperately Need Tenure

[SoBronxSchool]

http://www.southbronxschool.com/2014/08/my-own-story-why-teachers-so.html

This is one of the most difficult and personal blog posts I have ever written in my 6 years of blogging, but this story, now more than ever, needs to be shared.

I'm not sharing it to garner sympathy or adulation but rather to cast light upon the incessant abuse of teachers not only in the schools of NYC, but across America as well.

One of the reasons I am sharing this now is that in this current fight to defend ourselves from interlopers who not only wish to take away our tenure rights, but worse, think having no tenure will help us, I am hoping that the information I share here just might be able to help or have a teacher know that they are not alone.

On Friday, August 1, 2014, my attorney Bryan Glass filed a lawsuit on my behalf in New York State Supreme Court naming my principal, DR Alison Coviello, principal of PS 154 in the Bronx, as one of the defendants.

[bluestateguy]

1. I'd rather tolerate a few bad teachers, protected by tenure than destroy the whole system

I'd rather tolerate a few bad teachers in the system (as long as they don't commit criminal offenses) than blow up the whole system, such that teachers could be fired on a whim for a variety of reasons: politically unpopular views (that includes you too, conservatives), personality conflicts with the administration, grading too hard, flunking the star football player because he sucks at math, and more.

And it's also a hard lesson for kids: not every teacher you will have will be good; not every boss at work will be good; not every politician who represents you will always be good.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Reminds me of a famous GWBush misquote ...

Ben Franklin (among others) said it was better to let a hundred guilty men go free than to convict a single innocent man. W apparently reversed the whole concept, claimed he had said it was better to convict a hundred innocent men ... same kind of thinking applies here.

Oh, and has it never occurred to anyone that about half of the teachers will be below average, just by the definition of average ? The criterion the deformers are after is that anyone below average should be fired.

[pipoman]

2. Welcome to the 21st century worker reality...

When they came for the auto workers I said nothing, for I wasn't an auto worker,....

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. K and R. Outstanding post, SBS. Keep us at DU in the loop.

It's *everywhere* now. At least everywhere in the NY system.

And elsewhere...... it's on the way.

Sounds like you're in pretty good hands, legally speaking, w. Mr. Glass.

[madfloridian]

4. Thank you for posting that.

It's an amazing story. The stress you have been through for speaking out is hard to believe.

Best wishes in all that you are doing.

[Starry Messenger]

5. I've appreciated your writing over the years.

Keep us posted. Is there anything we can do? Letters? ((hugs))

[BrotherIvan]

6. Excellent post

Thank you for sharing your story. I hope many people get a chance to read it.

Tenure is very important. It is a right that teachers have fought for and sacrificed for and earned. The idea that there are so many "bad" teachers is ludicrous! For most people, "bad" teacher means:

Didn't give my special snowflake an A++++
Didn't put up with my snowflake's bad behavior
Gave snowflake too much homework
Hasn't brought snowflake's grade level up 4 years to be equal to his peers
Has 35+ special snowflakes in her class and must give special attention to all of them
Has an administration that does not support the teacher in the classroom, including discipline

In the schools that I attended, in which my mother taught for 41 years, and during my short stint in teaching, I can think of two teachers who were incompetent. One of them was a math teacher I had in high school. And you know what? I wasn't ruined or traumatized. If a teacher does something illegal or inappropriate, they are fired. This is just propaganda to bust the teacher's unions and privatize schools.

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