Should teachers and professors get tenure?

Question

What about sabattical?

Policemen, soldiers, and firefighters risk getting killed in their jobs and they don't get tenure and sabattical. Should California High School teachers and professors?

Answer 1

Teachers shouldn't get anything policemen don't get and that includes summers off, dang it! They can be forced to read new textbooks or something.

Answer 2

First, have you taught in most of those public schools or even visited? I taught in the inner city of Philadelphia, and I took my life in my hands just going back and forth to work everyday, let alone the student body. At the time, the school I was in only went up to fifth grade, and I had been bruised and threatened more than once by the "little darlings" and their parents.

It sounds like you're one of those people who thinks that a teacher's life is easy. After all, they're done by three and they have the summers off. If they don't feel well, they can just hand out worksheets and everything is fine. You are unaware of the hours spent after three preparing the classroom for the next day, tutoring students who aren't making it, talking with parents, and serving on committees.

Then we go home and have hours worth of marking papers, researching, thinking up ways to make lessons better, figuring out how we can help those who are having trouble. We mark papers and prep on weekends, too.

Then we often come in early to help those who are not able to stay after school or to serve on additional committees. I used to think that teaching was an easy way of life, too, until I became one. It was the hardest job I'd ever had! And that's outside of serving breakfast, the social work, the counseling, and the attempt at discipline and control of the group so that teaching and learning is possible.

For us to get a sabbatical, we had to have been teaching seven years and need to have that time to study, and whatever it is, you can't do it at night or on the weekends. You don't get full pay either, while on sabbatical. You just can't say you're taking a sabbatical, and not work for a year. I believe you need to right a few reports and/or come back and give seminars to the other teachers based on your experiences/studies while on sabbatical.

As for tenure, I'm not exactly sure what that is. I assure you, that if you think it means that you cannot be harassed by the fools they promote to the administration, you are mistaken. If you think that those who have tenure are the only ones protected from loosing a job, then your wrong there, too. One thing the union does well, if anything, is they have so many things put in place that it's basically impossible to fire any teacher who's been there a year, tenured or not.

I suggest that before you make up your mind, find an inner city school and volunteer for a while. You'll see just what an easy life teachers have then.

Answer 3

Tenure:
Not being able to hold an employee accountable for their performance due to "tenure" is ludicrous.

Sabbatical:
They already have vacation time. Sabbatical is nothing more than a glorified vacation clothed in the disguise of research. Drives tuition costs up to cover their absence.

Answer 4

I can't see why they do. There is a reason for it, so schools don't constantly dump teachers every five years to get cheaper younger teachers. However, it makes it very difficult to fire a teacher who has been doing the same job for 20 years and does a really half assed job.

Answer 5

Most of our problems can not be solved by math and science, we do not have a shortage of high tech. I would much rather have a cure for cancer, a way to solve the problem of poverty or even a great novel than an improved Iphone.

Answer 6

No one should get tenure. I'm self-employed and have to earn my "tenure" with clients every day. Why should teachers get something no other employees and no business owner gets?

Answer 7

I think the tenure system needs to go buh bye.

Answer 8

No, teachers and professors should not.
What a corrupted farce.
Some professors draw over $100,000 a year and never show up for class. They have foreign students teach their classes for them.

Answer 9

No they should not. What was once a reform needed to allow professors freedom of speech has turned it a system that allows them to conduct their classes in any way without regard for even teaching their subject

Answer 10

Easy 2 pts.

NO.


Has nothing to do with whether the work is important or not. Has nothing to do with whether the work is hard or not.

It has to do with competition in the work place. Private employees have to perform well to get raises and keep their jobs. Works well, and would work for education, too.

Down with the NEA.