Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Blame it on the teach...

Okay, confession here is needed. I believe that there are some mediocre teachers, some pathetic teachers, some good teachers, some great teachers....
But could we please stop with tired blame the teachers mantra?
Connecticut superintendents want to eliminate teacher tenure in favor of five year contracts. In the past, I've railed against tenure. That won't change. Tenure protects some bad teachers. The new proposal works as follows "At the end of every five-year increment, a teacher who is not meeting expectations could be dismissed." Great.
But, come on, really? How can a group of supposedly well-educated individuals sit there and propose changes to the way teachers are treated in regards to success and failure, and fail to hold themselves accountable?
Where is the proposal that a school district which fails for two years must replace its superintendent? The fact remains that too many education leaders are nothing more than mindless sheep, unwilling to think critically for themselves...and more than likely, unable to cut it in today's classroom.