Fix Schools: Get Rid of Teacher Tenure

Thank you very much for the article “Is This Teacher a Lemon or a Peach?” In the article you mentioned teachers are like vehicles and we are like buyers that buy these vehicles. I really like this analogy. Here are my two cents on how we can pick a “peach” from a lemon.

Since the teachers that will teach pre-kindergarten to fifth grades, the parents together with the students can provide the evaluation scores of the teachers at the end of each of every two months. The scores will be tallied and the teacher will get graded at the end of the school year, just like everyone else. If the teacher gets the failing grade, he or she will have a chance to redeem/improve the scores before being put on probation status. If the scores don’t get better, then the administration should replace the teacher at the end of the year.

On the other hand, the scores will get the teacher promoted as well. I have seen teachers in “good school” districts, once they get tenure, don’t really have the passion for teaching any more, it then become “just a job” for them. Therefore, they took their frustration or exhibit indifferences to the kids. We need to do away with tenure. This is a crutch that many of the teachers are using to slide by with doing little. This is a disservice to our kids and their future. Tenure also prevents many competent teachers to having a chance to have a teaching job.

Mike Van lives in San Diego.

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