chanel
Silver Member
Yesterday I read a letter written by an English teacher who was forced to retire after 41 years of teaching. It was powerful and sad, and had me thinking about the importance of tenure and seniority.
Without going into all the details, this teacher had an incredible reputation. When my older son scored a perfect 5 on his AP English exam, he was the first person he called. After a year in his class, my younger son's SAT scores went up 100 points. He and his students won numerous awards which were often touted in the school newspaper and on their website.
But his methods were not hip enough. He was asked to leave because he was too old to "adapt to the new methods of teaching". He was reminded that he was at the top of the pay scale and with the overwhelming number of employment applications they were getting, he could be replaced with two new teachers.
He gave up his job "voluntarily" after a year or so of bullying by the administration, but it broke his heart to do so. (It is also worth mentioning that he never married and spent his life dedicated to the school).
This was in a Catholic school.
As I approach the last quarter of my career, I fear that without tenure protections and seniority, veteran teachers will be first on the chopping block. It's inevitable.
Comments?
Without going into all the details, this teacher had an incredible reputation. When my older son scored a perfect 5 on his AP English exam, he was the first person he called. After a year in his class, my younger son's SAT scores went up 100 points. He and his students won numerous awards which were often touted in the school newspaper and on their website.
But his methods were not hip enough. He was asked to leave because he was too old to "adapt to the new methods of teaching". He was reminded that he was at the top of the pay scale and with the overwhelming number of employment applications they were getting, he could be replaced with two new teachers.
He gave up his job "voluntarily" after a year or so of bullying by the administration, but it broke his heart to do so. (It is also worth mentioning that he never married and spent his life dedicated to the school).
This was in a Catholic school.
As I approach the last quarter of my career, I fear that without tenure protections and seniority, veteran teachers will be first on the chopping block. It's inevitable.
Comments?