School Budget Votes Are In

[Blue Snow Balls]

Do they have mixology courses at Salamanca?

[Frankie]

A Question wrote:

Obviously....What are the benefits of tenure for a good, dedicated teacher?

Tenure protects a good, motivated teacher from a school board acting irresponsibly. By that I mean it gives a teacher some job security & protection from school boards who don't give a rat's behind about such things. Just the way unions first started, to protect the worker from unscrupulous employers. But, just as with the unions, tenure has become a safe haven for the poor, unmotivated performer. It should be much easier to rid themselves of such people than it is presently. The Taylor Law in another thing that falls into this category. Unfortunately, if it's an all or nothing deal, then I say goodbye to tenure, unions & the Taylor Law.

[Teacher]

Schools should just make sure teachers are actually good teachers before they give them tenure. They don't need to remove tenure, just do their homework and make sure the teacher is worthy of tenure.

[Frankie]

Teacher wrote:

Schools should just make sure teachers are actually good teachers before they give them tenure. They don't need to remove tenure, just do their homework and make sure the teacher is worthy of tenure.

That should be a given, don't you think? Many teachers bust their butt until they achieve tenure, then put it cruise control. Tenure should protect the good, motivated educator and districts should be able to rid themselves of bad teachers easily. I taught in two districts in WNY and I can tell you, I have never seen such unprofessional (administrative) people in my life; not to mention the politics.

[AwayOne]

You must have taught in Salamanca.

[Frankie]

AwayOne wrote:

You must have taught in Salamanca.

Surprisingly...No. I taught in two, very well respected districts. The unprofessionalism I saw in the administration of both districts was the most disappointing thing I came across and was a big reason why I decided to leave the profession. Way back then I realized they don’t give a darn about the children. I, and many like me, originally went into education not for the money; can that be said today about teachers? Sadly…I think not…not from what I dealt with over the years with respect to my children’s education.

[Frankie]

And before I get deluged with rebuttals...NOT ALL TEACHERS fall into that category. But I think more do than don't.

[Teacher]

Frankie wrote:

<quoted text>
That should be a given, don't you think? Many teachers bust their butt until they achieve tenure, then put it cruise control. Tenure should protect the good, motivated educator and districts should be able to rid themselves of bad teachers easily. I taught in two districts in WNY and I can tell you, I have never seen such unprofessional (administrative) people in my life; not to mention the politics.

Yes, that should be a given. Unfortunatley, it is not always what happens. Administration gets too busy to do observations, if that happens, a teacher can get tenure without being observed.It happens all the time.

[thenycommie]

Tenure is the thing of the past. Get rid of it! Nobody in any occupation has that type of arrangement. It's time for the teachers to get a reality check. What?......after you get tenured you can begin to stink at your job?

[Frankie]

Teacher wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, that should be a given. Unfortunatley, it is not always what happens. Administration gets too busy to do observations, if that happens, a teacher can get tenure without being observed.It happens all the time.

No argument there! It proves my point, to a small degree, that a teacher is 'safe' as long as he/she doesn't cause waves. They can be poor educators, unmotived, but as long as they tow the company line (ie: don't make waves), all is well in Oz! So tenure is bad because it protects the bad, but what about the good? What protects them, job security, from less than professional administration? After all, tenure would never have been needed, just as with unions, if people were treated fairly. It's a tough question to answer I think.

[ghgny]

Frankie,

Why did you stop teaching? Was it your choice?

[Frankie]

Partially. I was disenchanted with the profession...the politics and unprofessionalism really bothered me. What can I say; I was young and full of 'ideals'. I believed we were there for the students, I learned otherwise. I substitute taught for a year and was full time in a suburban district…I resigned at the end of my first year because of that and I figured no problem, I’ll just get another teaching job...boy was I wrong. The other was timing, there were no jobs. I took a job in industry, was happy and never looked back. And here it is years later and I'm well established, looking at retirement. But, I tell you true, my heart is still in the classroom. I only wish I was younger so that I could scratch that itch. But, I'm not complaining, life has been good to me. I'm just upset that the profession preaches one thing but does another. And now, with taxes through the roof, we still get lip service about how it's all for the kids...I know better and it's not going to change until the taxpayer pushes the issue. There are still some good, dedicated educators out there but I see way too many who are in it just for the money, days off and rich retirement. All of which, we as taxpayers, can no longer afford.

[ghgny]

Did you sub for a year and then get a full time job, or were you a full time permanent sub for one year?

[JimmyZ]

All the problems in New York is the peoples faults and no one else.If you want to complain about taxes and fuel...etc,look in the mirror.You all voted these idiots in now deal with it.Simple as that.New Yorkers are getting dumber by the minute.You bitch about smokers to the point they raised the tax to ridiculous heights.That money the state LIARS said was to go to EDUCATION.Same thing with all the LOTTO dollars.All I see is lines of people buying those scratch off tickets.None of that money goes anywhere but into the corrupt politicians pockets all you morons voted in.Now sit there and be quiet.Bend over and let OBAMA take over fools.Now get to work.