There is an old, tired trope of the education deformer crowd that fawns over Michelle Rhee like star struck 1960s teeny-boppers swooning at the feet of Paul McCartney: they care about the children, while everybody else [read: teachers and their unions] only care about the adults connected to education. Here is the latest rendition at The Quick and The Ed.
The Rhees and Kleins of the world cared so much about the children that they couldn’t wait to get out of the classroom, and as a consequence learned not a thing about the teaching craft.
Luke Laurie, Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year in California and a science teacher, had a particularly witty response to this thinking on the listserv of the Teachers’ Network Leadership Institute:
To say that tenure only benefits adults and has no benefit for kids, is like saying that a stable home provides no benefit for children. Why don’t we just go into homes and take out those unqualified parents every few years and replace them with young, smart and motivated “Parents for America” who will raise these kids right?
2 Comments:
1 phyllis c. murray
· Dec 6, 2008 at 10:41 pm
The rapid turnover of temporary teachers, like the opening and closing of schools, is disruptive and has a
very negative impact on the students who need stability in their lives. Certainly, stability is one thing that many of today’s students do not find in the New York City public schools (or at home). Teachers are here today and gone tomorrow. And this is a sad situation. Furthermore, lest we forget, no matter how bright the neophyte teacher may be, it takes years to become an effective teacher. Thus, a revolving door approach to education can be quite disruptive. It is not even cost effective.
Each year, a new set of teachers require staff development, mentoring, supervision, and resources. This investment is fine for teachers who earnestly wish to remain in the New York City Public School System. However, when there is a “rapid turnover rate,” taxpayers are losing the tax dollars which were earmarked for an investment in a viable workforce. Furthermore, whenever students witness a rapid change of staff from year to year, the students begin to view all teachers as temporary teachers or expendable. And eventually, they lose respect for the teachers who remain.
Years ago, the union advocated for: Resources, Respect, and Retention. Today, more than ever, we need resources for all teachers, respect for all teachers, and a retention of teachers who are willing to invest in a future that is not their own.
2 greg32farris
· Jan 26, 2009 at 11:05 am
Stability is a great way to look at it. Students most likely will learn more from a teacher they feel comfortable with rather then a new teacher every year.