Submitted by mtm (not verified) on March 6, 2007 - 23:51.
Granted, some local teacher unions stand in the way of the kinds of drastic change we need in today's schools, but the changes that are necessary today need to be TEACHER DRIVEN. Teachers need to feel free to try new things and use new technologies at their professional discretion, without fear of losing their jobs. Many teachers who are on the cutting edge of change in education, are doing so without much support from their colleagues; not that these colleagues are necessarily against change as much as the fact that many are tapped out physically and emotionally (too many students, NCLB, other obligatory state tests). These teachers who are champions of change need union protection and support, because they will occasionally step on toes. Without unions, teachers can be fired for anything at all.
What do we do to get rid of the "dead weight," (bad teachers who are just hanging around for retirement bennies)? Because these people are protected by unions also. Well, that's another subject for another day.
Granted, some local teacher
Submitted by mtm (not verified) on March 6, 2007 - 23:51.
Granted, some local teacher unions stand in the way of the kinds of drastic change we need in today's schools, but the changes that are necessary today need to be TEACHER DRIVEN. Teachers need to feel free to try new things and use new technologies at their professional discretion, without fear of losing their jobs. Many teachers who are on the cutting edge of change in education, are doing so without much support from their colleagues; not that these colleagues are necessarily against change as much as the fact that many are tapped out physically and emotionally (too many students, NCLB, other obligatory state tests). These teachers who are champions of change need union protection and support, because they will occasionally step on toes. Without unions, teachers can be fired for anything at all.
What do we do to get rid of the "dead weight," (bad teachers who are just hanging around for retirement bennies)? Because these people are protected by unions also. Well, that's another subject for another day.