Quote:
Originally Posted by DruannB
Well, I'm tenured, but teach on the university level. No union. And if I don't perform, tenure or not, my university will find a way to remove me. Tenure can breed lazy teaching, but it also protects those of us who want to try new things, push our students to greater heights without fear of the negative student evaluations (many which are from students who were coddled in the lower grades), and an administration that likes to terminate older professors because they cost more to keep. And if I don't publish every year and go to conferences to present papers, you can also bet that I not only won't get a raise, but they will start to compile a file on me that will lead to early retirement or termination based on not upholding the minimum standards. Teaching is just hard work, physically and mentally, and certainly, it's not for everyone. You must LOVE it if you're going to be good because you must put your heart and soul into it.
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All of the reasons you favor tenure apply to teachers of all grades, not just universities. You are right that you have to love it because you have to put up with lots of negative reactions, difficult parents, time constraints, ridiculous testing of students and poor behavior. Additional education is also a component. Very few other union jobs require any college, much less 4+++ years. I looked forward to going to work every single day and never took a sick day in 25 years. It was wonderful!