Thought I'd bring this back on subject.

Tenure is there to protect good teachers from the whims of politicians, parents, donors, and prejudice. Prior to tenure it was common for a new administrator to fire teachers just to bring in his own team, parents to use their economic or social power to threaten teachers if they did not give their child an excellent grade, and especially donors to colleges who wanted to get rid of Professor Darwin for his heresy as a theoretical example with a bribe to the administration of a new building. It was strongly felt that teachers needed to be fair equally to rich and poor and free to teach within the parameters of the local laws, as they saw fit. Does an English teacher have every parent's ok to use Slaughterhouse Five, or Huckleberry Finn? Once the teacher has been hired, and vetted as an effective teacher (obviously there can be problems with that process) they are given job security to not be constantly threatened with termination without cause. It is a small incentive to get good and great people to go into a profession that now often requires a master's degree and pays about the same as a paralegal which requires a few months training after high school. But I know, never miss a chance to bash teachers. There are problems with the tenure system and it is worthwhile addressing those issues.

Teacher Tenure - ProCon.org for a balanced discussion of this issue. If the OP wants to know why teachers get tenure rather than just vent opposition then I would suggest a simple google search using the term "why do teachers get tenure" It results in over 7 million hits. Some are helpful to explain the history of why.

WOW! Our data are SIGNIFICANTLY different! :confused:


Average Salaries of Public School Teachers: 2011–12

2009–10 Rank 2010-11 Rank 2011-12 Rank State Average Annual Salary

NEW YORK $73,398
MASSACHUSETTS $71,721
CONNECTICUT $69,465
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA $68,720*
CALIFORNIA $68,531
NEW JERSEY $67,078
MARYLAND $63,634
ALASKA $62,425
RHODE ISLAND $62,186*
PENNSYLVANIA $61,934
MICHIGAN $61,560
DELAWARE $58,800*
ILLINOIS $57,636
OREGON $57,348
WYOMING $57,222
OHIO $56,715
MINNESOTA $54,959*
NEVADA $54,559*
NEW HAMPSHIRE $54,177*
HAWAII $54,070
WISCONSIN $53,792
GEORGIA $52,938
WASHINGTON $52,232
VERMONT $51,306*
INDIANA $50,516
IOWA $50,240
LOUISIANA $50,179*
KENTUCKY $49,730
COLORADO $49,049
VIRGINIA $48,703*
ARIZONA $48,691*
IDAHO $48,551*
MONTANA $48,546*
TEXAS $48,373
UTAH $48,159*
NEBRASKA $48,154
ALABAMA $48,003
SOUTH CAROLINA $47,428
MAINE $47,338
TENNESSEE $47,082
KANSAS $46,718
FLORIDA $46,479
MISSOURI $46,406*
ARKANSAS $46,314
NORTH DAKOTA $46,058
NORTH CAROLINA $45,947
NEW MEXICO $45,622
WEST VIRGINIA $45,320*
OKLAHOMA $44,391
MISSISSIPPI $41,646*
SOUTH DAKOTA $38,804

United States $55,418*
Source: National Education Association (NEA) Research, Rankings and Estimates 2010, 2011 and 2012 (tables C–9 and C–11)

* NEA estimate

ADA = Average Daily Attendance

Blueash...tenure has nothing to do with what is taught and what isn't taught. I don't see anyone bashing teachers. All dedicated teachers want to teach with other dedicated teachers.

There's a big difference between average starting salary and average salary.

Do you think it's 25%?

College students going into teaching are obviously not doing it for the money. They have a calling and a passion to teach. That being said, if you want to attract the best, brightest and most motivated individuals into teaching you have to pay more. Many college students are attracted by the higher salaries of other professions and don't want to live the frugal lifestyle required of a teacher. As a retired teacher, I can tell you of the extra duties and part time jobs I worked so I could provide for my family. It was not easy, but my real reward comes from my former students who tell me that I have impacted their lives in a positive way.

Not to be argumentative, but how does this differ from any other profession?

I have yet to read anyone on the medical board asking for a recommendation of an AVERAGE cardiologist, oncologist, or dentist? :D

Personally, I think the averages quoted sound pretty decent. A teacher making $55,000 and up is good money for a two income household - and most are two income households, I believe.

There are many misconceptions about what it means to be a teacher, what we do for a living, how much we make, and the purpose of tenure. If I had to do it over again, however, would I return to accounting, where I made more money? Nope. Now, let's talk about really, really rough jobs...like garbage picker-uppers. I also would not want to be a dentist...suicide rate is very high.

Aren't you hoping that your doctors were taught by the best and the brightest and not just the average medical school professor? Wouldn't you agree that great teachers inspire greatness?

I don't like seeing tenure keeping a lazy, worn out, jaded teacher in a position that new grads would love to fill and grow in and ignite the students' enthusiasm, either. But…

"Bring in his own TEAM" is the operative phrase/word! Literally. Who can understand the frustration and torment of a seasoned veteran, skilled and loving lady teacher now having their former student-"former stand-out football player" now being their Boss-Principal, who hires in his "former team buddies" who graduated with a 2.0 GPA, into master teachers' jobs? It actually happens!

The evaluations they put into your file are not "objective", folks! Bias like that can kill great teachers.

Tenure Or Not To Tenure?
 

The underlying issue of tenure is not tenure but its misapplication and abuse. but that is the nature of human beings. The system frustrates the removal of bad teachers and in fact by its very existence often leaves many blind to bad performance.

As to teacher unions and for that matter public service unions they all need to be banned and in fact never should have been allowed to organize because they pander to politicians who do their bidding quid pro quo for votes and which is in conflict with the desire of taxpayers to keep the tax base low.

Additionally the agenda for many schools is politically directed and as such our education system is deteriorating rapidly.

Just trying to follow the logic… right now teachers aren't paid enough and apparently we need to pay more to get the best, brightest, and most highly motivated. THEREFORE, currently we're employing something less than the best and brightest (otherwise why would we need to pay more?)

:bigbow: