Some would so lightly strip teachers of their due-process rights of tenure. Even as it stands now, given all the protections in place for many teachers, abuses in the system are rife. And many teachers are hesitant to step forward. We all know we are easy targets.
Teachers are still targeted for fighting for federally-mandated special ed. services for their students. Witness the case of Mr. Lirtzman.
Union activists still seem to be targeted for standing up to their principals. Witness the case of the "Letter-Fraud" principal.
Teachers are still harassed for reporting gross, administrator-driven abuses in Regents grading. Witness the incidents at Cobble Hill School of American Studies.
Teachers still need to flee toxic principals with unpredictable policies, such as prohibiting a little of that "Yankee Doodle Dee Dum."
Female teachers still seem to face harassment from superiors on account of their pregnancies. See Chicago and Louisiana.
If teachers were stripped of tenure, or saw it curtailed, I am sure the abuse would only grow worse and fewer souls would be brave enough to counter it. More teachers would stand silent. Teachers would effectively be "incentivized," in the name of survival, to sit down and shut up.
Would this be best for students? Would this be best for society? Should we speed up the process of terminating a few possibly "bad eggs," if we ruin our entire basket in the process? Answer these questions--without any fear of reprisal.
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