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In many states, California and New York for example, after a tenuring period of 2-4 years a emplyee becomes 'tenured'. These are closed shops and teachers are union memebers. Every tried to fire a union memeber. Arnold tried a prop to change all this (5 years instead of 2) but it failed miserably.

My wife's "probation" period was about 6 months as it is for many jobs around here. Actually, at least around here, teachers' jobs aren't necessarily so secure. If one goes against some of the strict policies, one can be terminated immediately. There are also extensive evaluations every 3 years at which the same thing can happen. I have seen a few lose their jobs. Then, you have people out there looking for anything negative they can find about a teacher. I have seen some good teachers get trashed by someone whose 1 kid didn't have a good experience with the teacher. My own uncle lost his teaching job when some drug-addicted mom accused him of molesting her daughter. He was proven innocent, but the damage had already been done and it took him a LONG time to restore his once solid reputation.

There's another teacher here who has a poor reputation among parents, yet her students always have solid test scores and at least for a few students each year, she is "magic" for them as they really do achieve wonderfully. Do we fire her? I don't know.

There are orderly termination proceedings here for teachers. I do agree that some major modifications have to be made. But I don't want it to be such that just because someone didn't get his/her way or disagrees with the teacher, that the teacher gets fired (particularly in a gossip-prone area such as mine). NO teacher is ever going to satisfy anyhone, much less a principal.

Just a few thoughts. I do come from a long line of teachers and a heritage of stressing the importance of education. My own family and relatives' families have generally had great (educational, vocational, and familial)success in all sorts of circumstances in part because of that legacy. I would rather work together cooperatively and constructively rather than combatively.

How would a community go about giving teachers authority and let them gain control of their classes while letting concerned parents be informed about how their children are performing in class?

Catholic schools have a program that seems to work. What is the difference and can that be transfered to public schools? No one has been able to yet. Why? General question, not really requiring and answer as anything we say here will not have as much impact except to each other.

Good luck, to you and your family. You seem to be part of the answer. Those parents you mention seem to be large part of the problem.

"There are orderly termination proceedings here for teachers. I do agree that some major modifications have to be made. But I don't want it to be such that just because someone didn't get his/her way or disagrees with the teacher, that the teacher gets fired (particularly in a gossip-prone area such as mine). NO teacher is ever going to satisfy anyhone, much less a principal."

I vote that we outlaw and disband all teachers unions, they can work under the same standards as most of the people that pay taxes to support them.

If someone fails to do the job they were hired for, they get fired. Not always fair, but thats life in the real world.