[hanamizu]

They took her opportunity for tenure when she had 9 years in.

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Some local schools make it a practice to deny tenure. You work for them for four years and then you’re out looking for work. The schools look at this practice as an advantage to them—beginning teachers get less pay and they don’t have to go through the trouble of showing ‘cause’ for getting rid of someone.

Missouri teachers are not allowed to strike by law, but teachers in StL and KC sometimes do anyway.

My teaching certificate is for ‘Life’ so I didn’t have to take the Mickey Mouse classes to retain it. For several years MO had certificates that had to be renewed but I think they’ve dropped that idea. To be honest, most of the ‘great new ideas’ in education have proven to be disastrous for both the students and the teachers.

Since I taught an ‘unimportant subject’—history, my students didn’t have to take tests on it, so I was immune to pressure on that score.

Happily, my state legislature, despite making noises, has thus far kept its mitts off MO teachers’ pensions.

[themidnightskulker]

It appears to me as a semi-insider that both the State and local district are actively trying to get rid of teacher’s unions(or at least blame them for State or District shortcomings due to neglegence, ineptitude, or apathy.

Don’t sell being a history teacher shory. Remember: Those who don’t pay attention to history are doomed to retake the course next year. ;^)

[gcparent]

You have to pass a history regents exam in nys to graduate. It covers several yrs of high school work. It is the hardest regents exam.