“Maybe I’m wrong here, but I think we’re putting way too much emphasis on teachers and absolutely nothing on the students.”
No, you’re not wrong. They are just going after the teachers because they can. I teach in a state where tenure mostly means they renew your contract if there are not any problems. Still, if you are a teacher and you are in fact doing your job, it is a small measure of protection against arbitrary and unfair treatment from school administrators. And it is fair that they have a process they have to go through. I know some of the private sector types folks are reading this right now, and saying “I can get canned right now- why shouldn’t you?” Here’s why- in a lot of private sector jobs you can walk across the street and get another job just like it in a short time. Teaching jobs...not so much. Most hiring is done in the summer between school years, and positions available are based on available funding, not planned expansion or potential profit. (And our “teacher shortage” is mostly in parts of education nobody wants- inner city schools and special education- ironically where good people are needed most.) You may go quite awhile hunting a teaching job even when times are good. (And, that nepotism thing pops up sometimes- just human nature but if you apply at a school district where it goes on, if you don’t have the inside support, you don’t get the job.)
I think we need to to put more pressure on the students myself- my opinion is that public school would work a lot better if 1. we didn’t spare anyone’s self-esteem and 2. we set standards more akin to those of say, 1950 as far as academic rigor. No “Mickey Mouse” stuff and no “you passed anyway, ‘cause you are old enough.”
there are plenty of crappy socialist teachers, but the good ones must risk firing for going against insane programs that simply dont work, and need a bit of protection from admin fools...
my 'spouse of a conservative Christian' first grade teacher .02 rant...