Saturday, October 29, 2011

Unions protecting bad teachers

Here’s an email I received out of the blue from someone who asked to join my email list:

I am a TFA alum and am now working an administrator in a traditional public school.

I'm writing because, well, I'm about as fed up with the teachers union as a person can be. 

We have some of the most ridiculous drama I've ever encountered here (and, mind you, I helped open a school in during a state takeover of the district the school was in...), and I have been completely and totally appalled by the fact that our union fights for incompetent educators, whom even the union members will admit are terrible, harm-causing, and truly need to leave (and yet, in the same breath, they vow to fight to the death for them -- for the sake of the union itself). 

The amount of time, energy, and resources that go into these union battles are mind boggling.   After working nearly full time on documentation of one individual since February, I've come to the conclusion that there is literally nothing we can do, and since it is such a terrible, energy-sucking, time-consuming, miserable mess that leads to zero results, why even bother trying? 

The fact that I now understand why one might say "don't even bother" in trying to remove a terrible teacher disgusts me to no end.

[My cousin, who recently retired after being a public schoolteacher in Florida for her career, is reading over my shoulder, saying “I agree EXACTLY!”]

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