When I started teaching at my school site, I was immediately struck by the fact that one of my colleagues had no business being in the classroom. This was a man who routinely talked about our students as "ghetto kids" in front of the students and thought nothing of yelling at them so loudly that one could hear his voice even through unopened doors and windows. He was a bad teacher and my principal knew it.
Yet, my principal did nothing to try to remove him from the classroom. There was plenty of evidence to build up a case, from numerous complaints from parents and students, teaching staff, and through her own formal and informal observations. Mr. Bad Teacher would still be in the classroom today were it not for his unfortunate choice to use illegal drugs and his subsequent arrest.
I know that there are plenty of people who hate the concept of tenure. They would most likely point to Mr. Bad Teacher and say that the reason he continued to stay in the classroom was because of tenure. The reality is that he stayed in the classroom because my principal did not do the evaluation procedure as defined by our union contract. There are two processes for evaluations in our contract. The first process is for non-tenured teachers and/or those teachers who have been moved back to this process after a bad evaluation under the second process.
Within the first two years of teaching, a teacher can be let go without cause. This is the time for principals to really watch and evaluate the teacher in order to determine if that teacher qualifies for tenure. At my school site within the first few years of my teaching, my evaluations were done not by my principal, rather they were done by me. This was also the reason that Mr. Bad Teacher received tenure.
However, I also think that Mr. Bad Teacher knew that he didn't belong in the classroom, but enjoyed some of the "perks" that come with teaching, such as the holiday breaks and the summer vacation. Mr. Bad Teacher never signed up for any professional development programs and used a lot of work sheets and bookwork to keep the students busy. He wasn't really a teacher, not the one that I strive to be every day that I step into my classroom. He had it easy and no one held his feet to the fire to make him improve. No one held him accountable and the only people who truly suffered were the kids in his classroom.
Most of the teaching staff at my school site are hard working, dedicated professionals who strive to educate their students. However when Mr. Bad Teacher was at my school site, I absolutely hated that no one told him that perhaps he needed to consider another career choice, one in which there would be no victims. I know that part of the reason is that I work at a school that is hard to staff, hell, I work in a District where over a hundred teachers leave every school year. I recognize that part of the reason that Mr. Bad Teacher held onto his job for so long was because my principal didn't want to face the possibility of not being able to fill his position, even if that meant students and our test scores suffered as a result.
There are a lot of bad teachers who continue to stand before hundreds of thousands of students every day. They damage my reputation as a teacher. I resent them because I know how hard I work, even when I have time off. They make the same amount of money that I do with very little effort to make the profession better. They understand that if they can fly under the radar for the first two years, then they can receive tenure. They also understand that if they get hired in a district desperate for teachers, they are pretty much guaranteed job security, as long as they keep their nose clean
They are the reason that merit pay are hot topics and why people routinely discuss doing away with tenure. They are the reason that so many people look at teachers through jaundiced eyes, collecting a paycheck without putting forth what is required to be a good teacher.
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15 comments:
Well said! There are Mr. and Mrs. Bad Teachers all over the place. It's amazing how the few (I hope) can ruin the reputation of the many.
I agree with you regarding administrators not doing their job to eliminate the dead weight that is ruining an aspect of our students' educations. Being an administrator, I'm sure, isn't easy, but it's their job and it's simple--get rid of the teachers that are doing more harm than good for our students.
You've hit a nerve with me, Ms-Teacher!
I am certified to teach grades 1-6 but work as a teacher assistant because positions are being cut in our district. 40 teachers cut this year and 30 last year—all from the bottom of the seniority pole. So many eager, enthusiastic teachers are being let go (many not so not young—education is a second career for me). Salaries and benefits comprise 70% of our school district's budget, and 80% of our faculty are on the highest pay step.
Many veteran teachers are highly effective; however, the ones that are bad (tired, uninspired, inflexible, disgruntled) really do make us all look bad, make things more difficult for their colleagues and miserable for students.
I suspect that sometimes administrators are too afraid to rock the boat by giving poor evaluations, and when you come right down to it, even a bad teacher can look good during a pre-planned, 45 minute observation. Documenting incompetence and then fighting the union to dismiss Mr. or Mrs. Bad Teacher seems to be too much of a hassle for many administrators.
So, what is the answer to the tenure problem? I wish I knew.
Thanks for this post. We have similar issues in our district. I have never understood why principals don't use the policies that are in place, other than they don't want to make waves. It gives teachers a bad name.
I enjoyed your "Sounding Off" post.
RT
http://whyedify.blogspot.com/
Hear, Hear!!!!!! Ugh. We have too many of these people in our district. It burns my butt that they collect a paycheck for photocopying worksheets and calling kids names.
Thanks for speaking up. I like it when you do that.
Amen. These teachers are part of the reason why it's so hard to get the public to see good teachers as professionals.
This is the post I'd love to write but will never be able to do so.
And I know you know why.
So thanks for saying it loudly and clearly. (See, a good teacher once taught me to use adverbs correctly.)
xoxo
Very well said. As a school administrator I would have to agree with you, it is our responsibility to make sure the teachers in our school are always working to improve and it is our responsibility to hold teachers accountable. If we don't do our job, how the heck should we expect for teachers to do theirs.
Just like in other professions, sometimes the bad ones get promoted and the good ones get stepped on. Frustrating!
As I've gone through years of classes hearing stories about bad teachers just like this one I always have to ask where were the other teachers? In the business world bad colleagues end up hurting themselves in the paycheck and stagnant career; but if their failures start touching my wallet I certainly could not and would not wait for someone else to handle the problem.
I'm certainly not in any position now, nor will be for a while, to tell teachers how to do their job, but should situations like this, once recognized, be allowed to exist for even one more day? I know it's naive, too black and white, but maybe the end for these bad teachers begins in the teachers' lounge...
JK brings up a good point - at least to me, another second career teacher who has not yet gotten a job. I recently read a blog post about the opposite character, Mr. Bad Principal and the horrors a teacher had to endure: no support for discipline, threats to her career if she didn't go along, and so on.
What responsibilities do fellow teachers have in either of these situations? I know as a parent that we are told to document, document, document. Is that something teachers can also do in bad situations? Does it do any good? (I know...it probably all depends.)
But I am not asking a rhetorical questions. In my previous cubicle-based life, I had opinions and I voiced them. I hope I don't have to swallow hard when I become a teacher.
I'm a parent, and I think that Mr and Mrs. Bad Teachers are everywhere and may be either the majority or close to the majority of teachers our there.
My fifth grade daughter has had four Mr. and Mrs Bad Teachers. The parents at our school know that there are no good fourth grade teachers.
The parent network is or rather could be a valuable resource in identifying poor and excellent teachers.
At the end of the school year, parents could be given form where they could 1) request a teacher for their child for next year and 2) request that their child NOT get a specific teacher the next year.
If a significant majority (e.g. more than 40% request a specfic teacher) the administration should figure out what that teacher is doing and if it could be replicated through out the school.
If a significant majority (e.g. more than 40%) request NOT to have a specfic teacher the administration should figure out what that teacher is doing and do a thorough evaluation of that teacher.
Looking at the school from the outside, it seems that there is no incentive for the school to care/act on poor teachers.
As for tenure...I see no reason for it at all. I have a job, I have no guarantee of continued employment unless I get arrested.
I'd like to see more attempts to help the struggling teachers rather than just kicking them to the curb. The number of "Bad" teachers I've encountered is fairly low. And I think at least half of those could be "rehabilitated" if we were willing to spend the time/money on some kind of peer coaching.
I'm not talking about substance-abusing or child-abusing teachers. But for those who have lost the passion or have just gone into survival mode and measure their preparedness by whether they have enough worksheets copied off, I think there is still hope.
Thanks for speaking up! I am currently seeking a degree in education. The first day of one of my classes my teacher stated... If you are in education for weekends, holidays, and summers off, you should pursue a different degree. If you are in education for coaching, you should also pursue a different degree. Mr.and Mrs.Good Teacher realize that you really do not get all this time off. You are always working overtime grading papers, working on lesson plans, etc. What happens in the classroom does not just stay in the classroom. It affects all aspects of your life.
As for the administrator, shame on him. Just because it would be harder for him to find a teacher to work in your didtrict, is no reason to keep a teacher that does not care about the students or his job.
So, please get rid of the "bad teachers". Our children are depending on it!
Re Bad teachers.
I take exception to this. I'm a bad teacher by my admin standards and probably by the community I worked in. This translates into not giving inflated grades and putting up with a bunch of whining from coddled kids and their helicopter mommies. I knew my subject well and know how to teach but I am afraid it is not about that so much anymore. Most of the principals I worked with were not credentialed to teach a single class at our mediocre middle school. It's politics and popularity contests to a large degree. Interesting how so many can tell who the 'bad' teachers are. Maybe this country's showing in international testing is indicative of what is considered good teaching. Sorry for interupting the mutual admiration society here. Any one of you could end up in a sad situation in some dysfunctional school where all the "good teachers" could look down their nose at you. Must feel pretty good to be part of the inner circle.
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