I am astounded! Check out the article, "The Rubber Room: The Battle Over New York City's Worst Teachers" published in The New Yorker recently.
Perhaps you already know about Bloomberg's Rubber Room. I was shocked last week to hear about the 12 "reassignment" locations in New York City for ineffective teachers. No windows, no electrical outlets, no internet connections, no duties, no student - just tenure and a paycheck! What do you think about this?
Does North Carolina need "relocation centers"? If not, what should we do with teachers that have tenure, yet are ineffective in the classroom? Will the new N. C. Teacher Evaluation process help? The article refers to education as a "system that rarely calls anyone incompetent". Do you agree?
No Required Posts-Work on Projects-Enjoy Your Summer
15 years ago
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI thought I was the only one around here to read that one (I get the NY-I love the quirky articles and the cartoons are the best). I found this one almost unbelievable-maybe its a function of size and union/processes which we do not run into here. Either way-from the folks in the article and from a educator's perspective-this seems like a waste and another target for our profession not handling things.
Some people think once you have tenure you are set for life. Not in my school system. If the principal wants to get rid of you, it can and will happen. Tenure or not, we are expected to do our job. We are to teach. Of course, that is after we are the nurse, mother, lawyer, judge, social worker, sometimes store clerk. That is why teachers are observed. Action plans can be put in place for those who need to be reminded of what the expectations are.
ReplyDeleteI need to get a copy of that article.
I have seen situations similar to what Doris described. Tenure is not always the security net that some of us think it is. It all depends on the administrator, and some will put a teacher on an action plan in a heartbeat. I am still stunned at the article about the rubber room. This place sounds like a part prison and part nursing home for educators. I can't imagine such a place existing. I think we can all think of a few teachers who would qualify to be sent to this room if they were in NY.
ReplyDelete