Was talking last night to one of my secret sources and he or she brought up a very interesting point. This person felt that the critical issue going forward was not whether or not the superintendent was retained but instead the negotiation of the upcoming renewal of the teacher's collective bargaining agreement.
Let me say straight up I am a UNION man and I have always tried to support the teachers in my writing. The thing is though I support the teachers in the classroom. It is a difficult yet vital job. I feel teachers should be among the highest paid professionals Actually I think they should be paid more than LAWYERS, my least favorite species.
BUT....
Talking with various teachers, I feel there is a real disconnect between them and their union. It's as if the union has gotten out of control and has taken on a life of its own. It has become like a corporation competing for the dwindling educational dollars to feed its personal appetite.
The current system of "bumping and bidding" is a recipe for turmoil. I hear is unlike anywhere else. We need stability in the workplace before we can have stability in the classroom. In this economy and given the influx of new students (800 SINCE THE START OF THE YEAR) examples of stability are getting rarer in the home life. Do I have the answer? C'mon I am just a poor disabled poet and if I was smart I wouldn't be at least two of those three things.
I hate, hate, hate bumping. The very idea that I am interchangeable with any given teacher is insulting. I know my subject very well, and I'm fully immersed in the culture of my building. When that happens they can bump teachers below them out of a job. It is a very ugly situation when one teacher bumps another teacher out of her grade or even out of the school. It is also sad when an excellent teacher is bumped out of a grade level and replaced by someone who has never taught that grade.
ReplyDeleteTo make teaching a permanent job for life regardless of merit devalues us all.
I agree, I think the unions are out of touch on this issue. Don't get me wrong I am not talking about abolishment of collecting, I just would like all parties to remeber who they are bargaing about.
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