It must be awfully hard to get fired from a teaching job nowadays.
No other profession gives tenure for mediocrity and second, third and fourth chances like teaching does. Now I read that you can keep your teaching job after a drug or theft conviction.
Put up your hand if you want a convicted drug offender or thief teaching your kids? That’s funny, I don’t see any hands raised.
The problem with this iron clad commitment to keep teachers in their jobs through thick and thin is two-fold:
1. It means that the person selected to be a role model for your child may be anything but; and
2. When a teacher who doesn’t meet expectations isn’t fired, it devalues the whole profession. Whilst nobody wants to be constantly worried about losing their job, the level of job security for many teachers may well lead to a sense of apathy and a lack of appreciation for the responsibilities that come with the profession.
I heard of a story today about a vet that lost his job because he posted a picture of himself at a pub whilst wearing a shirt with the company logo on it. He didn’t get a warning or a demotion – he was just sent packing.
Was the penalty harsh? I think it was. But you can be sure that when this vet secures his next job, he will take his professional responsibilities more seriously.
And it’s not only vets. Someone with a conviction has lost the right to train as a firefighter, even if the offense was seemingly minor or unrelated to the performance of the job. A miner has to undergo regular drug and alcohol tests. Any negative test results in an immediate sacking.
So why don’t teachers face the same amount of scrutiny? Is it because our unions are strong? Is is because policy makers want to look like the friend of education and teachers to score some points with their constituents? Perhaps it’s because they feel sorry for us for our low pay and difficult working conditions?
Whatever it is, it devalues what is the best profession going around.
Click on the link to read The School They Dub the “Worst Primary School in the World”
Click on the link to read Education New Year’s Resolutions 2014
Click on the link to read Eight Fundamentals that Every Student Deserves
Click on the link to read 21 Reasons to Become a Teacher
Click on the link to read 25 Amusing Signs You Might Be a 21st Century Teacher
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