Recognizing Effective Teachers

Best "Best Teacher" medal:
Made out of chocolate!

Oftentimes it may seem that the only reward for an effective teacher is the teacher seeing the growth of their students under their tutelage. Certain school districts and educational programs have instituted “merit pay” systems that rewards teachers whose students receiver overall higher grades on standardized tests. However, this merit pay can leave students, parents, and even other teachers, skeptical that teachers are being rewarded for “teaching to a test” by way or emphasizing rote memorization or test-taking skills in lieu of actual critical thinking skills.

A method more akin to non-educational promotional methods is the “career ladder”. Effective teachers may be recognized for their skill as an educator by evaluation and achieve “rank” such as “master” or “mentor teacher” (Sadker 432). These ranks give the recognized teacher more say in things like selecting textbooks and shaping curricula. This seems to be one of the rewards beneficial to not only the recognized teacher but the rest of the department as the effective teacher has a chance to share what has been working for them with the other teachers.

A very prestigious for of recognizing teachers comes from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers put together portfolios including videos, lesson plans, project mock-ups, etc, to show their level of effectiveness and ingenuity in the classroom. These portfolios are evaluated by the Board and the teachers put through challenging tests, observational sessions and, if the teacher is found to be exemplary, are awarded one of several “board certifications”. A certification complements a state teaching certification but is not a replacement for it. In fact, other than the prestige itself, the certification is not a guarantee of a raise or other monetary prize from the teacher's school districts. As the certification is an expensive process for the teacher some schools offer fee reimbursement should the teacher pass the certification.

Whether a teacher receives recognition for their effectiveness through monetary rewards, more responsibility, or wider influences, the main reward for teachers will always be making a difference in the lives of young adults.

Sadker, David Miller. Teachers, Schools, and Society, 2010 McGraw-Hill. New York.

Image: "Teachers Medal" Trulychocolates.co.uk Accessed 2012 Nov 27. [http://trulychocolates.co.uk/Teachers%20Medal]

Why Teachers Seek Tenure

When a new teacher is hired by a school they engage in a year-long contract with the school. Once a teacher has worked for the school for a variable, but long, period of time the school may offer the teacher “tenure”. Tenure is a continuing employment contract that does not need to be resigned each year. It is assumed that a tenured teacher will return to the school each year though some tenure contracts do require the teacher to “check in” and verify they will be teaching there each year.

A tenured teacher is no long subject to the probationary period held to newly hired teachers (Sadker 455). A school district or principal wishing to fire a tenured teacher must show reasonable cause to remove the teacher from their contract, which is significantly more work than firing a new hire and the tenured teacher has grounds to fight back. A tenured teacher is usually not removed (at least without great difficulty) in favor of hiring new teachers that would earn less and therefore offers some job security in hard economic times as well.

This job security extends to the teacher a sense of intellectual security as well. New hires are less likely to tackle controversial topics with their students or offer opinions not in line with the textbook or school district. A tenured teacher is likely to hide their personal life, such as their sexual orientation or being a worshiper of a religion (or no religion) not in line with the community majority (Sadker 456). As new teachers still fall within probationary periods an unethical administrator could have the opportunity to fire a teacher if they found out the teacher was an atheist, homosexual, divorced, a single parent, or just about anything else under the guise of probationary discretion.

Tenure protects a teacher once they have earned it or convinced their employer to extend it to them. This is great news for good teachers who spark children's minds to think outside their communities box but can be a headache for schools when the tenured teacher really does need to be removed. The district must show gross incompetence on the part of the teacher, insubordination, or have budget cuts. A school can end up stuck with a teacher with a great record who begins significantly slacking once they receive tenure.

Sadker, David Miller. Teachers, Schools, and Society, 2010 McGraw-Hill. New York.

Image: "Suit seeks to overturn 'outdated' teacher job protections - latimes.com" Posted TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012. Accessed 2012 Nov 27. [http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2012/05/suit-seeks-to-overturn-outdated-teacher.html]

Image: "Tenure Review for Fictional Teachers" by Julie Shain on June 26, 2012. Accessed 2012 Nov 27.[http://www.collegehumor.com/article/6788004/tenure-review-for-fictional-teachers]