Certain issues divide America: gay marriage, and gun control. Some issues, however, divide the county more subtly. One such issue is that of teacher tenure. Don’t the educators of our future leaders, innovators, artists, and businesspersons deserve protection for their jobs? What if that protection is misused? Indeed, tenure is a necessary evil, but there are ways to lessen that evil. If tenure is allowed to expire and then be required, many problems with the current system such as the inability to fire lazy or ineffective teachers can be fixed. The effectiveness of the policy can be seen in light of the positive aspects tenure the acknowledgement of shortfalls, and the improvements on the current system. Through the expiration of tenure, our teachers can be protected, and the bad eggs can be thrown out.

Tenure is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately the system is broken. What tenure does is to prevent the unjust sacking of quality educators. In a tenureless world teachers get fired because the new administrator doesn’t like their haircut. Okay, that maybe a bit extreme, but the effect is the same: teachers are at the will of their superiors. Suppose a teacher expresses a controversial idea in class, without tenure they just lost their job. Or maybe a parent flips a gasket because there is no way that their little Johnny got a B. Perhaps Mr. Smith has teaching for years and has a massive salary, then comes along Mrs. Adams to teach the same class at half the cost to the district. Mr. Smith finds himself out of work. These are the injustices that tenure seeks to prevent. Our educators are among the most valuable members of our nation, although they might not be the most valued, and they deserve to have job security. Even so, despite the good intentions of the system, there are glaring issues.

Yes, tenure protects the jobs of good teachers, but it also makes getting rid of bad ones a nightmare. Suppose a teacher picks favorites, or maybe they figure “I can’t get fired, let’s watch a movie today…and the day after that.” Some students could care less but others value their education, and it is and injustice to put upon them the onus of having an inferior education in this increasingly competitive job market. Teachers could also use the tenure system as a shield against backlash from acts that would be a one-way ticket to unemployment in any other job. They can’t get fired for anything short of drug distribution and “overfamiliar involvement” with a student. They can do just about whatever they want. They can do it without any threat to their job. I had a teacher who was rumored to take part in the drinking of alcohol during lunch. While there was no evidence to support this claim, and I doubt its legitimacy, I would not be shocked if it were. This teacher was not a great one; I failed to learn much at all in her class. Indeed, I believe it might be better for her to be replaced, but she is tenured. Clearly our tenure system works too well.

How can we prevent ineptitude without leaving good teachers defenseless? The University of Washington performed a study in 2008 which “found that the first two to three years of teaching do not predict post-tenure performance.” The simple response to this is to expend the untenured period; however, this solution exposes teachers to the bureaucracy of the school system and the viciousness of those who belong wherein. The optimal solution is to have teachers acquire tenure according tot the laws of their individual states, then, after a state determined period of time, a teacher will become untenured again with the opportunity to once again earn tenure that will not expire. This will allow teachers to be monitored beyond the traditional period while tenured, thus allowing there post-tenure performance to be evaluated. At the time when their tenure expires the administration will have the opportunity to fire teachers who fail to meet acceptable standard of job performance. The quality teachers will be protected from job loss by the second indefinite tenure period. While this policy is not foolproof (the second untenured period can be abused), it is far superior to our current system.

Tenure joins Pride then, which in The Scarlet Ibis, is described as being “a wonderful, horrible thing, a seed that bears two vines.” A temporary tenure period to assess the value and quality of a teacher solves many concerns with the near impossible task of firing a poor teacher, while at the same time gives the foundation builders for the futures of the young generation the protection that they deserve. Tenure indeed divides our country, but it, like all other such issues, can be solved though compromise. Our greatest shortfall is that it has been a long time since our nation has been able to compromise the way it did during its first hundred years. Maybe it would be best to start with a smaller yet not unimportant issue. Perhaps we should start by reforming tenure.