Does Seniority Mean Effective Teaching?

In short, no. But what are we talking about? Recent legislation in New York State gives NYC principals the ability to lay off teachers despite seniority, providing parents and teachers a committee-based assessment program to decide the effectiveness of a teacher.

Historically, teachers with the most seniority were in the safe-zone when layoffs were discussed. This was true despite teaching performance, and has been a long-standing complaint of parents and fellow-staff members. The reality is that effective teachers come in varying degrees of experience, and in today’s teaching crisis, the only way that our schools are going to stay viable is to be sure that the teachers that are chosen to stay in each school system are of the very best quality.

New teachers have the same potential of success with students as those with more time under their belts, but tend to be the first cut in troubled times. This new legislation will give every teacher a fair shake based on the same rules and criteria and give the students a better chance at a great education.

Teaching for some is a vocation, a calling, and these are the teachers that engage students and their imaginations to create a learning environment that can have long-lasting effects on a child’s potential. For some, teaching is a job, a nine to five obligation that gives a few weeks off in the summer. In these times of reduced overall numbers for our teaching staff throughout the United States, there is no room for mediocrity bound by the protective boundary of seniority.

Does your school system stick by their tenured teachers despite performance? Are you, like so many schools, looking at reduced staff numbers come September? Speak out to your Board of Education now, to reduce the fallout of these devastating budget cuts. Speak for the teachers you know drive their students towards excellence to give our kids every advantage possible for their future education.