Teacher and Tenure

Tenure-Teacher’s Safeguard In 1855, the first National Education Association was established in the United States. In 1886, Massachusetts introduced Teacher Tenures. In 1909, New Jersey passed the first K-12 Tenure Law (Herbert 549). Has been developed throughout the history, teacher tenure has achieved innumerable beneficial and secured laws for teachers. Originated in ancient Greek, tenure is the protection and long-term employment for teachers from arbitrary dismissal, and it also allows teacher to focus on teaching without worrying of being fired (Herbert 549). However, in the recent dates, tenure’s value has been questioned due to many reasons. People who are against the system argue that tenure declines the teachers’ educational performances, and it is almost impossible to remove any poor performing teachers. Should teacher tenure be abolished? Although teacher tenure has been historically controversial, it should not be changed because it offers crucial, necessary protection from unreasonable dismissal and encourages instructors keeping the motivation in teaching. First, tenure will protect teachers from being fired because of personal, political, or other non-work related reasons. Before having the tenure, teachers were badly paid, lack of benefits and job security. Furthermore, they could be dismissed without any hearing or warning when the school administrators had opposed political or religious point of view. Worse than that, according to “A Brief History of Tenure” by Times Magazine, during the suffrage movement of the 1920s, female teacher from elementary to high school could be fired for getting married or just simply wearing pants (Stephey). Along with labor struggles during the late 19th century, just as steel, auto, and meat industry workers who fought for their rights such as the fundamental safety at work places and reasonable wages, many teachers had foreseen the necessity of being protected from being terminated nonsensically by the