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Hear hear! Wonderfully said, thank you.

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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I am a progressive and support the rights of workers generally. However, human nature cannot be overcome: When a person knows they cannot be fired, they have no incentive to improve or amend behavior. Unless they are the type of person who is self-motivated to improve and grow, lack of accountability is a recipe for stagnation. Where the question of teacher accoutability gets difficult is that evaluating teachers is very subjective. Does one use test scores, supervisor evaluations, etc? How do you evaluate an art teacher? There needs to be room for subjective as well as objective evaluations of teacher performance. It's like the Supreme Court justice once said about pornography (and apologies for the off-color comparison): I know it when I see it. Similarly, one knows an engaged and creative teacher from a poorly skilled, indifferent or even abusive one. And decisions on promotion and retaining teachers must take these subjective factors into account -- just like in most other professions.

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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