Jonathan Zimmerman: Tenure Debate Ignores Freedom of Expression
[Jonathan Zimmerman teaches history at New York University and lives in Narberth. He is the author of"Small Wonder: The Little Red Schoolhouse in History and Memory" (Yale University Press). He can be reached at jlzimm@aol.com.]
In January 2003, first-year teacher Deborah Mayer was teaching a current-events lesson to a mixed-age classroom of third through sixth graders in Monroe County, Ind. Mayer used an article from the school magazine Time for Kids, which mentioned a march in Washington to protest the expected U.S. invasion of Iraq.
"Would you ever march for peace?" one of her students asked.
In response, Mayer told the class that she had honked her horn while driving past a peace march. She went on to say that it was"important for people to seek out peaceful solutions to problems before going to war."
Parents complained about Mayer's comments, and her principal barred her from discussing"peace" in class. A few months later, the teacher was told that her contract would not be renewed.
Unfortunately, you won't hear much about Mayer in the current fracas over teacher tenure. Politicians claim that tenure lets lousy teachers stay on the job, while teachers' unions insist that it protects everyone against arbitrary abuse and dismissal....
Read entire article at Philadelphia Inquirer
In January 2003, first-year teacher Deborah Mayer was teaching a current-events lesson to a mixed-age classroom of third through sixth graders in Monroe County, Ind. Mayer used an article from the school magazine Time for Kids, which mentioned a march in Washington to protest the expected U.S. invasion of Iraq.
"Would you ever march for peace?" one of her students asked.
In response, Mayer told the class that she had honked her horn while driving past a peace march. She went on to say that it was"important for people to seek out peaceful solutions to problems before going to war."
Parents complained about Mayer's comments, and her principal barred her from discussing"peace" in class. A few months later, the teacher was told that her contract would not be renewed.
Unfortunately, you won't hear much about Mayer in the current fracas over teacher tenure. Politicians claim that tenure lets lousy teachers stay on the job, while teachers' unions insist that it protects everyone against arbitrary abuse and dismissal....