Education

Education is a vital component in today’s society. Through education the next leaders in our world are taught. America’s education system is quickly disintegrating. Students are not being taught because some teachers do not care; they are falling behind and are not at the level they need to be at. We need to make a change. Our generation deserves a better education. It is necessary that we revise the system of tenure for teachers, and review every school and school district’s progress. Fixing our education system will take lots of effort but if we start now the rewards will come sooner.

I used to think that everyone in the United States had the same education opportunities that I have. My education has been extraordinary and I have been taught by teachers who are invested in their job and their students. After watching the documentary Waiting for Superman I realized how wrong I had been. Most of the population of students in the United States public education system have nowhere near the educational opportunities that I have. Their families struggle to get them in schools with exceptional teachers that care about their children’s futures. They are districted to schools with teachers that don’t teach and are not able to be fired because of tenure. Tenure gives teachers who have been working for a certain amount of time protection of their job. After a teacher has earned tenure it is nearly impossible to fire them. People in agreement with tenure believe that it is necessary so that exceptional teacher’s jobs are secured. They believe that if the tenure system was done away with then many teachers who deserve to have jobs could be fired because of confliction with people in higher positions than them. Others argue that tenure is what is making our education system fail. The New Republic believes that tenure needs to be done away with because we need to “make sure that the most able, talented people are” teaching. Without tenure teachers without teaching abilities or concern for their students would not be able keep their jobs. If tenure was thrown away then students would be getting the education that they are entitled to.

There is no need to completely do away with the system of tenure. It has benefits and disadvantages. With a bit of revision it could fix many problems in our education system. We need to revise the system so that after a teacher has gained tenure it is easier for them to be fired if they are not fulfilling the requirements of their job. However, if a teacher is doing everything completely correct then they still have protection over their job. The Huffington Post says, “Good teachers should be promoted and retained, reformers contend, instead of being treated like identical pieces on an assembly line.” The reward to good teachers could be tenure. Through tenure they know that their job is protected as long as they keep up the good work. ‘Bad’ teachers would not get this reward. Through this revision students would be getting much better and more engaged teachers which would benefit the students which also benefits our education system.

Reviewing of school‘s and school district’s progress is vital for a good education system. It needs to be mandatory that schools hit a benchmark and only rise from there on. If they are to drop below the benchmark then they will be watched carefully until they start to make progress again. If a school keeps dropping then it will be on probation and principles could eventually be replaced if they do not make any progress. If we do not review school’s progress then there is no way that our education system could ever be fixed. By allowing schools to keep dropping students do not get the education they needed and easily fall behind students their age which is what we are trying to fix. With reviewing of schools and their districts the only place we can go is up. Inevitably the education system will rise.

Many children in America go to school each day and don’t learn anything. Many children in America are stuck in schools with teachers who can’t teach or don’t care. Many children in America are illiterate. This has to change. Every student should get an exemplary education and have the same opportunities. The future of our country is in the hands of these children. We need to make a change in these children’s’ lives. By revising the system of tenure and reviewing the progress of schools and school districts, change will happen. I know that we cannot all do it singlehandedly but if we all unite I know we can patch up our education system.