Today, I'm feeling a bit lazy. I do want to get a daily post in so here we are.
I have a few questions and I'll answer them with my opinion and you can feel free to discuss.
Q. Is teacher tenure a good idea?
A. What is your opinion on this? Tenure is put in place to protect teachers' rights. Basically, once they receive tenure status, they can't be fired without a reason. But, what about students' rights? If there is a teacher who has achieved tenure status but isn't a very good teacher, should they be fired? Maybe that is a very extreme reaction but it should be a possibility, right? As much as I love Champlin Park, I think there are a few teachers who aren't exactly the greatest. I'm not saying they should be fired but I do think that if a teacher is continually receiving lower overall scores on final tests year after year, they should have a performance review of some sort. I understand that it is the motivation of the students as well but if it is a recurring problem, there's probably something wrong. I luckily haven't had very many teachers whom I would consider bad or unqualified. I personally believe that teachers should be protected but there should also be some form of middle ground.
Q. Should the phrase 'under God' be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?
A. When the Pledge was originally written, it went like this, 'I Pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.' Then, in 1954 Eisenhower and congress, added the phrase 'under God' into the Pledge. My question is, does it belong? According to statistics, 80% of Americans support the phrase. However, the U.S. has a separation of church and state (or should) and this is a religious statement. I personally am split on the issue. I believe that there should be a separation of church and state but changing something that we all know and love?
Statistic according to-
"Under God in the Pledge - ProCon.org." Under God in the Pledge - ProCon.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. <http://undergod.procon.org/>.
Thoughts?
1. While I believe in the premise of unions, I think they have been abused by the lazy for several years now. Teachers in particular are often criticized for not keeping up to standards during their tenure-insured period, and that they should be fired.
ReplyDelete2. I could care less about what the pledge says, but I want to preserve the rights of both the Christians and the non-Christians, so I'm on the fence.