I've been a Campaign Chair or Treasurer for School Board campaigns for the
past half-dozen or so elections, and have talked with a whole lot of
teachers during this time.
By far, the most common reason they give for the concentration of more
experienced teachers at specific schools is one that has not even been
mentioned, so far in this discussion.
Good teachers go to schools where there are good principals.
Senior, experienced teachers, who have the seniority to move to whatever
school they want, bid for positions at schools where they will be working
for a principal they consider good. (This doesn't mean an 'easy'
principal. Good teachers want a principal who puts pressure on teachers
who aren't pulling their weight. And they want the principal to take care
of the 'principaling' work, and let them get on with the teaching work.)
Even more so, they avoid schools with a bad principal. Some principals are
moved to a new school every 2-3 years, promptly followed by an exodus of
the experienced teachers from that school the next year.
Perhaps the best solution to this teacher problem will involve improved
training for principals!
In the business world, such poor managers tend to be shuffled off to
sidestream jobs, where they can't do much harm: company historian,
interdepartmental liaison, etc. Probably our schools can't afford to fund
makework positions like this. But then, what is the cost of a poisonous
principal, who chases away all the experienced teachers at the school?
Tim Bonham, Ward 12, Standish-Ericsson
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