In an earlier blog I spoke about the need to overhaul the current system in place that allows for tenured teachers to receive protection that may not be deserved. It is nice to see an article that makes it seem like that there may be changes on the horizon. You can find countless stories of young teachers that received pink slips over the past few months just because they were not tenured. They may be better teachers, relate better with the students, and even there administrators know that they are good teachers, but were let go just because they were the easiest to get rid of. As I have said before, I am very worried about the state of the public education system as currently constituted. In a profession that is going to be experiencing drastic teacher shortages over the next ten years, it makes no sense to me to be getting rid of the next generation of teachers without taking into consideration their teaching ability. In the business world, if you do not perform you will be replaced. Why should teaching be any different? In order for America's classroom's to be the training ground for the future leaders of America, they must be filled with good teachers, not teachers that are there just because they have been around the longest. I have many friends that were given pink slips in California because they were not tenured. I have not observed their classrooms, but I do know that being let go just because you don't have tenure does not create a positive work environment. I know why the tenure laws were put in place, but just as everything else, these laws need revising from time to time and now seems like a perfect time to do so. I encourage you to contact your local politician and urge them to revise the current tenure laws to help our schools become the best that they can.