tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post2131613113543948649..comments2022-06-10T05:34:21.029-04:00Comments on Dr. Bill's Harley Wisdom: Tenure – a Major Cornerstone of EducationDr. Bill Emenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-70421562162897930622011-03-30T17:22:40.360-04:002011-03-30T17:22:40.360-04:00Hi Doug… I’m delighted to see you chiming in on th...Hi Doug… I’m delighted to see you chiming in on this!<br />I vividly recall our numerous discussions regarding this over the years, and benefitted from it – your insights and considerations were and still are enlightening.<br />You obviously understand and appreciate the importance and value of having tenure for educators; likewise, I understand and appreciate the importance and value of having aDr. Bill Emenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-66777579039002725442011-03-30T16:27:57.304-04:002011-03-30T16:27:57.304-04:00Dear Bill,
You and I have talked about this many ...Dear Bill,<br /><br />You and I have talked about this many times and I too have a great concern with the direction our legislators are moving. I think they are taking a broad sweep at a problem that needs extreme focus.<br /><br />I am not a teacher, professor and anything close to that. As you know, I come from the corporate environment. My focus tends to be on performance and not on tenure,Franzendnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-7629782862788125122011-03-30T16:12:33.955-04:002011-03-30T16:12:33.955-04:00Hello Anonymous II,
Please know that I truly appre...Hello Anonymous II,<br />Please know that I truly appreciate your stopping by and offering your experience (as well as your daughter’s), wisdom and recommendations. Also please know that I don’t “rap people on the head” – it’s not my MO or style. And, interestingly, I agree with much of what you say.<br />First, regarding your walk-the-walk” comment, during my 40 years as a university professor (Dr. Bill Emenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-10809011604730114722011-03-30T15:08:39.437-04:002011-03-30T15:08:39.437-04:00For quite some time now I've had a big concern...For quite some time now I've had a big concern about a decrease in quality of education programs... both at the University and Professional School level as well as the public schools at all levels. I'll take the unpopular stance based on what I think has happened in the last 50 years. <br /> Just as our corporate leadership has lost their focus on anything but their own profit and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-10863743875877801482011-03-30T10:40:27.690-04:002011-03-30T10:40:27.690-04:00Hi Barb,
Thanks for sharing your experience and co...Hi Barb,<br />Thanks for sharing your experience and concerns. I too have suffered the ills of “deadwood” professors. And I believe that instead of eliminating tenure, tweaking and improving it, operationally, as Maconole suggested, is a much better way to go.<br />I know you and you’ll do exceptionally well as a professor – you’re not only bright, competent and industrious… you think outside theDr. Bill Emenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-8500790396787884442011-03-30T05:50:56.006-04:002011-03-30T05:50:56.006-04:00I, too, have mixed thoughts. My perspective is mo...I, too, have mixed thoughts. My perspective is mostly that of "consumer", but I am about to enter the field. Throughout my life as a student, I have suffered at times from lazy teachers, which puts me on the side of wanting to get rid of tenure. However, as a fledgling instructor (can't call myself "professor" just yet!) I am beginning to see where it may be necessary Barbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12199250356040526179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-3585245487022853292011-03-29T11:59:41.330-04:002011-03-29T11:59:41.330-04:00Hello again Maconole – glad to see you,
As usual, ...Hello again Maconole – glad to see you,<br />As usual, you offer spot-on observations and an excellent recommendation.<br />Indeed, too many people in our society want to implement simple solutions to complex issues (e.g., “Tenure isn’t working so let’s just get rid of it.”) And I also have seen the impact on administrators who are trying to do the right thing. I vividly recall when I was an Dr. Bill Emenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-59356237852518184232011-03-29T11:13:51.139-04:002011-03-29T11:13:51.139-04:00I think it goes beyond the legislators but to soci...I think it goes beyond the legislators but to society in general. We are mostly made up of "show me how you'll evaluate me and I'll show you how I'll act" people. Everyone wants results easily quantified so they can make snap decisions on how things are going. As a result, we grade schools on standardized test scores and graduation rates. This usually causes the Maconolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-58472877656352461772011-03-29T10:38:46.432-04:002011-03-29T10:38:46.432-04:00Hello Jackie,
Thank you for the visit and sharing ...Hello Jackie,<br />Thank you for the visit and sharing your experience and extensional considerations. The pressure that current teachers are under is enormous, and when they have an opinion or new idea that may not be a popular one (locally or state-wide) the pressure ratchets up. Very sad – as a teacher said to me in the gym the other evening, “All I do is stay under the radar, do my job and goDr. Bill Emenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707755608580620460noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36306569.post-73192953849812796992011-03-29T09:40:06.635-04:002011-03-29T09:40:06.635-04:00As a former teacher, I echo your sentiments. Tenur...As a former teacher, I echo your sentiments. Tenure is even more important today, when school boards are driven to make hiring decisions based on fiscal concerns. How many excellent, veteran teachers would fall under the axe in order to clear the way for inexperienced, less expensive hires? And how comfortable would a non-tenured teacher feel making an unpopular choice that (s)he knows would be Jackie Minnitihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18396942803730593774noreply@blogger.com