Now is not the best time to be completing teacher certification. Many districts have RIF'd (laid off), and jobs just aren't there to submit applications for. Nonetheless I continue to put all my stuff together, and get my ducks in a row prior to the start of summer. Summer brings uncertainty, as everyone scatters- not good for references etc.
In Seattle, like many places, there are people and organizations that are upset by how the layoffs are being done. I get that the purpose of the union is to protect teachers. Without a union, the oldest would likely be skimmed off the pool as they are the most costly (although my guess would be that it might be publicized as a skill-set issue, not purely economic). What kills me, particularly as someone that is applying now (with ZERO seniority), is that the bottom of the totem pole continually gets chopped off. I am not sure what is worse: A) being cut simply based on time worked, or B) having a job based on time worked (not because of skills).
While I see merit pay as having flaws, there needs to be a better way than is currently being used. I also truly believe that the people who need to worry most about merit pay are those that have holes in their practice. What other assessment is there of our teaching practice? Principals do evaluations, but in many cases it takes a preponderance of evidence to remove bad teachers. How else can we ensure that we are providing great instruction... and not a set of instructions?
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