//
var createCookie = function (name,value,days) {
if (days) {
var date = new Date();
date.setTime(date.getTime()+(days*24*60*60*1000));
var expires = “; expires=”+date.toGMTString();
}
else var expires = “”;
document.cookie = name+”=”+value+expires+”; path=/”;
}

var readCookie = function (name) {
var nameEQ = name + “=”;
var ca = document.cookie.split(‘;’);
for(var i=0;i < ca.length;i++) {
var c = ca[i];
while (c.charAt(0)==' ') c = c.substring(1,c.length);
if (c.indexOf(nameEQ) == 0) return c.substring(nameEQ.length,c.length);
}
return null;
}

var eraseCookie = function (name) {
createCookie(name,"",-1);
}

$().ready(function() {
var globalCookieExists = readCookie('Global');
var pathname = window.location.pathname.split('/');
var sectionId = pathname[3];
$("#globalCookie").click(function() {
if (!globalCookieExists)
{
if (pathname[3] == 433)
{
createCookie('Global', '0', '360');
}
else
{
createCookie('Global', '1', '360');
}
}
else
{
eraseCookie('Global');
if (globalCookieExists == 1)
{
createCookie('Global', '0', '360');
}
else
{
createCookie('Global', '1', '360');
}
}
window.location = this.href;
});
});
//

Will tenure for professors affect my kids' education?

College seems infinitely far away from the preschool I drop my daughter off at every day. Once in awhile I break out into cold sweats imagining how to pay for it. But I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what kind of education they’ll get once they’re there.

Maybe I should. The Chronicle of Higher Education published an essay this month on why our children need professors with tenure. Fewer and fewer new professors are being offered tenure. Some schools have done away with it entirely.

That is, this article thinks, bad for my kids’ future college careers.

Here’s the core of their argument:

In truth, many Americans deserve better job security than they have. But the people responsible for teaching your children have a special need to be protected from capricious dismissal. If your children are going to be taught to think rigorously and creatively—which is their best route to success—they need to be taught by teachers who can be rigorous, creative, and courageous as well. Tenure doesn’t guarantee that college teachers will be courageous. But it protects those who are.

It’s a good argument: teachers at all levels should be free to challenge assumptions, teach creatively and explore new ideas. Is tenure the best and only system to protect that? I don’t know. But I’m persuaded that I need to find out.

Photo: Bryan Gosline

More by Sierra Black:

I Flunk Being A Girly Mama

Why I Don’t Miss Homeschooling

How Smartphones Made The Playground Fun

Stepmothers: Do You Really Love Your Husband’s Kids?

10 Ways To Squash Sibling Rivalry

Tweet

0

Pin It

Go Back To Strollerderby

0 Comments

Add your take:

Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.