Thank you for recognizing the importance of teacher quality over seniority in your June 15 editorial about the legislative compromise between the advocacy group Stand for Children and the Massachusetts Teachers Association (“Teachers union wisely puts quality ahead of seniority”). As a teacher in the Boston Public Schools, I understand the challenges of leading students to academic successes, but, as do many of my colleagues, I persevere in the interest of my children. In my estimation, teaching is the most important job our society has, and retaining teachers based on anything other than their performance is just plain wrong.
Teaching is an art, and we should be judged on our work, not for how long we’ve held a paintbrush. Every child has only one chance to receive an education; therefore, the quality of a child’s teacher has a tremendous impact.
Our nation’s future depends on our children being educated by the best teachers, not the most senior ones. I want teachers to be in the classroom because they are doing the best job for students, not because they have been there the longest.
The writer is a sixth-grade history teacher at Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School in Roxbury.