Note to the Governor

Dear Governor Malloy,

I did not “just show up for four years” to earn my tenure. I imagine that the principal who evaluated my teaching for those four years, and provided feedback and support, and assigned mentors for me in my beginning years of teaching while I completed the state of Connecticut’s BEST(Beginning Educator Support and Training) program, would be as insulted as I am to hear you summarily demean what a teacher does to earn tenure.

I know you weren’t governor yet when the BEST program was around and new teachers all had to complete elaborate portfolios (which were similar to ones we all completed in graduate school to earn our Masters degrees and become certified to teach to begin with) and videos of ourselves in our classrooms—does any of that ring a bell?—but I know you have staff. And records. In fact you have a whole Department of Education that keeps records of our college and graduate school transcripts and certifications (which are tiered, by the way: initial, provisional, professional) and continuing education credits that we earn in professional development provided by our school districts. That is, you have access to the truth.

But shame on me for expecting you to do the homework rather than simply join in the blame game and blame the teacher. After fifteen years of teaching high school I know the type.