A reporter from libertarian rag Reason interviewed notorious Massachusetts liberal actor Matt Damon at this year’s Save Our Schools March and she tried to throw some business at him about teacher tenure and Ayn Randy incentive stuff and he wasn’t having it.
Watch as Damon, a multi, multi-millionaire, somehow comes across as in-touch with the needs of the working teacher. Observe with delight as not only is the reporter shamed, but so too is the cameraman! Behold Damon’s glorious bald head and adorable mom! It’s a fun video, is what I’m saying. [via Slog]
God I heart Matt Damon
LPL. Thanks for a morning laugh. That was soooooooooo good. Especially the comment to the cameraman.
I saw it before. I have been thinking for some while that he will think about running for office. He is pissed a lot and has criticized O in the past. I used to teach and I can tell you that there a are a lot of tenured teachers who should not be tenured. Also there a are a lot of teachers who should get tenure who do not. It is a catch 22 much of the time. If you play the administrative games you get tenure. If your primary concern is with the students in your classroom you may not get tenure. It all depends on the quality of the administrator in your school. I honestly don’t know what to say about this. I do know how very much school politics play in tenure. One of my recent students who started teaching in elementary school told me she had to have her lesson plans in 6 weeks in advance. If you are a creative teacher there is no way you could possibly know what you would be doing in 6 weeks.
The introduction of Paul Goodman’s Growing Up Absurd remarks on this stupid practice. And if you are observed 6 weeks hence, and you are not doing what your lesson plan said you would be doing, they use that to not give you tenure. Where I live ow, they only want new teachers because they are cheaper. They harass older teachers, take away their classroom, make them roving teachers with a cart to get them to resign so they can get a new cheaper one.
The situation is abominable. The more you love teaching the more vulnerable you are to the political forces above you. If you get one good principal in 5 years, consider yourself very fortunate. Principals keep going for higher certification to get more oney, teachers go for principal certification to go up the ladder. Damon is right, but how many gifted and dedicated professionals do you really know in any given field? They are rare.