Shots Fired: 9/29/10

“…I think we don’t understand tenure.  I don’t see a need for it. I don’t need a piece of paper to tell me that I have to be hired each year. And I think as younger teachers we’re seeing a lot of things that we need. The union contract is getting in the way. I know that in the South Bronx, my kids who don’t speak English need an extra vocabulary block, They need an extra phonics block. I need extra time before the test to do extra test prep, but we have a union contract that says the school day is from 8:20 to 3:30. And that’s what so attractive about charter schools, is that they can do what their kids need. If they need an extra hour on Saturday, they bring those kids in on Saturday. I’m not allowed to do that. And the reality is, in my case, is that the union contract is in the way.”         An unidentified young teacher, speaking out at one of NBC's Education Nation sessions earlier this week.