faculty and tenure

    Faculty and tenure are two words often misused to discuss elementary, middle or high school.  Faculty and tenure each have a specific meaning, but only when discussing a college, a university, or any other  post-secondary school. A  member of the faculty of a university is elected by the existing faculty. Before voting on a new faculty member, existing faculty may read what he or she has written; hear a sample lecture; and "audition" him or her in a classroom--with real students. A college or university ( a group of colleges, united as one institution ) has a president, elected by, and from among, the faculty  members.  Faculty members are not fired, but may be "voted" out of their jobs, at any time before they are granted "tenure".  Once a faculty member has been granted "tenure", he or she can not be fired or dismissed.
    None of these standard definitions of "faculty" or "tenure" apply to elementary or secondary ( high school ) teaching. Teachers in elementary, middle, and junior or senior high schools are not elected, they are hired--by the school board, the principal, or a combination of the two. While teachers can not be summarily dismissed, they can be fired. There are no public school teachers in the United States who "can't" be fired. Teachers are professionals, licensed by the state, and may request a hearing if they believe they are being dismissed unfairly. Many other workers have this right as part of a contract with their employer.
     Next time you read about public school teachers who can't be fired, remember that the rest of the speech or article is no more reliable than the information on the mythical "tenure".