By Erika Sanzi
9/30/14
“I was given a job for life at the age of 26. Strange, huh? It’s not weird at all in the world of public education. I find myself thinking back to my tenure ceremony as I reflect on the Vergara case in California, in which a judge ruled California’s teacher tenure and dismissal laws unconstitutional and in violation of students’ rights. What if the negligent teachers described by the courageous student plaintiffs were granted tenure at 26 like me? How many children did they let down, how many families did they disappoint, how many futures did they stymie, how many lives did they hurt? What if they were my children’s teachers?
I am one of the lucky ones. My “what ifs” are another mother’s reality. Actually, they are the reality of millions of mothers.”