Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tenure
Random observation, recording mainly for future reference because I'm puzzled about it.......
I've talked often, probably too often, about the ill effects of tenure in education. Supposedly tenure allows teachers "intellectual freedom" after they've paid their dues in experience. Nobody really believes this, and administrations have always found ways to fire profs with unpopular opinions. In the '50s when college admins were pro-American, they found ways to fire Commie profs despite tenure. Now, when the admins are pure Commie, they find ways to fire pro-American or anti-Gaia profs. There's always a way.
In fact tenure guarantees the opposite of intellectual freedom. Because you have to spend at least 14 years in an insecure position before you can earn the supposed security, you learn to please the Old Boys, the Silverbacks, in your particular specialty. This means that the young profs with unorthodox tendencies are pushed out, gently or otherwise, before the year when "intellectual freedom and security" begins.
Now I'm noticing a parallel to tenure among brand-R commentators. Rush and Beck recently signed new long-term contracts for unimaginable sums of money. Both of them have actually decreased their independence since signing the supposedly secure contract. Both have become ever more loyal party hacks since that point. Can't be the same mechanism as in education; Rush and Beck were past the select-out stage long ago. Nevertheless, the net effect is the same. Haven't figured it out yet!
Simplest explanation: Money buys loyalty. Lots of money buys lots of loyalty. The real question: Who's the buyer, and which Arab emirate does he live in?
I've talked often, probably too often, about the ill effects of tenure in education. Supposedly tenure allows teachers "intellectual freedom" after they've paid their dues in experience. Nobody really believes this, and administrations have always found ways to fire profs with unpopular opinions. In the '50s when college admins were pro-American, they found ways to fire Commie profs despite tenure. Now, when the admins are pure Commie, they find ways to fire pro-American or anti-Gaia profs. There's always a way.
In fact tenure guarantees the opposite of intellectual freedom. Because you have to spend at least 14 years in an insecure position before you can earn the supposed security, you learn to please the Old Boys, the Silverbacks, in your particular specialty. This means that the young profs with unorthodox tendencies are pushed out, gently or otherwise, before the year when "intellectual freedom and security" begins.
Now I'm noticing a parallel to tenure among brand-R commentators. Rush and Beck recently signed new long-term contracts for unimaginable sums of money. Both of them have actually decreased their independence since signing the supposedly secure contract. Both have become ever more loyal party hacks since that point. Can't be the same mechanism as in education; Rush and Beck were past the select-out stage long ago. Nevertheless, the net effect is the same. Haven't figured it out yet!
Simplest explanation: Money buys loyalty. Lots of money buys lots of loyalty. The real question: Who's the buyer, and which Arab emirate does he live in?
Labels: Experiential education
¶ 10:47 AM
