Are teacher unions really a problem?

Its been a long time since I have written but I just read an article about teacher tenure in NJ where Gov. Chris Christie discusses his decision to remove tenure for teachers and offer a 5 year contract where at the end of the 5 years you would be reviewed and based upon Merit would be offered another contract.  I have tried to stay out of this debate on paper as much as I can because I have friends in unions who see the plus in them and I have friends who hate charter schools because we are the reasons they have to deal with the union/non-union debauchery.

While I see the benefits of unions (times when I get handed tons of work and get told I have to go to mandatory meetings until 6pm I am screaming that there is no one there to back me up).  But there are more times in my life when I am thankful that I can stand up for myself and go right to the source to get what I need.  Being a teacher who does what she is supposed and moves children at least one grade level every year I feel as though I can ask for more things than I could if I was in a union.  I have watched a friend who is not tenure yet get literally harrassed in NJ because her union does not have contracts.  They threaten to "slash her tires" and heckle her at her job because she refuses to participate in union sanctioned events where they stand outside the board's office and pickett.  I mean, do I really want to pay X amount of dollars to be forced to go to events that could make me lose my job?  All because the unions want more free time and more money, so we don't have a contract?  Who doesn't want more money but at the very least I will take a job!


With that being said, I believe that neither system is the "enemy"  Unions feel boards of educations are the enemy because they put such resistant to what teachers need and want.  But Boards feel unions are the enemy because they are always saying they don't do or get enough.  What if we trusted the board to give us everything they could and trust the unions to ask for what they actually need to be successful.  And here's a concept- WHAT IF WE ALL DID WHAT WE WERE PAID TO DO?! Teach or be a leader let's just remember one thing:  We are here for the children- not for the summers off or the fact that we get out at 1:45pm.  It's about children learning.  If we do that then we should all get what we want.




Here is the actual article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/education/13jersey.html?ref=education






Here's an article about 23 new charter schools being allowed to open up in NJ:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/education/19christie.html?ref=education