I did not really know much about teacher unions and I had to do some research. From what I saw, unions are comprised of professionals who are interested in and passionate about education. These unions make it possible for schools to access many tools that they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. I do not think that unions should be reformed or abandoned because they are a positive aspect in education.
I believe strongly that reforms are needed for tenure. Throughout the years, I have had multiple teachers who were not passionate about their jobs. These teachers would rather sit at their desk and let the students learn on their own then actually trying to help them learn like they are meant to do. Teachers who have been in a school for 3+ years are "safe" and therefore they think that it is okay after this amount of time to slack in their area of teaching. There are a lot of well educated teachers who would love to have the jobs of those teachers who are slacking on their jobs and it is not fair to the students who have those teachers who no longer have the motivation they started with.
I completely agree that reforms are needed for tenure. It is not fair to the students to get a crappy teacher who does not try anymore. I know of teachers who allow students to learn on their own or just not really learn at all because they allow them to cheat off other students and I disagree with this. The teacher needs to be a resource for students to obtain knowledge and instruction from. If the teacher is too wrapped up in their personal life, or too selfish to give the students the education they deserve then they really need to go. They should not be allowed to stay because they have been there for 3+ years. They should be replaced by someone who is more motivated and willing to actually teach.
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