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Comment by philipwhiuk | Hacker News Reader

> Teaching without tenure is gig work, not a career.

Teaching without tenure is... teaching. Secondary school teachers don't have tenure. I find it hard to describe secondary school teaching as gig work.

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Many public school teachers in the USA have some sort of tenure. For example, in Massachusetts, after a three year probationary period, a teacher is given Professional Teacher Status. A teacher with PTS may be dismissed only for specified statutory reasons. High school tenure is generally not as strong as for colleges, but is easier to get.

The teacher union means no teacher gets fired for performance. My wife worked in public education as a teacher for 20 years.

Anecdotally, I had an adjunct teaching gig at a state university many years ago while I was in between jobs. My mom is a retired public school math and science teacher, and was on her district's union negotiating team. I described my gig to her, and her response was: "Now you know why teachers have a union."

They aren't programming robots. A lot of students, especially the ones who have not been taught from an early age the importance and rewards of knowledge, simply aren't interested in learning.

My state (Kentucky) does provide for "tenure" for primary/secondary teachers. In Kentucky, that is called a "continuing contract". KRS 161.720(4):

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/KRS/161/720

True, but secondary school teaching requires additional training, so it's not an option for most students thinking about applying for graduate programs. And it's a very high-attrition occupation.

Secondary school teachers usually have better employment terms.

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