I think there is a myth in the education world that "old" teachers, those who have put in 25+ years, must be good teachers.  To have survived that long and not experienced a last straw moment surely indicates greatness....right?  Wrong.  Just because you have weathered a quarter century in the classroom doesn't mean your students have experienced quality instruction under your rule.  

There is another myth in the education world that assumes if you have taught for more that 20+ years that you must be out-dated and ineffective.  Why, your career began before computers were an integral part of the classroom, so you must be antiquated and useless....right?  Wrong.  Just because you don't speak "text" and you may not spend your free time tweeting, doesn't mean you must be a bad teacher.

Education is an individualized profession.  Therefore, it is necessary to treat each teacher as an individual.  Evaluate and observe each teacher's strengths and weigh them against his or her weaknesses.  Tenure is a touchy subject because it is viewed as a free-ride, in a sense, for teachers.  Once they get passed those first few years, its smooth sailing...no worries.  But lawmakers and educators across the country are hoping to change that.  If you want to read more about the teacher tenure issue, click here.  A teacher ought to be retained or fired based on his or her skill, ability, and workable potential or lack thereof.  But a teacher should never be retained just because they have clocked in enough hours.  With that said, a teacher should never be let go just because she is old enough to be the new superintendent's grandmother.