Studying part-time for a doctorate can be a lonely experience; I have met only a small number of people in the same position. Your choice of subject has to be so appealing that you can keep yourself motivated for the duration of your studies, in the face of the stresses and strains of work. They will need to understand your priorities and your study pattern, which is likely to involve short bursts of activity. Look for someone experienced and who can understand your end goals. You are CEO of your project, so choose your supervisory team well, just as you would do in business.
Agree the minimum face-to-face and remote contact required with your supervisor. Document a clear plan of work and activities to reassure people around you — your supervisor and your colleagues — that you are in control. Much of the leave I take from work is focused on catching up on studying, but a break away from everything helps to clear the mind and restore the balance between work, study, home, family and friends.
Help is there if you look for it and are open to receive it. Once I started being more open about what I was doing, the support I received from my colleagues hugely increased. Accept that you cannot do everything. You need to be clear about the reasons for pursuing your studies. If it is not for a career in academia, then why put yourself under that extra pressure? Work out how your studies will make you different — value the unique perspective they will enable you to bring to your organisation.
Being able to articulate the extra benefits that you bring to your role may be useful if you need leniency around working hours or have to ask for study leave. There are more options than ever before to study remotely or part-time. Pursuing something that you are really interested in can be intensely fulfilling and help you to move towards a rounded and holistic approach to life.
Join the higher education network for more comment, analysis and job opportunities, direct to your inbox. Follow us on Twitter gdnhighered. There are people going into teaching who have no interest, capacity or ability - they can't think of anything else to do that pays as well or gives them as many benefits. If they are no good, the schoolkids get the blame and suffer and who cares? Should increase the pay and conditions to attract and hold the right sort of people with the right sort of skills - isn't that what politicians say when they get a rise?
Hi PK, As per spud's comment, looks like your wrong about the quote. He appears to be the expert on this matter. And the full transcript as every past uni student knows is "and if you can't teach, then teach teachers". Sadly, the professor is at one of the foremost institutes that accept virtually any person with a pulse to train as future teachers. Spot on PK, I agree. I know of a particular young lady close to me that wanted a degree, a degree in anything, she wasn't particular. She just wanted that bit of paper. She chose teaching as her scores were not fantastic.
She wanted 3 months off a year. She wanted to be pregnant within years, so that she could have paid maternity leave, on and off for the next 3 or 4 babies. Thankfully, she did one week at uni and realised that she hated the idea of teaching, did not like children and admitted that she never wanted to be a teacher in the first place, she just wanted the benefits. Luckily this young lady worked for a couple of years, grew up and found a different career path that she truly wanted to follow. I believe that teachers should have much higher scores before going to uni and be paid very well once they start working.
I also believe there is a lot of dead wood floating around in schools now. Luckily, there are some really decent teachers out there, who do it for the love of it and truly take an interest in the kids and seeing their education thrive. You've derived so much information based on a sample size of one. How do you do it? He who can't, teaches. Many of us in our later years are unable to do things anymore, but we sure as hell can pass on our knowledge of how to do them and do them well to those who are just setting out. In that I would say that one of the faults of many modern teachers is that they lack that knowledge and experience, and yet the system favours them as lifetime teachers over those who have been out there doing things and do have some really good messages for kids who are facing the real world.
Spud, a fine example of the attitudes teachers have to deal with; "one of the faults of many modern teachers is that they lack that knowledge and experience" And yet the average age of teachers is as old as it's ever been. Hi DaveR, Ironically, the attitude expressed by Spud is a wonderful example of the problem that has contributing to the exodus of teachers. Whilst teaching, like any profession, has its bad eggs, my experience growing up in Australia's education system and now as a parent tells me the majority of teachers are hard working professionals who believe in what they do.
The real problem, in my view, is the attitude expressed by Spud. Dave R and A T. It is of concern that both of you failed to note that my comments do not pertain to the lack of experience and consequent capacities of teachers to teach, but that they often lack the experience of the wider world that would enable them to use their teaching skills to better prepare their students for that wider world. That has nothing to do with their dedication and professionalism, and everything to do with the system which firstly does nothing to encourage or reward that wider-world experience, and secondly manages to protect and keep the bad eggs, thereby making the good teachers jobs all that more difficult and less rewarding.
Do you seriously find that attitude disturbing? If so, then I fear for the future of our society. We do not need education outputs that are mere bricks in the wall that prevents advancement of human knowledge and understanding of how the real world works and how to change society ofr the better.
How many times did Christopher Pyne rattle on about "Teacher quality" when he wanted an excuse for cutting education funding? Inequality in funding, and lack of respect for the profession certainly would make people think twice about putting their head on the chopping block. If there are some "Bad teachers" blame the institutions responsible for their training, or change the training technique.
Other countries value teachers greatly and in some countries a masters is required. We care little about teachers and to me that indicates a lack of care for the future of Australia and Australian children. It's not an insigificant amount. Usually though it's the experienced teachers past the the first years of teaching and who wish to progress up the ladder or into teaching the teachers or those who are teaching seinor subjects. The pay for teachers is inadequate? Sorry, don't you mean the.. Those are the code words that are always used to camouflage the avaricious pay claims of teachers?
I believe that the supposed "loss of teachers" story that is being promoted by the ABC aka The ALP Propaganda Ministry, is just another ploy and preliminary campaign push for higher salaries by teachers in conjunction with the Labor Party's election campaign strategy which always begin with that tired slogan Most such foreign teachers would already have better tertiary qualifications than our Aussie teachers. And most of foreign teachers would also speak a better std of English, albeit with accents, than our local so-called DSM graduate teachers.
No added cost to the taxpayers. Performance standards are already the norm in the private sector and even in Private Schools. No need for any further taxpayer spending No need for more "resources, respect and professional services" either. No time wasted and the number of teachers can be upped almost immediately. We had a teacher once who informed us during a parent-teacher he's not legally required to teach long division.
There's no comeback to the breath-taking logic of that legal argument. If he was a primary school teacher, there's some truth in what he is saying, regardless of how clumsily he might have said it. Long division is no longer on the primary school syllabus. Our children had a teacher at their state primary school let's call it Bong Bong Primary who recognised the patent absurdity of this, and taught long division anyway.
When our children's cohorts each scattered to the various local secondary schools, all the kids came home relaying the same observation from their respective maths teachers - "How come the kids from Bong Bong Primary are the only ones who know how to do long division? Possibly the historically incorrect "dreamtime" nonsense written into the curriculum by by some pc-correctness guru within the education bureaucracy. I've had the misfortune of having seen some of the revisionist non-sense teachers are obliged to incorporate in their tuitition and I can assure you its not going to make us a "smarter" country.
I taught primary classes for 6 years, secondary for 5 years and then taught teachers how to teach for a further 31 years. Long division can be taught in two lessons if you are an accomplished teacher who can enthuse the class. Been there, done it. The article may or may not have broached the hoary chestnut of entry scores to teaching courses. Of course there are those who have low scores.
Many of those drop out before the end of first year. However, some of the highest achieving students were from the bottom half of the cohort and some of the really high flyers from secondary school plateaud. Rest assured, that if a student actually graduated they were worthy.
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It is a heinous state of affairs when the requirements for state registration are above and beyond what is already a professionally recognised degree course, there's something smelly in the State of Denmark - forgive me Shakespeare. For someone who is constantly whining about the ABC being some clandestine arm of the ALP, you and your fellow right-wing warriors seem to get an awful lot of exposure on their forums. Teachers hailing from the lovely countries you have noted have significant problems with behaviour management, to the point of failing their students.
I work with teachers from a range of cultural backgrounds, and their cultural expectations about the role of students vs teachers create major issues for them in the classroom. Also, they bemoan the complete lack of corporal punishment here in Australia. Furthermore, very, very few teachers from Asian backgrounds have any understanding of differentiation for students with various learning needs, because unlike in Australia, in their home countries these students are not mainstreamed.
They express great distress and often simply refuse to do the paperwork and planning required to cater for these students in their classes. They refuse to account for specific learning needs, and simply advise that these students should not be in their classes. Many males from Asian backgrounds do not deal at all well with female managers, which, given the gender disparity in education, will present problems for staff management and cohesion.
So you see, it's just not as simple as, "hire them from somewhere else. Cultural backgrounds, cultural expectations I suppose if you look hard enough there are always reasons why we shouldn't import foreign workers at all. Surprisingly enough the Private Sector and even Private Schools don't seem to have any such problems. You must be a Psychology Major, yeah? And actually it is "as simple as that" compared to the last 30yrs of appalling academic standards.
I think it's about time to abandon the std Jurassic line of thinking and come up with a Game Change. You have something better to offer than the usual "more resources, respect, professional services" then let's hear it, yeah? And yes, bring back Corporal Punishment. Especially for slothful and indolent teachers. Interesting that you chose to raise accents as an issue when I did not. As for the rest of your twaddle, private schools do not have to educate all students.
They are also much freer to simply kick students out who do not advance their academic standing. Remarkably similar to the practices of many Asian countries. Public schools often get these throwbacks from the private schools because they don't have anywhere else to go. Unfortunately, we as a nation have decided that all children have a right to an education, even the challenging and disadvantaged and unlikeable ones.
We have further decided that since children surprisingly lack the decision-making capabilities to determine the long-term consequences of not becoming literate or numerate, we will make it compulsory for all children to attend a school of some description. Surprisingly, teachers in the public sector are increasingly left with the dregs of society, and then perceived as having failing standards, when white flight to leafy private schools is actually the culprit.
I cannot believe that you are honestly unaware of the male chauvinism that permeates many East Asian cultures, given that Japan for example, is still struggling with the notion of working mothers and wives. I also find it utterly incredulous that you don't think that a student with a hearing impairment might have particular learning needs that a teacher may need to address, yet still be perfectly capable of functioning and achieving at a very high standard in a regular classroom.
Yet I have heard and dealt with many teachers from the backgrounds you name who flat refuse to help that student because they "should be in a special school - they are not normal.
The Journal of Irreproducible Results
Most of these "terrible" mathematics teachers are terrible because they are not, in fact, mathematics teachers. They are however, quite often excellent History, English, Biology, Manual Arts, or Home Economics teachers who have been thrust into the mathematics role, because there is no one qualified to teach it, yet the students must learn mathematics. Personally I have grave concerns about the gender disparity in education, and its effects on young boys, particularly in the early years.
I would much prefer that we have more males in the profession, yet males do not seem attracted to teaching. Unfortunately, this creates significant consternation f. And you I suggest are an ignorant twerp with no grasp of teaching or the differing school systems. Had a brand new Kindy tell you to get fed lately? Don;t reckon that is the teachers fault. From my experience, foreign teachers were aghast at the acceptable behavioural standards.
Teachers that tried to implement the Behaviour management strategies were often ostracised and belittled by management. Hence the old "implied incompetency strategy" which is really administration attacking a moral and ethical person. The complacency imposed upon teachers that I viewed was therefore to satisfy principals own version of their professional competence. Audit alignment and outcomes are what need to be addressed and this can only be achieved by front line service providers viewing and signing off on all management perspectives in regard to all persons productivity and performance in the work place Jade presented salient points and all you can do is insult.
Try a coherent argument next time. Yaddi Yadda, Jibber Jabberwocky Psychobabble nonsense Blame private schools for taking the best students? What is the use of those goofy Social Sciences that you studied anyway if you can't even manage with a few such students? Enough with the pathetic excuses and bleating for more resources, more respect and more professional services. Don't you lot have any dignity left?
Where is your professional pride? Where is the assumed nobility of your vocation? All you ever come up with are defensive explanations and pathetic excuses. But at least you are not quite as feeble as some of your wretched colleagues here who can only ever make personal attacks rather than addressing the questions or the glaring academic inadequacies. Sad creatures they are But please, please, please spare us any suggestions which include Wow, what an arrogant series of comments from you Claude, can I call you Claude?
You seem to be certain you have pegged Jade's background as far as her being qualified to comment. Ever taught a class in ANY school, let alone public school? Or maybe harvested potatoes in the country? We all have our jobs and chose our professions. The only difference being that most of us accept individual responsibility in our jobs. The same can't be said for most State School teachers who refuse accountability and seem to blame everyone and everything except their own indolent selves.
Good, Claudius, very good. SO next time there is a drought, do I hold you personally responsible for the lack of potatoes in my local market? Or maybe why my order of insert product , fresh from your factory is wrong or incomplete, or perhaps delayed. There are no external factors to consider is there? Only you - be sure to take ownership of your supposed intellect, as well as your job. No, but I have worked in construction in far north Qld in blistering heat and horrendous humidity. AND I have also worked as a teacher.
How about your Claude? The gender disparity is a problem. We have too many female teachers, and too few males entering the profession. I'm surprised you would disagree with that assertion, given your tone. As for your comments regarding professional pride and dignity, many of those teachers who have not left the public school sector for the much easier road of private schools have chosen to remain because they do have professional pride and dignity.
And because they care about the least of us and the most vulnerable. As for managing "a few such students" - in certain areas of Brisbane, there are schools who cater to students from more cultural backgrounds than exist in the entirety of New York City. Add to that appalling disadvantage in these areas, the emotional trauma that many of these children have experienced due to war, famine, and other horrors, not to mention abuse at the hands of parents and caregivers, and then there are the children with special needs, which are overrepresented in poor populations.
Whether we agree or not, whether we think the conditions are real or imagined does not unfortunately decrease the amount of paperwork and evidence we have to provide to demonstrate that we are meeting each child's needs. In a class of 30 students, that means at a minimum, 15 students have been verified as having a disorder or disability that we must develop individual learning plans for. Something that yet again, many teachers in the private sector are not required to do, leaving them with significantly more time to plan engaging, exciting and challenging lessons, units and assessments.
Further, children are entering the preparatory year without knowledge of how to tie shoes, the basic vocabulary required to learn to read and which the preparatory year curricula and EYLF presuppose children have upon entry or even, increasingly, basic toilet training. In addition, Nadine Burke-Harris of the Bay Area Clinics has presented significant data demonstrating the catastrophic impact of "adverse childhood experiences" on brain development and lifetime health and social outcomes. Before you dismiss her qualifications as you have dismissed mine without actually knowing what they are, she is a medical doctor.
I understand how the data looks for many outside of education. And I understand that much of what teachers say looks like excuses. However, it is simply the background information and context required to understand why there appears to be a decrease in teacher quality in public schools in particular, when in fact there is a decrease in the types of students who typically boost a school's data. By modern standards I am an extremely educated male. I have been told to my face by Australian managers that my educational qualifications are worthless despite the fact that my education is why I am profoundly effective in my professional role.
The simple and brutal fact is, Australia does not now and never has valued education, which is why we are where we are. I once contemplated becoming a teacher. Until I realised that, as a male, I would immediately fall under constant suspicion of being a pedophile despite not being one. Even leaving that aside, teachers are also treated with complete contempt. So no, I am not interested in teaching anyone, especially children. I am a teacher with an honours degree, and three related post-grads including teaching. I came to the teaching profession in my early forties because I was told my experience in counselling, psychology and child protection, as well as in industry, would be highly valued.
I only have relief teaching available to me at the moment. I have even been advised to 'dumb down' my qualifications. Silly me, who wants an educated, experienced teacher helping the kids of Australia? What a load of stupid ideas with a little teacher bashing and ALP bashing thrown in for good measure. If that is the standard train of thought for right wingers then no wonder that any hope for a decent education system lies in the hands of Labor.
Did you actually read this article? The only criticism of pay was related to senior positions. That's the least of the issues discussed here. I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. And it is precisely because of attitudes such as this that teachers are leaving the profession in droves. Why is it that the moderator on this forum gives so much space to smart arsed, shit stirring right wingers? It's getting outta control. Rule , yeah fair enough , we don't want any form of free speech here do we?
Only your political leaning views should be published. CP is allowed to stretch and break the rules and the mods turn a blind eye and this happens frequently. I've posted factual non-ranting comments and replies which never see the light of day yet more snarly responses are let through.
I think the mods are brown-nosing the Liberal bosses. That's become evident over the past year, Jean That's why I've reduced my attempts to contribute. Eventually, this forum looks to going the same path as other originally neutral and unbiassed forums and be swamped by the rantings from the Right. Jean , if it's rubbish then it's rubbish in your opinion , however freedom of speech must allow this rubbish to be printed so others who just might agree with CP can join in , or don't you want this happen?
The Drum moderator is another matter and will do as it seems fit , you can complain to them and they might listen , or not , who knows. The Drum is moderated and it has Rules which apply to comments. You ought to read them. Unfortunately the moderators seem to overlook the Rules and complaints get nowhere. In the US they keep their jobs based on performance. The principal there is in effect the CEO of the school and themselves held accountable for overall school performance.
As well they are there to teach not indoctrinate their pupils on the latest trendy issues. Australia outperforms the USA in all compulsory education standards. We should stay the hell away from learning from countries that rank below us in any given policy area. It is quite common for Australian students transfering accross to the US school system to have done the content the previous year when transfering to similar aged peers in schools.
I had a maths teacher friend who teaches grade 12 AP maths. She looked at the advanced level maths books for HSC here and said they were advanced on what she was teaching in a high socioeconomic area. Jess, My children were educated in the US and those schools and their teaching staff were superior to their experience in Australian private schools. The expectations on all involved was high and the outcomes excellent. Clearly you are high income who would have been in an upper middle class scocio-economic area at the very least. Because of the way the USA funds education it means that high socio-economic areas do well continunally and the lower socioeconomic areas are essentially trapped in a cycle that is very hard to get out of.
While my andidote is andidote it at least refers to evidence. On the whole the USA education system performs lower than our education system in all international rankings. The curriculum differences are also able to be compared. Your antidote has no evidence to back it aside from personal experience. Jess, I think you mean "anecdote" not "antidote" or "andidote". Hope you are not a teacher. BTW my kids went to government schools in the US. Not a teacher, I work in mathematics. Spelling was never my strong suit. The USA disparity even among public schools is well known.
It even is pervades television and movies. A school in a high economic area does well and will continue to do well whereas a school in a lower socioeconomic area is essentially trapped. The outcomes of schools in the USA is tied more to the socio-economic status of the students than in Australia. I find it fascinating that you bring up an education system widely regarded as failing in every possible way as an example that we should look to.
Especially your remarks regarding indoctrination not being embedded in an education system where students recite a pledge of allegiance to a piece of cloth every morning, and where utterly non-scientific twaddle is taught in science classes as a result of interference from religious extremists. Where in a large number of states, the history of slavery has been partially or wholly eradicated from history classes. Indeed, where in order to receive certain levels of funding, the objectively least effective and most dangerous "sex education" program is used, again due to the influence of religious extremists.
It is breathtaking to me that you might actually be serious, and not satirical in your response here. Teaching is already a eligible profession. Hate to break it to you, but teaching isn't the same as it was 50 years ago. Not sure where you got this one from. The Private School sector does nothing like what you are describing.
Again a hollow bell ring from a guy without a single clue about which they speak. My wife, a teacher who has just turned 50, earns less than the tradesman in my factory. Even some of the assembly workers earn more. She puts in hours of extra work each night, and spends most of her "holidays" finalizing the previous terms work and preparing for the upcoming one. She spent four years at uni, and could probably earn much more in private enterprise. Tens of thousands more in fact.
If not for people like my wife, who'd baby sit your kids for you? Your "wife" puts in hours of extra work each night? Yes, as if others in the private sector don't. Yeah, my ples bleed for you and your "wife". Your "wife" and spends most of her "holidays" finalizing the previous terms work and preparing for the upcoming one? You mean the 52 days off each year?
The numerous early dismissals, professional development days off, report writing days off, teachers meeting days off? Again, as if so very many of us in private sector don't work during our official holidays and yet we seem to manage without all those holidays and bludge days which you "wife" enjoys. She spent four years at uni and could probably earn much more in private enterprise?
Maybe your "wife" should have been a tradesman in your factory. She could earn more. That is, after all, why you married her, yeah? They allowed you to breed. Claudius Pseudonymus, it is always easy to point out how simple it is when you are not the one doing the job. Teaching is one of the only professions I know that if you call in sick, it creates more work for you. Most teachers I know being one myself hate the idea of not being in the classroom. During each term my poor wife rarely gets to spend anytime with me during the weeknights as I am preparing for my classes, although she may actually appreciate that on occasions.
Also how does one judge performance pay. The amount of 'A' grades you give? There are two problems with this, it leads to the possibility of corruption, secondly what about the amazing teachers who make a difference in other ways. Some kids come to school just to get away from the crises they have at home, how about teachers who have a class that the majority will be truant? To me, if you can get those kids to stay in class and be exposed to a learning environment that is a great teacher, how do we assess that teachers performance.
One of my favorite memories as a teacher is helping an Aboriginal year 12 student to learn how to read the time on anolouge clocks, the student was not likely to get a high grade, but appreciated the effort in helping him. Also learning Dream-time stories can help students literacy, imagination, cultural understanding, non-linear thinking processes and critical thinking processes. Students do not have to read novels and classical literature to improve literacy. Got students who loves bikes, get them a repair manual, you could also include some Physics if you want to. There appear to be many experts who claim to know what is best and few people asking the workers at the coal face about how things can be improved.
CP, you truely know little about the subject of you infantile rants. You clearly have no idea of the work and effort involved in teaching, and have no idea of what is actually taught in schools. Please don't waste further pixels and stop wasting our time.
How about some references? Here's a personal experience Looking back, I'm appalled at what some of my teachers did and said to their students. Starting late in life, I now have children at school age attending public schools - shock, horror! I think teaching has come a long way forward. Having embraced ignorance, egotistical blathering and language desecration, one asks, what would a highly polished prick know about anything, let alone the education area he has avoided?
Perhaps we could just censor out all those offensive right-wing comments and just let your gracious, valuable, good-humoured and intellectually stimulating comments replace them. You are correct only about our local complaints by teachers. The aspect of wages being reasonable. The issue of permanency is also a weak point re complaints as today few graduate careers end up in more than contract work.
The problems of a respectful environment as well as extremely higher work demands are a direct result if public schools client population comprising of too many poorly raised offspring from dysfunctional backgrounds both with psychological issues and learning limitations and then add in the insistance of integrating even higher need cognitively disabled students with limited rescources.
There are teachers and schools that rise to that challenge though it won't be within the capacity of all graduates. Something prospective teachers should have found out before going for that career path.
How to juggle a full-time job and a part-time PhD
I'd suggest our local public school demands in the kind of teaching and contexts won't be suitable situation for the majority of teachers from the countries you reccomend recruiting from. Your 1st point re accents is often a huge problem for au kids with no experience of other languages, dialects etc. Second point is innane re practibility in using these teachers as they aren't in a position to change the curriculum plus it's a limited amount of public school stufents doing the straight science courses.
The offer of permancy after the visas is an awful proposition that could tempt unhappy unable to effectively adjust and teach students stuck with such enduring to await permant residency and then leave the shools anyway. The OS teacher only has proven themselves in a disciplinary system that is not supported by our education systems or remotely understood by our students or most parents, hence is irrelevant.
Plus the greatest shock these OS teachers exoerience and complain about is the students not showing any respect for their authority, role etc.. The parents if met are even a bigger shock in defending their kids from being picked on!! Teachers here need to use management, individualised curriculum plus strong engagement. They need to rapidly EARN the students respect. It's not a given via their role to much extent. It's often a huge culture shock! They have no hope of changing the culture or curriculum re academic excellence or focus on academic subjects where the local school population in public schools isn't already offering it to the amount of students able to do or desire such options.
While a limited amount of such is delivered in public schools, it is more prevelant in private schools. Not because our public school teachers don't value or desire such aspirations or lack keenes to teach that way, but their population isn't suited or capable of these aspirations. Many of our good science teaching teachers actually put. I am not for any of that. The raw fact of the matter is the Western cannon is superior. Our philosophy is richer and more factual. Our science is more advanced. Our economic systems are mimicked although I do not know why - neo-liberalism is a dud and was known to be that way 2 years after the Washington Consensus.
I would want a Westerner teaching my children. Now, the real problem is the classroom is an exercise in riot control and not teaching. This went beyond the threshold of pain in and has progressively become worse. For the rusted on retards, both factions of the same party Laberal had had a crack at it over the last 25 years and it still gets worse. Classrooms can be returned to places of learning and the teachers have very little to do with it - its a management issue.
Pay in meaningless when you cannot get a job. Maybe its the compulsory unionisation of the public education system that puts off educated, self-reliant individuals from wanting to work in such archaic institutions when they know underperforming colleagues will be protected and paid them same salaries Just like the Banks, telecommunication companies and a host of other private organisations.
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The concept of talent and reward for dedication and performance is a myth. Sounds like you are also describing a fair sample of our politicians. Seriously, how about adding something of value to the debate? That's probably about right and if your a male teacher your open to all kinds of accusations from female students, whether true or not your future is ruined and you haven't got a leg to stand on.
Yes you would be mad to step into a classroom without the legal backing of a strong union. One young teacher was accused of sexual assault recently, luckily he found written evidence that two girls has conspired to accuse him after he resisted their sexual advances. The girls broke down when confronted with the evidence and he was saved. He could have ended up in jail. Another woman was accused of victimising a student only to find during a meeting with union legal teams that the mother's marriage was breaking down and she was mentally unstable.
On and on it goes. It isn't compulsory to be a union member to teach at all. Just stupid not to. Sports 'administrators' are often another example of the tail wagging the dog. Firstly, there needs to be a cap on uni places. There are far too many graduates in most fields including education Google law graduate outcomes and graduate teacher unemployment.
Why spend a fortune subsidising an education that the economy has no demand for? Throwing good money after bad is obviously a good thing according to the politicians. Some numbers I have found: Yep, great career move for anyone looking to go to uni This whole article does not make sense. On the one hand teachers apparently have terrible employment conditions and possibly pay and there are shortages of teachers in some regions and subjects. On the other hand their are far too many teachers graduating every year for the number of jobs on offer.
The unis free-for-all with student numbers is at the root of this problem. We need to put the uni student caps back in and base thrm on predicted demand by industry in the next 5 to 10 years. Whether people are accepted into uni based on ATAR or something else is a totally different matter.
You have to be joking. For a degree that doesnt require much examination teachers are paid very well. Im sick of hearing about teachers pay, they are well compensated for the lack of time they have to put into theior job which is essentially baby sitting.
I do not know where you send your kids to school but mine are certainly not being baby sat. Their teachers are very skilled and diligent. The kids and teachers are continuously being assessed and trained. Working hours are certainly not 9 to 3. Having said all that, I think their pay is fine. It's not a big deal to have a job with a degree these days, their skills are not particularly rare, or difficult to obtain and in the grand scheme of things they do not carry that much responsibility.
I think you could omit the word "technical" and your statement would be valid. The pay offered to teachers is poor.
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I don't care any more now that I am retired from teaching but the rest of you may have some concerns. If you want teachers of any description in your child's school you had better advocate for a substantial increase in teachers' pay pretty soon. We want teachers with ATARs no lower than 80 and the only way to achieve this is to increase pay. Nothing to do with the archaic industrial system teachers work under where once permanently appointed to working in the public system, get preference over new incoming teachers who may actually have better qualifications and be better teachers.
So basically you have old time servers getting the plum positions over the new to the profession purely on seniority and not merit. Most new teachers spend up to five years working relief contracts until they finally jag a permanent position. This federal government doesn't value education, let alone teachers. I would not recommend teaching as a profession to anyone. For reasons unprintable, I personally asked my children not to entertain Education as a career.
This was a shame as they could have bought many personal and professional qualities to a school community. However they were not bought up to be administrators puppets, which would have required them having to denounce quality values and role model acceptance to abuse because administrators operate to please the Insurer. There really is no valued natural justice operational mechanisms in Institutions because legally no administrator wants to be forced to become witness to amelioration when the insurer can provide assistance if maladministration ever presents itself.
This is the saddest outcome for WHS laws as litigation has created a dysfunction in established but futile mandates. Since education is a state issue, we should be glad the federal government isn't interfering with the states. Yet tertiary places are federally funded, as is private schools and the Catholic sector. There is also the huge issue of vertical fiscal imbalance: Why will we need teachers? We have a PM that says everything is great and we will just innovate ourselves into future glory through osmosis. Given the amount of self proclaimed education experts that contribute on this site I'd say that the shortfall could be easily filled: But if one is expert enough to know the problems with the education system one also has the requisite knowledge to stay as far away from it as possible.
As a child of two teachers I know two things: As another child of two teachers, I have to agree with you wholeheartedly. However, I would add a couple of sub-paragraphs to your first point. From the child's point of view, this means that you face constant criticism and never-ending pressure to be both academically perfect and a model of "good behaviour". Rightly or wrongly, most other children will assume that a teacher's child is likely to be a "dobber" or a "snitch". Many teachers also assume that their child's peers are a "bad influence" and may actively seek to quarantine their children from this "bad influence".
This view tends to be transmitted to the teacher's own children, both through the way the teacher treats them, and through overheard whether you want to or not! I can relate to the sub-paragraphs. It should be a rule that any teacher that has a child should not send that child to the same school at which the parent teaches.
My memory was always having to be on guard at school for fear of any misdermeanor getting back to my parents via the teachers' lounge. In addition one couldn't do anything in town without them getting to hear of it, so you had no real privacy. Mentoring takes time, and is not a skill everyone has. Mentor teachers should be identified and then have a 0.
Teaching in regional or underprivileged schools is the hardest gig but is where new teachers get put Perhaps a social work co qualification requirement for most teachers, such is the current responsibilities for sorting out children from dysfunctional communities, as it would give them some solid tools for dealing with appalling classroom behaviours and chronic underachievment.. And the school budget shouldn't have to cover it Cue the usual anti teacher abuse.. Fair call re all those points. I certainly won't abuse teachers - not now when my children are starting school and I didn't back in the day at school.
Only point I would make that you may see as a criticism of teachers is this - some that are in the system clearly are not suitable. And they should be removed. My experience as a student in the late 80's early 90s was that they weren't moved on. I suspect from posts I read on the drum that things haven't changed in this regard. Any fix of the problems the author has identified needs to address this issue too.
More capable teachers entering the workforce will improve teaching quality: Standards are raised in schools, with better practices modelled and parents and students expecting these to be followed by other teachers. Better teachers get promoted, in turn expecting better practice in others. But you need support for poor teachers to improve: Some won't and you need people who have the time to work through the dismissal process. This does take money, but the evidence is that this works. Performance management is an issue in many workplaces, and especially in the public service where self insurance for workcover and potential large pension payouts unfunded discourage the Government from exiting people, plus the PSU or in this case the EdU, fight tooth and nail to keep the dross in place instead of thinking of the profession as a whole and the careers of the up and coming teachers who are their future members.
Pre GFC there was about to be a big exit of old-wood teachers in SA, but they all stayed on because their super lost value: Likewise excess in certain subjects can't be stood down.. Male teachers don't put up with it, and go find a better job. The women find the ability to maintain a permanent position through multiple pregnancies or cut back hours to suit family responsibilities invaluable, but are fragmenting their careers, and blocking younger teachers.
To me that sounds like more paperwork, more compliance checkforms, and more auditing. It seems to me the teacher is asked to take on other people's responsibility. Here is a snapshot of the first day of my 27 month stint at an industry training school remember those, they were cast aside because TAFE was apparently better and cheaper - now that's funny.
Instructor "Who is responsible for your learning"? The one and only person game enough to answer "You"? Teacher in a louder voice this time ""Who is responsible for your learning"? A different game person in a very sheepish voice "Me"? He even wrote that on the board in case we missed it. Lesson number 2 was then the SQ3R method.
So there you have it, you teachers are not responsible for the students learning, the student is. You are your own worse enemy and will remain that way for as long as you lot keep taking on your students' responsibility. As far as the system goes, it will continue to need 3 times the cost to produce half the results for as long as the learned helplessness remains as a feature of school "education".
Students responsibility for their own learning is no good reason to ask the government for more money. Students don't get paid to learn. Teachers mostly get paid to teach though. There's no other way to get their hands on Tax Payers' Money. What good is whining about how terrible it all is if you don't make a profit at the end of the day?
Think of students as vegetables with no active function in the process, because they don't get paid anyway, so no point in asking for more money for them. There is a huge difference between learning as an adult and learning as a child at a school. Are you really suggesting students from the age of 5 are responsible for their own learning? There is personal responsiblity for learning towards the end of school in years 11 and 12 but before that it is more the teachers and schools responsibility than the student. That's what this country really needs most of all.
Professor Aspland "Why wouldn't I want to be a Teacher? At the risk of being howled down for my lack of understanding every politically correct social norm, at the mercy of being implicated in union actions which make me look greedy. Being unaware of inner-family problems of some students and subsequently being labelled recalcitrant and unwilling to be involved.
Having to be aware of every food morsel which could or would pass a child's lips. Be willing to take criticism for any failure a student may be considered to have encountered. Working at the rate of a self-employed business owner. Having a superannuation package which out ways my counterparts in society and ostracises me from genuine debate over the issue. Having holidays which outway that of my community, once again eliminating me from genuine discussion. JT Yes well picked up. The over rall messige remayns clear though.
The expectations of Teachers to fill the many gaps in our social structure remain. A Teacher must be professional and achieve professionalism in outcomes. They should be respected for the field of expertise in which they were employed. Obviously not an English Teacher? They wonder why parents complain? Says a lot for the current level of Education practices. I'm not quite sure why Professor Aspland comes here if she's so against ill-informed opinion. Leaving that conundrum aside, my own ill-informed opinion is that she add the quality of what's attempting to be taught into her mix.
Can't and won't speak for others, but if it were me and I had to put up with children with an overweening sense of their own self importance, parents who have produced, nurtured, and then abandoned responsibility for these creations, and a structure which prevents me from imposing effective discipline on the whole circus, then I wouldn't be hanging around either.
An Executive Dean - if they're even half good at their job - would know how their own staff are deeply unhappy with both the quality of the material they have to work with and restrictions which are placed on what they can do about it. Why she thinks even younger, even less experienced would-be educationalists in a way more pressurised situation could produce a better outcome in their chosen area defies understanding.
My best advice is probably for her to leave Deanery and get someone else in who has a better awareness of what's to be seen around them. Ill-informed as that no doubt is. Dear Son of Zaky I think you are on the right track - the author of the article has no idea. I know quite a few teachers, and there is one universal complaint. The lack of support for teachers who have to deal with disruptive and sometime violent children and their parents. I know of others who have been driven to resignation by the actions of parents who insist there is nothing wrong with their children and it is the teacher's fault.
In one case the child in question was told off for pulling down girls' underwear and groping their genital area. Our public system now accepts all students and shoves them all into classrooms and insists that all must be treated the same. The support provided to the teacher on the front line is usually no more than booklet or an instruction manual. I know of a teacher who had been assaulted no less than 5 times by a large and belligerent child, necessitating medical treatment, being advised that her classroom control technique must be faulty.
There was no consideration given to the possibility that the child was not suited to a standard classroom. When one adds the children of anti-social parents, who mimic their parents' behaviour and make it clear that they have no desire to be educated, that school is a transitional stage before a life of the dole and crime, one can understand why many leave the profession. And it is not because of the lack of theory: It is the lack of courage to say "Some children must be excluded from classes, for the good of the majority".
Class sizes, Gonski, charter schools, "greater parental input", depletion of the public sector, sub-standard training, and all the other barrows being pushed which, I hesitate to add, all have merit to a greater or lesser degree are just fine and dandy; but I'm afraid I'm one of those hopelessly old-fashioned, ignorant people who doesn't try to build a house on sand and then stands around with a stupid and confused look on my face wondering why it fell over. If a couple more of us turn up today Tabanus we can probably become a "stakeholder" and apply for funding. How do you convince them that education is the road to a good income.
Trouble is those jobs are about to disappear, but it will be too late for those kids then. How does excluding children achieve anything? If we exclude children and deny them an education they end up as dysfunctional adults who have no skills to get a job and rely on centerlink their entire lives. Then they get further marginalised because society calls them 'dole bludgers' and they go on to have children who will mimic their parents and also get kicked out of classes and perpetuate the cycle. Kicking them out of class, doesn't solve any of your issues.
But Kicking their parents may solve most issues. Education begins at home. Dear Sam Who said anything about denying them an education. Special schools, with specially trained teachers. Not treating a dysfunctional child as just another pupil. At the moment not only does the offending child not get an education, but the other children in the class have their education adversely affected.