Anonymous #329

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #329

Where are you located?

Western Australia

What type of area do you live in?

Metropolitan

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Primary

What is your occupation?

School leader

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I agree that quality teaching makes a great difference to beneficial outcomes for students. As a teacher with a breadth and depth of experience teaching from Three Year Old Kindy to Year 12, in different countries and in various socioeconomic areas in Australia I believe that teachers are expected to shoulder the load for too much in society. A variety of agencies identify areas where more needs to be done- fiscal literacy (one example that springs to mind)- from my perspective the almost automatic solution seems to be- schools can do this. Schools cannot be everything to everyone. Over my twenty two years in the profession some parents seem to have abdicated their responsibilty for being partners in the education of their children. As all parents are parents in a school somewhere there is a myriad of experiences and expectations of parents.
No other profession is expected to be at the end of an email. As a teacher I accept that not adhering to the boundaries of not answering parent emails on weekends or out of hours leads a cohort of parents to think that they are entitled to fire off incendary emails and expect an almost instantaneous response- akin to a text message.
I accept that globally there would be very few parents who do not want the very best for their child. I myself am a strong advocate for my children whowever, there is a fine line for being a supportive partner with your child's school and constantly 'fighting your child's battles' - thankfully we live in Australia. Children who learn Year 1 lessons (social, emotional) in Year 1 and are empowered to problem solve at in an age appropriate manner with the support of teachers and parents are in a better position to deal with the ups and downs of friendships. As opposed to parents who with the best of intentions constantly excuse and defend their child's behaviour and in doing so abdicate the child from taking responsibility for their actions and in the process learning valuable life lessons. For optimal learning to occur children you need Maslow before Bloom. The appreciation of children's diversity in learning styles has greatly improved and valuing all children's progress is much valued by myself

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Teachers need to be able focus on the 'stuff that matters'. Swimming lessons is not core business- in my opinion in a city. Parents can take their children to swimming lessons. Engaging with end of year swimming lessons takes effectivley two weeks out of class time. Children are shattered.

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Moderately effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?