Anonymous #168

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #168

Where are you located?

South Australia

What type of area do you live in?

Regional or rural

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

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Secondary

What is your occupation?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

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

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I don't understand how value is going to be added to the profession without a serious salary increase, as well as raising the bar for students to enter teaching degrees.

I work at a regional school and our graduates who really don't make the grade in literacy and numeracy often go into teaching degrees with ATARs ranging from the 50s. I think this is absolutely shocking as I know these kids couldn't read or write or add properly, but they're going to be out there in 4 years 'teaching' others how to do something that they themselves could not do.

Of course the standing of the profession is going to be lousy if we keep accepting lousy people into the profession - there are plenty of idiotic individuals out there with a very low academic ceiling who are what? trying to raise the standard of academics?

I understand why the public may not hold the teaching profession in high regard, because there are a number of teachers who just don't make the grade, who have poor academic skills, who happened to luck into a easy to get in profession with 'decent' wages who don't have a clue what they are doing.

If you want to raise the standing, it cannot be done overnight, but you can stop failed students entering teaching degrees very quickly.

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.

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

People must think teachers/graduates are idiots for the paltry sum or the 'bursaries' offered are going to get people into teaching. And yes, I guess so as we accepted below par to average students into teaching degrees with low literacy and numeracy skills, so they'll all jump at the chance of a $10,000 payday and some school fees paid for - which someone can easily earn in a year flipping burgers - trust me, I've been there.

If you want to improve teacher supply, you need to attract better individuals to the profession. This will eventually push out the average stock we've spent decades stockpiling.

You also need to improve current conditions - which a $10,000 bonus will not fix at all. This will actually make things worse as you'll just keep pumping sewage into a system you're trying to clean out.

Raise the minimum ATAR to 85 and increase teacher salary - at least doctors get good pay even though the conditions are terrible - money talks, and individuals will work for it.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Make it tougher/impossible for average students to enter teaching degrees. You improve the starting material, you'll get a better finished product.

Maximising the time to teach

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

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Get specialists into coordinating specialist subjects. I've seen too many non-science & maths teachers who go on to dictate curriculum or policy. The department is full of superfluous positions filled by people who lack specialist knowledge and expertise who have shiny resumes shuttling between positions to positions created to keep those insecurities and lack of knowledge out of the limelight.

We have people dictate as educational directors or other corporate positions that are filled by ex primary school teachers who now are suddenly 'experts' in raising senior high school curriculum standards - this just doesn't make sense.

Save some money by axing those in-between and non-specific job titles in the department.

I also know the new curriculum writers had absolutely no idea (some of them) while they were writing what they were writing, as its mostly unusable and impractical. If they actually had some decent classroom experience, they wouldn't be documenting rubbish and wasting everyone's time and money.

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?

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.

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

We already have the HAT accreditation in SA, but schools need to offer specific HAT positions for those that have the accreditation. Schools play the game where they don't make those positions available as they really don't see much value in it (other than raising teacher salary for the sake of an election promise), and leadership who aren't really qualified to lead feel threatened by capable teachers with accreditation.

You need to raise the salary and not make another set up hoops for teachers to 'aspire' to. Not all of us are absolute idiots and an extra $10-15,000 a year isn't going to cut it.

In SA, the teaching salary stops at Step 9 - there needs to be more, but make people earn it through demonstrating excellence constantly. Keep the hunger in the profession for people to progress - if you dangle the carrot of consistent salary reclassification based on expertise and competence, people will strive to improve - unless they're the type that shouldn't have gone into the profession in the first place.