Anonymous #217

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #217

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?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

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

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I have not done any further reading on this action so don’t feel that I can comment meaningfully on it.

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 agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I feel there is too much focus on bringing new people into our profession, without appropriate consideration being given to why we seem unable to retain staff long term. Bringing more people into an unsustainable system will not solve the problems that exist in that system. I have been teaching for 19 years and I feel quite peer-less. I feel that I am surrounded by teachers who have worked many, many years more than me, or those that have worked fewer than 8. If I think about my colleagues over the years and today, many of them, if not most, have either already left teaching or will likely do so in the coming years.

Bringing more people in will address part of the problem, absolutely, however losing longer term staff has an immeasurable impact on schools and students as we lose their experience and expertise with them. Bringing in more new staff, to a system that does not provide adequate support to staff will, in my opinion, result in a higher level of teacher burnout that we have now.

We need to focus on retaining staff first, then turn our attention to bringing new staff in, in conjunction with considering how we will retain those people long term also.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I think there is a key point being made her, we need to address the issue of teacher supply, but we need to do so while ensuring we retain a high level of teacher quality.

Maximising the time to teach

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

Strongly agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I think this is absolutely vital. In my 19 years of teaching I am watching my workload increase, whilst my impact on my students in decreasing because the workload increase is almost entirely made up of low value tasks that do not improve outcomes for students. This leaves teachers to tackle the workload that directly impacts students (planning, teaching, assessing) almost entirely in their own time and this leads to poor work life balance and teacher burn out. Our jobs are filled with low value tasks that, when viewed individually are not big asks, however when viewed en masse are completely overwhelming and take our focus away from our core business, which is teaching students.

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?

I don’t know enough about this action to comment meaningfully.

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 agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

I think this is really important. For those of us with no aspirations to climb the ladder and move into school administration there is a sudden stop after 10 year in the classroom, after which moving towards any further recognition (level 3) is an arduous and unpleasant process. I think it is also important that school recognise and value the knowledge and contributions of their longer term teachers and find ways to support their passion projects, or skill sets, in ways that benefit the whole school community, not just within their own classrooms.