Anonymous #238

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #238

Where are you located?

Western 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.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Broader social and structural change is required. Greater administrative protection of teacher's time would be more effective. Should parents have direct access to secondary teachers? What is the value of that when a great bulk of those communications deal with miscommunication between student and parent and parents assuming the unprofessionalism of the teacher?

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?

Increasing initial supply, yes.

The problem is the burnout and teachers leaving the profession due to workload or conditions in schools, the expectations on teachers and the number of hours required to do the job well, vs just trying to survive.

It should be a job, not an entire existence. People leave quickly because what they are told is not the reality of the job. And in some places, no matter how well trained you are, there is no way to educate when the bulk of students are disruptive.

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?

Initial training is Greta and uses much pedagogy that works, but what of the vast difference between socio-economic areas? We like to pretend that education is similar, but there is a vast gulf between having a class that is a struggle for crowd control and extension. The courses need to allow for the difference. Perhaps even different pathways?

Also, how about including workload management, mental health and appropriate working conditions to prevent burnout. Have reduced workload requirements for graduates for several years and mentorship from experienced teachers once they graduate, outside of their current schools, to ensure an appropriate level of professionalism and mental health is maintained. Perhaps allowing them to work with the school psychologist as well would be an appropriate pipeline for graduate teachers to have a voice.

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?

Standardised work templates for teaching would help teachers maintain an appropriate level of professionalism. There is so many administrative and school culture activities and expectations that are taken as part of the job that are not provided for. Locking in the duties of a teacher as a baseline template and introducing a mechanism to compensate teachers for their time - hour for hour- would be more appropriate.
Remove any reference to 'additional duties as deemed appropriate by the Principal' on employment contracts. This is a clause for workplace abuse.

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.

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Halt teachers will merely create a tiered approach to top level teaching and increase workload further. Halt teachers will no doubt have to prove their worth and take on extra hours and responsibilities.
They will no doubt be drivers for change and expertise, which is great, but it will lead to more workload on other teachers as well, including those that are struggling as well. This mechanism will lead to more teacher burnout.
Reduce the administrative workload, the hours outside of the classroom and give teachers the time to talk about teaching and not about administrative themes and requirements from people trying to prove their worth at an elevated position.
Let's add further steps to the teaching scale instead. Raise the progression. Build in time for experienced teachers to mentor instead, but get rid of the special teaching categories based on paperwork completion.