- Related consultation
- Submission received
-
Submitter information
Name
Anonymous #350
Where are you located?
Queensland
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?
Secondary
What is your occupation?
Teacher
Elevating the profession
The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.
Somewhat disagree
Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?
The real problem is that as a society Australia does not value education. It is taken for granted. As a result parents and schools are often at odds as the aims of schools are not the aims of parents. More work needs to be done to indicate that as a society a quality education is valued. That comes from governments prioritising education and teachers the way nurses the health system is prioritised. Education is facing a national emergency yet there's no daily press conferences, no national cabinets regularly discussing how to save the system.
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?
Teacher education needs to be run by teachers currently in the profession. Too many graduate teachers haven't seen a current senior syllabus, let alone had classes in how to understand them and use them, as university professionals haven't worked with them. Attracting more people to teacher education will only work WHEN the system is fixed so they aren't scared off the second they go on prac, or are asked to demonstrate knowledge of a document they haven't been taught.
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?
In Queensland, the priority for government employers has never been to look after staff. By providing incentives and actually valuing staff and not seeing them as disposable cogs in a wheel staff are more likely to take up positions.
Targeting younger graduates for regional positions early in their careers is helpful, rather than demanding established teachers with families uproot with little support to keep their job.
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?
Increasing support staff in a school to take responsibility for government mandated reporting from teachers is a massive workload relief. If administration is the problem, employ administrators to take that load from teachers. More behavour support staff is also needed as we see the effects of 2 years of COVID restrictions flow through to student behaviour. Providing resources for staff to draw on could help - but they need to be suggestions, not mandates, and clearly linked to curriculum objectives. Directed time for collaboration is necessary for teachers.
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.
Somewhat agree
Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?
These are all good ideas, but the two key things the teaching profession needs is increase pay and more time to do the job properly. While pays are good, the career pathway options are too few. Utilising teachers skills and work contracts that allow them to earn money in other ways (publishing resources or books etc) need to be considered.