It’s crisis after crisis these days, and education is up next. A good education is critical to individual and societal success. We treat schools and teachers like babysitters, but expect them to perform magic with one hand tied behind their backs.
I volunteer as president of the Parents & Citizens Association (P&C) at my child’s local public school and have done for nine years. I stand shoulder to shoulder with other dedicated parents at every community event. I talk with members of the school community about their concerns and successes at the school. I meet with the school executive to advocate for families. My experience doing this has given me great insight into the amazing work of our public school system.
Class size
Maximum class sizes are negotiated as part of the pay and conditions agreement teachers enter in to. Unfortunately for teachers, students, and administrators, they are not adhered to. Everyone wishes they could be followed, but we simply do not have enough teachers.
We must be able to adhere to the conditions agreed to, but I would also like to see us go further and aim to reduce class sizes. Some of the following issues faced in schools can be helped by reduced class sizes.
Disruptions in class
Every child has the right to an education. This right is particularly important to protect children from disadvantage or other vulnerable situations. We have excellent policies and procedures to support those students in mainstream schools wherever possible. Unfortunately, implementation is sometimes at the expense of many other students.
This can be an uncomfortable topic to discuss, but it is too important to continue to ignore.
I’ve had one issue repeatedly raised with me in my time with the P&C. Children trying their best at school often perceive that the “difficult” kids get rewarded for their difficult behaviour. Class is disrupted to accommodate behaviour that would be unacceptable coming from the majority. Significant property damage and threat to personal safety of teachers and students happens too often.
Discipline and consequences
Children learn discipline and consequences from various sources. School used to be one, but it’s not anymore. There is a lack of political willingness to support schools and teachers. This establishes from an early age that schools and teachers don’t need to be respected, so the problems facing teaching will only get worse.
Society has thankfully moved well past certain discipline methods that used to be acceptable in the classroom (and at home). Unfortunately, we have failed to fill that gap. Some children come to school with a disruptive attitude. Government policy tolerates that attitude, which will only make matters worse.
In life after school there are consequences for our actions. We should be providing children with a safe place for them to learn about those consequences, not learn that they won’t apply.
Mental health support
Every student should have reliable and prompt access to appropriate mental health support at school. School is where we can establish the lifelong importance of taking care of our mental health. Unfortunately, we are demonstrating that we don’t value it enough. We have failed to meet targets for ratios of students to school psychologists time after time. Wait times for a student in need can easily reach a full semester, or more.
This adds to the burden of psychologists and allied health professionals throughout the community. They are already stretched so thin, with wait times of two years common. People regularly travel to Sydney to have their needs met.
Administrative burden
Teachers today do so much more than families may realise. Between lesson planning and delivery, behaviour management, relationship management, professional development, extra-curricular (often unpaid) activities, and much more, it’s a wonder we have any teachers left at all. Most teachers genuinely care, but everyone has their limits. On top of all this, many teachers must do their own photocopying!
Teachers have so much accountability that it’s crippling. They are accountable to students, parents, executive staff, principals, the Education Directorate, to the Australian Curriculum, and to professional bodies, and that is just professionally; teachers are also people who have families and social lives!
This accountability is good, though teachers need support in achieving it.
Support staff play a role in addressing these administrative duties. Well-designed and specified ICT systems can also play a role through automation and increasing efficiency.
Pay and conditions
The above two topics also factor into the conditions that teachers face, so let’s talk about pay. Teachers in Canberra are some of the highest paid in Australia, but it clearly is still not an attractive career path for many people who would make excellent educators.
Unfortunately, we cannot afford to keep raising wages without expecting more from teachers, and many of them are beyond breaking point already. Teachers’ wages need to increase; however, this will require a staged, evidence-based process. We must attract and retain the best of the best to develop long and rewarding careers in education. We need to develop additional career paths and opportunities in education; not everyone wants to become a principal or move up to the directorate level.
Related
Actions
- Support the fully funded implementation of the recent review into literacy and number act in Canberra, including explicit instruction.
- Amend policy to support schools and teachers to adequately bring discipline to the classroom, while supporting every student’s right to learn in a safe and positive environment, suited to their learning needs.
- Fight for better mental health support in schools
- Transparently and honestly discuss school capacity and capability with local communities
- Empower support staff and ICT systems to provide relief to teachers in performing their administrative duties