Anonymous #177

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #177

Where are you located?

South Australia

What type of area do you live in?

Remote

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

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Birth-12

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?

1. How will you get the media to value educators? The media constantly bashes the teaching profession and blame all shortfalls on schools or individual teachers.
2. The current South Australian Premier began his term by repeatedly minimising the skills and knowledge teachers have by insisting "any public servant with a Working with Children Check" would become a temporary "chalky", if state leaders don't value educators how will an advertising campaign influence the public?
3. The vast, vast, vast majority of teachers will never win or expect to win a Teacher of the Year award or a Medal of the Order of Australia, and even if they did would only receive recognition within their own circle of influence - i.e. people who most likely already value their contributions and profession.
4. In South Australia, there is very little incentive to be certified as a Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher, the process is onerous and there is no financial incentive as only a small handful of HALT jobs are advertised in SA each year.
5. All of these measures seem very tokenistic and I do not see how they will elevate the profession in the long term.

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 disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

1. The "best and brightest" may not make the best teachers. Teaching requires a lot more than intelligence and content knowledge. "High achieving school leavers" may not have the aptitude and skills to become teachers. ATAR scores are not the best measure of what will make a good teacher. Considering the high drop out rate in ITE courses the government will likely waste millions of dollars. Additionally the figures don't add up $56.2 million across 5000 bursaries is just over $11,000 each, not "up to" $40,000.
2. The "new ways of attracting and keeping teachers in the schools that need them most" will only apply to a very small number of teachers, this will not have a positive outcome for the majority of teachers.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

These are probably the most useful actions in the plan, however they do little to retain existing qualified teachers.

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?

1. Reducing the administrative workload of teachers is going to cost money, a LOT of money, I do not have any faith that the states will invest enough money into the education system to make a noticeable impact.
2. Most teachers want to plan their own units of learning, most ENJOY planning the learning. Providing teachers with generic teaching and learning plans is not the solution to reducing teacher workload!!!

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?

Slightly effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

1. Establishing national teacher registration, instead of state-specific registration, would maximise the ability of teachers to move interstate for both short and long term employment opportunities. Holding registration in multiple states is expensive.
2.Teachers leave the profession because they are burnt-out or no longer willing to put up with the emotional load that comes with being an educator. Many of the barriers are not economic or professional, they are psychological. The schooling system designed in the 19th century does not meet the needs of 21st century learners. Students' needs are increasingly complex and teachers simply don't have the time, training or skills to be all things to all students. The government needs to make massive investments in physical and mental health support for children and young people and their families. Until that is done, any measures to "support" teachers are only band-aid solutions.

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?

1. As per previous comments, HALT certification is time-consuming with little benefit in South Australia.
2. I support measures to assist teachers to retrain in new teaching areas.
3. In South Australia at least, there is no support for "middle leaders". I have seen many new leaders struggle to transition from teaching to leadership. One day you are a teacher and then you win a new role and suddenly you are a leader and manager - there is no induction, training or mentoring - I am not aware of any other industry where the promotion from worker to manager is so lacking in structure, process and support.