Anonymous #430

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #430

Where are you located?

Victoria

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,Special education

What is your occupation?

Teacher's aide, learning support assistant

Elevating the profession

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

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

I am an integration aide with a serious autoimmune disease, so school his no longer a safe workplace for me. The government’s negligence in letting Covid rip across Australia, wave upon wave, makes me despair I’ll never teach again. Teaching kids with special needs to read was my passion. Until schools are safe I & countless others are effectively locked out of education. We’ll be joined by thousands of teachers suffering chronic disability of Long Covid. Without addressing Covid you’ll never get on top of supply issues. Without protecting teachers (& students of course), they’ll be reinfected & reinfected til they’re too sick to go on. Improving supply is throwing more lives away, just more staff to burn on the Covid bonfire. Schools are one of the least safe workplaces in Australia. Every infection is damaging teachers’ immune systems - next winter they (& students) will be prey to every opportunistic virus out there - look at schools in Canada, the US and the UK now - this is our future. I’m lucky to have a partner who can support me while I do volunteer work remotely and protect my health. I fear for my colleagues who remain in the firing line. There are not enough supply options to replace those you keep damaging and killing.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Maximising the time to teach

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

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

Not effective at all

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

It is completely pointless to plan for future teacher workforce needs without addressing Covid. It’s like the elephant in the room that you’re ignoring. It is such a huge challenge that it outweighs everything else. If you fail to protect teachers’ health better, if the government continues to refuse to take any action to reduce transmission, Covid will have a completely unmanageable impact on the teacher workforce. Some teachers can’t teach as it’s too unsafe, others can’t teach because they’re chronically ill, others won’t teach because it’s a nightmare workplace now, others tragically have died/will die. You need to look at this, not ignore it

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.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?