Building bridges of spaghetti is not enough, John Diacopoulos, On Line Opinion: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au:80/view.asp? article=6932 Historical link preserved from the original page.
Tuesday, January 15 2008
Louise Boyle of Toowoomba, Queensland, wrote a letter to the Editor of The Australian. Historical link preserved from the original page.
She recently retrained as a mature-age student in primary education.
But she has discovered that there are many obstacles to gaining permanent employment in the state system.
There is a strict requirement that new teachers do country service for a number of years.
Louise can't leave her family.
So she can only do supply and contract work.
It is soul-destroying to always be teaching someone else's class.
Louise has been advised by the local QTU representative that there are approximately 5000 teachers without a permanent position.
In the 90's, older teachers were persuaded to change to a new superannuation system.
So now these older teachers need to work for longer.
They worry that they have not got enough money for their retirement.
Louise has recently been advised that Education Queensland plans to base permanent teachers in primary schools.
Presumably these are teachers who have completed their country service and who have requested a transfer to a "better" area.
These permanent teachers will be given the supply and contract work.
So Louise has decided to seek employment elsewhere.
She has no job and a $15,000 HECS bill to pay.
She agrees with Kevin Donnelly that her teaching qualifications are inadequate, in particular for the teaching of literacy.
So she is an unsatisfied customer of the university system.
And a casualty of a dysfunctional state education system.
A casualty of a dysfunctional state education system, The Australian http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/letters/index.php/theaustralian/comments/a_casualty_of_a_dysfunctional_state_education_system Historical link preserved from the original page.
Friday 21 December, 2007
Ray Chambers, 52, teacher in western Queensland, claims that short-term teaching contracts are cynically designed to save money.
Ray claims that the contracts are designed to avoid paying teachers holiday entitlements.
Ray said that he recently returned to teaching after a 17-year break.
But he is now looking for other work because he has become disillusioned with the Queensland government's treatment of teachers.
Ray has taken a series of teaching contracts in western Queensland since 2005.
He hoped that his service in rural communities would eventully be recognised with a permanent position.
But he has noticed that all of the contracts that teachers are on end before the school year finishes.
Nobody gets a contract right up to the end of the year.
And that this saves the Queensland government from paying eight or ten weeks wages.
Ray says that this is not a fair system.
Teacher leaves industry over AWAs, Sunshine Coast Daily, thedaily.com.au
Wednesday December 12, 2007
Zakarie Sloan of East Brunswick wrote a letter to the Editor of the Age.
His wife is a teacher.
He is angered and disgusted by the way that his wife has been treated.
She has worked hard for three years.
Her pay has been poor, but they put up with that.
But now she has been effectively sacked.
She will have no holiday pay and she will have no maternity leave (she is pregnant).
She was not sacked because she was performing poorly.
She has worked hard and performed beyond the expected level of commitment.
She was sacked because she was on a contract.
H ow many people have to re-apply for their jobs every two or three years?
Contracts "a kick", Letters to the editor, The Age: http://www.quattro.com/id258.htm Historical link preserved from the original page.
Wednesday December 5, 2007
Michael Griggs of Lidcombe, NSW wrote a letter to the editor of The Australian: Historical link preserved from the original page.
He has taught high school for more than 30 years.
During that time his salary has been eroded, his conditions of work undermined, and his time wasted by "one idiotic panacea after another" emanating from politicians, university academics, journalists, greasy-pole-climbing principals and well-meaning parents, all of whom knew "diddly-squat" about teaching and learning.
Syllabuses changed almost as often as he changed his shirt.
Nobody ever checked to see if any of these "idiotic panaceas" were actually doing any good.
PLATOWA
Monday December 3, 2007
Ex-teacher R. J. Burns emailed The Courier-Mail: Historical link preserved from the original page.
"I walked away from a 20-year teaching career that I loved due to undisciplined students who have no respect, are openly arrogant and receive no serious consequences for their behaviour.
I became tired of explaining to parents that their child behaves like a brat at school.
When you try to convince them that their son / daughter really is a little monster in the classroom, you then have to defend your own teaching style, classroom management and even your personality.
Parents - wake up and start teaching your children what respect really means.
And show some yourself when dealing with teachers.
I will never return to secondary teaching as I can only see this problem getting worse. "
The Courier-Mail Historical link preserved from the original page.
Friday November 30, 2007