CW of Melbourne, Reader's Comment 5 of 25, Millions wasted training teachers, Ju

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CW of Melbourne, Reader's Comment 5 of 25, Millions wasted training teachers, Justine Ferrari, The Australian, 25 March 2013 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/education/millions-wasted-training-teachers/story-fn59nlz9-1226605045315 Historical link preserved from the original page.

Josephine Greensill, Victorian teacher, serves almost two and a half years in jail after false allegations.

Josephine Greensill, a primary school teacher, was jailed in 2010 for s-x offences allegedly committed in 1979 against two 8-year-old boys.

Ms Greensill was charged after the boys, now aged 41 and 42, made police statements in 2007.

Judge Gabriele Cannon in the County Court jailed Ms Greensill for five years, with a minimum of two years and eight months to be served.

Ms Greensill served almost 2½ years in jail.

Victoria's highest court has now quashed her convictions, acquitted her and set her free.

Her release followed allegations that her accusers had colluded against her.

Ms Greensill, 61, said she wept after her acquittal and was ''too scared'' to believe her ''horrendous experience'' was over.

''I can't accept in my mind that it's over and I'm really home and I don't have to go back, '' the mother of five said.

''It hasn't sunk in yet. "

''It's very hard being in there [prison] when you're not guilty. ''

Her sister Annette Toohey also relived the ''hell'' after the verdict, the tears and an anxiety that former students would think that Ms Greensill was a paedophile.

Ms Greensill's solicitor was Rob Stary.

Her appeal barrister was Lachlan Carter.

Last month, Mr Carter argued that the convictions were unsafe for reasons that included a ''high risk'' of collusion between the men that had ''contaminated'' the evidence.

He said a detective, against accepted practice, had facilitated contact between the boys.

Mr Carter said one of the men had a motive to implicate Ms Greensill for money, because he knew she had received a payout for her husband's death.

Mr Carter revealed that a week after Ms Greensill's sentence, a solicitor arranged an appointment that later led to a $65,000 compensation payment to the man.

Jailed teacher cleared of abuse, Steve Butcher, The Age, 10 December 2012: http://www.theage.com.au/national/jailed-teacher-cleared-of-abuse-20121209-2b3k6.html Historical link preserved from the original page.

Victorian Secondary School teacher with 33 years of experience: submission 284 to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Workplace Bullying.

Submission 284 to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Workplace Bullying is by a veteran (33 years of experience) Victorian Secondary School teacher: C. C (PDF 937KB)

Victoria had performance bonuses for teachers in the 1990's.

Teachers had to sign a plan, and the principal would reward them for reaching their goals.

Teacher 284 refused to sign "such an unprofessional scheme" and so her Leading Teacher position was abolished.

Teacher 284 applied for and won a position at a new school.

This new school had seven principals during the next two and a half years.

In 2001 Principal A said that no teacher would have to teach more than 20 48-min periods a week.

Teacher 284 demonstrated that it was mathematically impossible to staff the school in this manner.

"My unarguable facts were ignored".

Under a new Principal B, the staff agreed to teach 21 48-min periods a week.

And so Teacher 284 worked through the holidays, trying to sort out the problems with the timetable.

Then, under another new Principal C, she was dismissed from her position as timetabler.

She took Acting Principal C to the Merit Protection Board.

An Australian Education Union representative assisted her at the hearing. Historical link preserved from the original page.

Another AEU representative helped Acting Principal C.

Teacher 284's grievance was upheld.

But the Acting Principal refused to re-instate her.

So Teacher 284 had to make another Grievance.

Teacher 284 had huge support from the staff.

Teacher 284 says we need intelligent, decent people in leadership positions in our schools.

Victorian teacher: submission 141 to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Workplace Bullying.

A Victorian teacher made submission 141 to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Workplace Bullying: K. C (PDF 623KB)

The teacher has 25 years of teaching experience.