The Teachers’ Strike: (Letter to concerned parent)

Dear J

I have had a good think about your letters to and  from the principal and union rep, read them twice and am ready to share my thoughts. First of all, good on you for communicating your concerns so well, graciously yet truthfully. Much better expressed directly than whingeing in the carpark. So here goes:

1. The 38 hr/week strike is an excellent idea for a school, maintaining school hours for kids and parents to continue life yet causing enough pain to get everyone's attention. However, I am not and never will be a striker on the basis that we in Aus have the best working conditions in the world, and striking for more pay because someone else has more or some brash pollie promised it is selfish and reckless, especially when the nation is drowning in debt that will take a decade of 'funding cuts' to repay.

2. Teachers DO get 11 weeks leave...you’re right!. When I was teaching I always liked to be well organised and prepared at the beginning of each term and would spend 2 or 3 days of the holidays preparing at school (4 or 5 in Jan). I was often there alone, tho some preferred working at home...maybe?? If you want to check this out you can drive by any school during the holidays and see how many cars are there. I rested in the holidays and I often told (still tell) teachers to do the same. Working with 20 + children all day every day brings a unique tedium and tiredness (yes, mothers??) and you need to be physically and mentally on top week one if you are to make it to week 10.

3. Teachers get several report writing days, P/T interview days and PD days off every year, (curriculum days or student free days). I totally dislike the idea of 'school hours' being called 'work hours'. Teachers should work 9 till 5 like any other job, and more if we want the title of 'professionals". Teachers certainly work hard, but so do all professionals and business people who work long hours without ‘compensation’.

4. Lastly, I actually agree with the idea of performance pay. I understand your principal’s point of staff disunity (jealousy?) but the truth is, there are good and bad teachers, and every parent knows who they are... hence the clamor at the start of the year to get little 'precious' into the good teacher's class!!! If other professions can come up with key performance indicators, so can teachers. I would suggest good classroom control, good student/teacher relationships, good student assessment, record keeping and feedback to child and parent, interesting and innovative lessons, and yes, good results, to name a few. Bad teachers drain our profession of the respect we so badly need to do our job well.

 There is so much more to be said for improving our schools today, and I refer you to an excellent article in the Weekend Australian (Feb 23) by Ben Jensen “Wrong Fix for Failing Schools: Raising classroom skills is far more important than raising money”

Stay on the job and keep yourself and others focused on the real issues. I repeat again, it’s not about money.

Yours,

Anne (retired teacher)

THERE you are!

If you attend any sort of social occasion and watch people entering the room, you will notice that most people fall into one of two categories. Those that walk in and communicate, “Here I am!” and those that walk in and communicate “There you are!”

The “Here I am people” are quite easy to spot as they are usually the ones doing most of the talking and very little of the eye contact. Their eyes tend to focus either on the middle distance or roam the room looking for someone more interesting/important to talk to (listen to them). If you make the grave mistake of asking them about their health, work, interests or whatever they will tell you at great length, never once noticing their listener’s glazed eyes or subtle body cues to escape. Somehow they have missed the simple rule of conversation: when there are 2 people conversing, each should do half the talking and half the listening.

 Take on the other hand the “There you are” people. The minute they see you, they give the impression their day has been made, that they want to hear all about your family, work or opinions and they have all day to listen, with rapt attention.  You feel an immediate friendship with these people from the moment you first meet and look forward to future encounters. If you ever find such a person, value them greatly by being a ‘there you are’ person as well, giving them the chance to do at least half the talking.

 Unfortunately, with the art of conversation dying and loneliness on the rise, the ‘here I am’s are rapidly on the increase. The sad thing for these people is that their chances of meaningful relationships dwindle with every verbose encounter. No-one wants to be around them.

When you are new to a town/group/church and trying to make new friends, 'there you are' people are pure sunshine.  It is not a pleasant experience to be a new person coming into an established social scene and finding yourself doing all the listening, or worse, totally ingored.

Churches often come under attack for being very unfriendly places for new people looking for a spiritual home. This shouldn't happen, but I don’t believe this situation is isolated to the church. Many Aussies are either shy or awkward in social settings and what may seem like rudeness may not be so. Nevertheless, if the church is to be a haven in a heartless world, we need to make a bigger effort in learning how to be ‘There you are’ people.

Bill Hybel’s book “Just Walk Across the Room” is a practical, easy read for would-be learners.

Computers in Classrooms

I have 2 little pictures in my family room: one says “teach me to count and I will number my blessings” and the other; “teach me to read and I will be forever free”.

It seems that all current discussion about education…. and there’s a lot of it… focuses on two other things: computers and money. The twittersphere, newspapers and carparks  are full of ‘experts’ wanting to solve all educational problems with more money (not sure what for!!) and laptops (ditto)  You would think these 2 factors are the only ones that set good schools apart from poor ones, that will turn today’s children into geniuses and put Australian back in the top 5 for  educational excellence..

I beg to differ. As a matter of fact, I strongly disagree.

Australian schools don’t need more money: they need better teachers with greater authority .

We don’t need to give laptops to every student:  we need to give their teachers respect for their work, time to prepare and assess well and support when they need to discipline.

For those parents who are being coerced into providing laptops for their children, or paying internet costs, let me ask: Have you thought through what a laptop will mean for your child, or do you just take at face value the common opinion that he/she will be left behind without one. (I use the word ‘common’ rather than ‘expert’ on purpose.) Think about the trouble you have with your child and the internet at home, then multiply it by 25 and you have some idea of what it’s like in a classroom for a teacher, even one who is computer trained. Even the best cannot supervise so many children with their voracious appetites for social networking and gaming.

Finland is widely known as having the best education in the world and it makes interesting reading to find out why. After checking several sites I found a common thread through the articles:

• Teaching is considered a highly prestigious profession, even above medical doctors. It is hard to get into and training is rigorous, both in content and practice.
• Teachers are highly respected by the community, parents and students
• Teachers are given authority and trust by the school and parents to do their jobs properly.
• Teachers are paid a similar salary to Australians but have less teaching hours, giving them more time for preparation and assessment. They know their students.
• The Finnish government spends $7,500 per student per year (which includes a free lunch). Australia spends $13,000
• There are no laptops in classrooms. Computers are provided in labs or libraries and are seen as research tools. Only one in five lessons require them.

Do your own homework, dear parent, before you join the throng wanting to put tempting technology into your child’s hands at school. The jury is still out on their usefulness and practicality. Talk to the wise and experienced teachers (someone with 10+ years in the classroom) before you pay out big dollars. One is not an expert on education if they haven’t done the hard yards in the classroom.

The best teaching is done through relationship. Ie a knowledgeable, wise and caring teacher who instructs, inspires, encourages, corrects and gives feedback to the young. This will never change, no matter how many gadgets and games we invent and try to flog off to schools to make learning more ‘fun’.

There really are only 4 fundamentals for your child to succeed at school: a good teacher, good books, a good attitude and your support. With these ‘tools’ in their ‘kit’ they could become whatever they want, maybe even a teacher!

Roots and Wings

There are two things we should give our children: one is roots and the other is wings." Hodding Carter

This old quote neatly sums up a parent’s job in the oh-so-short 18 years we have to do our job of raising secure, independent, happy young adults. I was fortunate to have parents who deeply planted my own roots in the soil of the Christian faith and that foundation has stood me in good stead for over 60 years.

Gardeners know that roots give us 2 things, stability and nourishment. In the old Bible story of the sower and the seed we learn that the strongest and most productive plants are the ones planted in good soil.

Parents these days are faced with so many choices from so many sources when it comes to providing ‘good soil’ in which to raise children. When values change with the date and the popular crowd is the source of all wisdom, teenagers can become rootless and purposeless, opting for pleasure and entertainment as their gods.

A child needs good roots to be prepared for successful independence and the Bible is your best source for wisdom and guidance.  Here are 10 really good rules to teach and model for starters:

       ·        No other gods before the God of Heaven and Earth

·         Don’t worship idols

·         Work 6 days and rest on the 7^th. Keep it holy.

·         Don’t disrespect God’s name by using it carelessly

·         Honour father and mother

·         Don’t lie

·         Don’t steal

·         Don’t commit adultery

·         Don’t murder

·         Don’t envy your neighbour’s ‘stuff’

A quick look at these age old commandments will soon tell you that if most people got even two or three of these right it would give today’s children something solid to stand on.

But, a child also needs wings if they are going to leave the nest successfully and take on the world with confidence. Here 10 suggestions for teaching children how to ‘fly’

• Unconditional love
• Household chores balanced with freetime
• opportunity to make choices suitable to their age
• Increasing responsibility tied to increasing trust
• Freedom to dream without ridicule
• Opportunities to explore and seek adventure
• Freedom to make mistakes and fail
• Praise…when deserved
• Affirmation for who they are
• Encouragement

Tim Keller’s new book “Counterfeit Gods” gives an excellent insight to the worship of worldy idols: money, success, sex, power, and the ultimate despair when they don’t deliver.

Gary Smalley and John Trent's classic “The Blessing” is still the best book I know for putting wind under a child’s wings.