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)