THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND GRADUATE TEACHERS (55)

A letter in ‘The Australian’ on August 29 2019 from Bill Pannell sums up a growing deficiency among students. Pannell writers

“TV report of recent NAPLAN test results suggests a deficiency and continued deterioration in writing skills in Australian high school students.Video footage accompanying these reports makes the reason for this problem obvious: a sort of back-hand claw-like grip of pens and pencils.

Surely some basic instruction in the use of a writing implement would produce improvement in this area?”

Mr Pannell’s letter hits the nail on the head; that the ability to hold a writing tool comfortably and write with wrist and finger authority and control is fast becoming a lost skill. The skill of handwriting used to be taught in school. Handwriting lessons were part of the curriculum.

My urging and heartfelt pleading to graduating teachers is to research and reinstate handwriting lessons as a part of their teaching operation. Handwriting is vitally important and the ability to handle writing tools with authority and comfort should be reinstated. Handwriting lessons should never have been dropped.

HANDWRITING SHOULD BE TAUGHT

There is a lot of debate these days about whether or not handwriting should be taught at school. In some countries, including Finland and the United States, handwriting has gone by the by. Rather than being taught how to use a pen, all students are given the opportunity to learn keyboard skills including touch typing.

While trying to understand why this change has occurred I would be the very last person to advocate that handwriting should become a skill of the past. Rather I believe that it should endure forever.

I am certainly not down on keyboards and computers. But for children to have both handwriting and keyboards is optimal. To become mono skilled with handwriting going out the door would be altogether wrong. There are many many occasions in life when handwriting is important and indeed the only written communications method available.

When teaching handwriting, the “3 P’s” rudiments immediately comes to mind. That has to do with the methodology of writing. It is about;

* pencil or pen hold

* paper position

* posture – the way we sit in order to write most effectively and comfortably.

Stressing these things over and over again until they become habitual is important.

Part of handwriting is teaching children how to hold a pen or pencil so that it is comfortable and their fingers and wrists don’t ache. Watching people write these days can be quite a torturous experience because of the way in which writing tools are held. It’s obvious from observation that many people have never been taught how to write. That is an absolute pity.

The size (diameter) of pencils and then transition from pencil to pen is a part of writing graduation. Initially pencils are thick and as children grow older with more dexterous finger management the diameter of the pencil become smaller. When a reasonable agree of writing skill has evolved, then is the time to move on to pans. That is usually around year four to year five. Children love graduation to pens and having pen licenses issued to them by teachers.

Lined size is a part of learning to write. The younger child the bigger the line. 1 inch lines (30mm) are generally the starting point going down to around 12 mm by the time children get to the end of middle and the commencement of the upper primary years. Handbooks and exercise books can be purchased where lines are divided into thirds. This helps children when it comes to tall letters (t, f,) and letters having tales (g, y q,). The dimensions associated with writing can be trained with children developing that discernment over time. Over time, the one third divisions can be left and children go to straight lines for their writing activities.

These days specific handwriting lessons are often not offered in class. Or it may be that there is a handwriting text where children simply open and copy what’s written for them. I believe that those texts are enhanced by use of a transcription book and also with teachers demonstrating letter formation, joins, words and so on the whiteboard. The idea of children learning by copying really helps when it comes to handwriting development.

The way paper or writing books are positioned helps when it comes to the slope of letters. Writing from left to right is part of this and can be difficult particularly for left-handed children. Left-handers tend to “drag” their arms across pages as they write from left to right meaning that dog ears and crumpled pages become the norm. Train children as they finish a line of writing to lift their arm going back to the start of the

And then working across the page from left to right that overcomes the shuffling of arm on paper that can occur if this is neglected.

Steadying the paper or page onto which writing is being done helps. For this purpose the spare hand can be used. So often it is seen propping up children’s heads as they write where that writing is the task of one hand alone. Rather than the spare hand being a head prop, metaphorically describe it as an anchor which holds the boat (paper or book) steady against the wall so that it doesn’t rock back off fourth, or similar. This will involve a lot of reminding and correction easily seen as being in need of remediation when teachers are walking around classrooms.

Support children with lessons as a transition from printing to writing script style. Linked script is part of this and it does take time to teach. Little and often is important and I would suggest a handwriting lessons every day.

Remember to comment on handwriting and praise the effort that students put in to the script. Be they printing or writing this praise will help.

Handwriting is so important. It needs to be revived not neglected.

_______________________________

CONSIDER SKILLS YOU MAY NEED: Practical Benefit Ideas (8)

If going to a remote location or isolated community to teach, consider the following.

Learning or knowing how to cook using tinned fruit and vegetables may well be an advantage. Tinned products are often more readily available than fresh produce. A concern about fresh fruit, vegetables, milk and meat can be its age and condition by the time it arrives in local stores.

Knowing how to make bread, cook cakes and make biscuits can help.

A frypan, bread making machine and croc pot are versatile and practical cooking aids.

Having a contract person or business in a city or large regional town can help when it comes to organising necessities that may be in short supply or which become unavailable locally. With this would be an arrangement covering ordering and paying for goods.

Endpoint

Previous posts have offered some pointers that may well help those contemplating or preparing to work in remote communities. It is important for those going to teach in more remote schools to be well prepared for life and living in their new locations.

Please accept this from one who, with his family, has been there and done that.

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (7) Essential Living Tools

These items might sound like a trite listing, but without them (and if they are not available for local purchase) life can become a lot harder. ‘Making do’ is not the answer.

Consider purchasing and taking items including the following when going to a distant or remote teaching appointment.

1. nail clippers,
2. hair cutting scissors,
3. sufficient comfortable clothing (serviceable and practical without being over the top fashion wear or ragged, torn and stained clothing),
4. a good supply of underwear,
5. hats,
6. sunscreen,
7. deodorants,
8. insect repellent,
9. shower accessories,
10. items relating to personal hygiene,
11. other personal essentials sufficient to meet basic needs.
12. These will tide new staff over until they are able to ascertain the local availability of these and other essentials.

1. Footwear, with a strong recommendation on practical, sturdy and protective shoes or light boots.

Don’t wear thongs to work as a teacher.

The standards teachers set is a part of the way in which they will be appreciated and respected by the community.

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (6)

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

Knowing HOW to teach is important.

Will teachers be told if there is a better way of covering particular classroom issues.

Do assistant teachers have the confidence to work with teachers in a team sense that covers this need.

Teachers coming into communities need to understand the responsibility of modelling. History reveals that community leaders are keen for teachers to respect and to live according to their basic cultural precepts. To this end, the expectation is that teachers will live by their inherent cultural principles and not abrogate or water down these standards and expectations.

These things would include :

Being time conscious and not cribbing on school day time expectations.

1. Sticking to agreed school rules.
2. Living by firm cultural principals of verbal respect and politeness.
3. Speaking appropriately, using standard grammar and enunciation.
4. Being a careful listener.
5. Respecting Indigenous culture.
6. Dress appropriately and respectfully; understand modest dress codes.
7. Ensuring teachers have essentials before going to the community.

How interesting to read and to hear about another salvo into the realm of trying to attract our brightest and most gifted students. Outstanding graduates will make brilliant teachers and uplift the standard of teaching for the benefit of students seems to be the thinking.

“Our top teachers aren’t becoming teachers and that matters” is the subject of a leading paper in today’s ‘The Conversation’. Co-authors Peter Goss and Julie Sonnemann suggest the bright young ones are giving teaching a miss. “They are interested in teaching, but when it comes to the crunch they choose professions with better pay and more challenge.”

A package of incentives is proposed that focus on extrinsic reward.

With respect, the authors miss the point and in my opinion by a wide margin. There is also an inference that the teachers we have in our schools are second best and recruitment needs to be fixed. That could be construed as a put down on those teaching students in our schools.

The first ‘missed’ point is that those contemplating teaching may becoming well aware of the increasing challenges teachers face when it comes to disciplining and managing students. Deliberately disinclined, disrespectful and aberrant student behaviours are commonplace. That is a problem growing in all schools and at all educational levels.

A corollary attaching to this issue is that teachers are having to manage a growing complexity of student abilities. Special education needs have to be managed within standard classrooms and that because of mainstreaming policies. While support assistants are employed to help, their capacities are often restricted by a number of factors.

The second issue is that of administrative and paper management responsibilities that have attached to and are being dumped on teachers at a level that is almost exponential.

Testing, measurement, evaluation and recording tasks prioritised by the system take increasing amounts of time and distance teachers from their students.

Teachers become desk bound, absorbed with data inputting. Students in turn are set tasks that have the computer rather than the teacher as their guide. For many teachers these requirements become dispiriting and off-putting.

Sadly, too few people want to address these issues. They bubble away. The joy of teaching is similarly leached from the souls of teachers.

These are the issues that need addressing. The Grattan Study is a study of peripheral matters rather than dealing with the substance of the issue.

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (5) PERSONNEL MATTERS

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (50)

Things you need to consider before accepting remote area appointments.

Is there any pre-existing formal agreement that has been drawn up to cover the living and working expectations held by the community for staff. Does this include expectations held by teachers and other appointees for the way in which they will be regarded and treated within the community.

Are there expectations held for or demands placed on teaching staff after hours and at weekends.

Is it possible for staff to access town’s or regional centres during weekends by road or air. If by air, what are the costs associated with RPT (regular passenger transport) routes or airplane charter

At all levels of the educational hierarchy, from the newest to the oldest, from bottom to top organisational position, educators tend to speak two languages.

* Neophyte teachers when speaking with other newbies, tend to speak differently to the way they converse with older, more experienced peers.

* Classroom teachers when speaking with each other, tend to communicate differently than they so when talking with senior teachers or unit leaders.

* Senior teachers/unit leaders discourse differently to each other as peers, than they do when communicating with assistant principals/principals.

* Assistant Principals have a conversational fraternity that is often not shared with their immediate superordinates, their principals.

* Principals when in discourse speak with a familiarity that generally does not translate to the conversations they hold with directors and departmental seniors.

* Those in departmental support roles have similar communications limitations that shape and limit conversation, based on their level of seniority in school support positions.

At each discrete level, I refer to conversations as being ‘above the table’ or ‘below the table’.

* Conversations ‘above the table’ are those shared by subordinates with superordinates. They are qualified, with those at the lower hierarchical level often tailoring what they say top fit with the expectation of what they think those in superior positions want to hear. They are expressions from the head rather than statements from the heart. They are based on saying the right thing in order to get on, staying safe and secure within the organisation.

* Conversations ‘below the table’ are those in which people are speaking with peers. They can be covert and even clandestine in their nature. This is about colleagues on the same shared level speaking from the heart, saying what they genuinely think and feel about issues. The ‘blind spot’ within the Johore Window is engaged.

Under the table where they are invisibility to those above, educators can say what they genuinely think and feel. This may sound disloyal, even hypocritical. However, these conversations can be a pressure release point and help those het up to calm down and regroup.

Just some thoughts and observations coming from over time and down the years.

I worry about schools and education within. Not because of facilities because the government bit seems has countless millions to our into buildings and physical facilities – anything to keep the Territory building and construction industry happy. I’m not worried the level, degree and scope of narrowly focussed student testing through NAPLAN, PISA and a host off other accountability and measurement devices. Similarly, there is time aplenty for teachers and school leaders to go through the system imposed torture of performance measurement, personal development, endless meetings and other activities that used to be considered peripheral to the central focus of schools – MEANINGFUL teaching and learning.

My worry is that while teachers, school leaders and indeed the system dither around with justificational stuff, education is going south and with it the attitude and commitment of students. Behaviour and discipline have become huge issues, almost insurmountable in some schools. Teachers are frustrated, stressed and increasingly disaffected with teaching because they cannot manage student behaviours. Increasingly, students are demotivated and disengaged.

It has become common for students in both government and private schools (some, not all) to switch off learning and turn on their for social messaging, facebook engagement, games and other diversions during teaching time. The respect students have for teachers, school leaders, even each other has diminished and continues to degrade. Lackadaisical attitudes are manifest by both secondary and primary school students.

In some respects this is small wonder because of the school focus as raised in paragraph one. The growing truth is that education, too often is meaningless in terms of the way it is seen as relevant. Some students worry about relevance, others simply switch off or don’t care. And I wonder if students are still regarded as people (this used to be the case). Too often I feel, they are seen more as a means to the end – of justifying schools and staff on paper and therefore being a part of satisfying school and staff accountability requirements.

If that is the case, it’s devaluing students and debasing education as a whole.

LONG TIME SHORT OR SHORT TIME LONG

I sometimes ponder the phenomena of how what is touted as a long time is really quite short in length if considered from another angle.

A person living to be 100 years of age is considered to have lived for a long, long time. One hundred years sounds a lot. Yet a centurion in years has a life span that has traversed only 36,525 days, including leap years. That sounds a long way shorter than representing the time as 100 years.

Six weeks school holiday at Christmas, including the pre and post weekends before returning to school. Six weeks – WOW! Yes, all of 1104 hours, including the pre and post weekends. Put like that, this long break seems like a damp squib. The way a length of time is calculated makes a huge difference to the way it is conceptualised

In similar vein, children with homework tasks may have ‘days and days’ until the assignment is due. They put of completion. Until they wake up and the due date is upon them.

In all contexts, we need to use time wisely.

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (5) GENERAL LIVING NEEDS (C)

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (49)

Further matters that intending teachers might consider prior to appointment as staff to schools in remote areas. There is no future in arriving within a community and THEN starting to learn about the place ion which the school or government agency is located.

Is there a police presence in the community. Is that a permanent or occasional presence. Is there a police station.

Is there a health clinic and what are its operating hours. Do health Department staff include registered nurses and qualified Indigenous health professionals.

Is there a resident or visiting doctor.

Can counselling or psychological support services be engaged to meet needs of staff and school students if this is necessary.

Is the community serviced by an all weather road and/or air access should medical evacuation be necessary.

Does the community have a Community Government Council.

What are the permit requirements that must be met before visitors (family and others) come to stay.

Is there a rubbish collection service managed by the community.

In what Shire Council is the community and who is the member for the ward (local government area) in which the community is located.

What is the name of the electorate in which the community is situated and who is the local member in the NT Legislative Assembly.

In 2018 I sent the following email (reproduced below in italics) to Michael Gunner, the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. I initially received a response that suggested there was merit in my suggestions and a meeting with a senior adviser in his department was arranged.

‘Getting back’ to me was promised but it never happened.

I followed up several times until finally receiving a message that the Chief Minister was far too busy to meet with me as he ‘had a punishing diary’. The final offer was that support would be given to set up a meeting if I wished a conversation with a particular minister or ministers.

So much for that I think.

Meanwhile, let us go on reinventing the wheel and discounting feedback and consideration about what has gone before.

————————–

To the Chief Minister

‘LONG TERM TERRITORIAN’ REFERENCE GROUP

I wanted to raise with you an idea that was discussed with me a number of months ago. It transpired that we (the other person and I) were both concerned about the number of new beaut ideas for Territory development being articulated, that are a revisitation of what has already been tried and discarded.

The Issue

The rebirth ‘as new’ of old and dispensed with ideas occurs in large part because of ignorance about our history. One of the standout examples to illustrate my point is that of the CBD and particularly the mall having been re-visited at least four times during my time in the Northern Territory. There are other examples to do with our infrastructure development that have been similarly revisited.

Within departments, the same sort of thing happens. I’m most familiar with education. The idea of regionalising (decentralising function) educational management has been tried at least three times. When revisited nobody takes account of what has gone before. They often don’t know that ideas have been previously tried. That’s because we have a very poor record of recording history in the NT.

Another reason for regurgitation is that people in high level decision making positions often come and go after fairly short periods of time. People new to these positions often don’t know what has gone before. As well, they are often interested in adding their own “personal touch” for the sake of building curriculum vitaes. which will then be used to gain positions elsewhere and generally not in the Territory. The Territory is used as a stepping stone.

The Fix Idea

It seemed as we spoke about this issue, that the Northern Territory Government might give consideration to establishing a group of people who are long-term residents in the Northern Territory. This group might be asked if there is any previous history about ideas being flashed out as “new beaut schemes“.

Our thought was this group might comprise people with background into the operation of various departments and with experience in life and living in the Northern Territory in general terms.

Neither might it be necessary for people to meet physically to consider every issue, rather being asked for feedback by email or by phone on occasion. This will enable people living out of Darwin and Palmerston to be involved.

Our thought wasn’t that this group should be remunerated; that’s not the motivation of everybody who wants to support our territory and see it is a better place. The thinking was that in the interests of avoiding mistakes, particularly where those mistakes might arise from revisiting previous policy that had been discarded, a group of such a nature could lend itself to the betterment of the Territory.

I wanted to share this with you and wondered what you might think about such a development.

Regards

Henry Gray

October 22 2018

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (4) GENERAL LIVING NEED (B)

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (48)

Too many teachers and others go to live and work in remote communities. It is only once there, they find out about living and working conditions. You need to know before you go, not once you get there! Check the following (continued).

Is home (and school) maintenance the prerogative of the local community or are contractors flown in to handle these issues.

In terms of communication, is internet available and reliable. Is there satellite coverage for communication and television. Are there costs to be borne by tenants or users for access.

Be aware of banking and postal facilities. It can help to make contact with a preferred bank or credit society before leaving on appointment. In particular, check on the availability, reliability and cost of ATM services.

Are homes secured by the use of crimsafe, door locking devices and CCTV in an ‘any’, ‘some’ or ‘none of these’ contexts.

What is the community history in terms of break-ins to homes and school during the past five years. Has there been an increase or decrease in security breaches.

Are homes and the school compound secured.

Is the community ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ in terms of alcohol. Are there substance abuse issues.

LAST MONTH I wrote to our NT Education Minister the Hon Selina Uibo on the subject of our educational history.

I would be interested to know what people may think of my proposals.

Dear Minister

An Anniversary without Educational History

Today marks the 41st anniversary of Northern Territory Self Government. It is also an anniversary for education, because education was the first portfolio taken over for local management by the Northern Territory Government. The Northern Territory has a rich educational history – but you wouldn’t know it!

It is a sad fact that our history of education in the Northern Territory is pretty “muted”. A lot has gone on over time but remembrances are diminishing as people leave, move on or become deceased. When Gary Barnes took over as Education CEO in 2009 he rued the fact that there was no history of education in the Northern Territory to which he could refer and be informed as the incoming CEO. This situation has not changed.

With that in mind, I have wondered whether or not it would be possible for a thread on “history”, with sub titles to differentiate the specific aspects of Territory Education that have happened in the past, to be built into the department’s website.

Under defining subtitles (aboriginal education, bilingual education, and so on),an annual chronology could be established so the comments on specific subjects relating to the year of happening could be included.

I have raised this in the past only to be told that the resources necessary for setting up and maintaining a program of this nature would make it uneconomic. I would counterargue that costs would be quite minimal because the program would simply be added as an element of the Education Department’s existing website.

Specifics of content might even be moderated by a volunteer or volunteers who would have specific oversight of the historical thread. I would envisage this as being done in conjunction with the Media and Marketing Section of the Education Department. Advice and assistance might well be provided by the NT Archive.

There are other ways in which this reference to our history could be extended. Oral histories by past educators is an approach that could be an element of recording our history. Another might be bylines relating to theses and dissertations, that relate to educational history and developments in the Northern Territory completed over time. Referral to these studies would be useful.

At the moment any documentation of this nature would be housed with Charles Darwin University or possibly in the Northern Territory archives. Cross referencing in a “trove” manner to these sources could be useful.

I am aware that progress is a constant and acknowledge the fact that systems and priorities have to change over time to meet needs. However not having a history of where we have come from in educational terms is to our eternal detriment.

Among other advantages, history is informing and can help in preventing a repeat of failed processes and mistakes from the past. The decisions that are being made about education should be informed. Part of that information is an awareness and appreciation of our history.

I would welcome your consideration of this issue and look forward to hearing from you on the subject in due course.

Are my suggestions worthwhile or so much pie in the sky?

UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE GOING (3) GENERAL LIVING NEEDS

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (47)

People going to remote communities need to know the status of local stores. What foods are sold, what clothes are carried, what other necessities are available for local purchase.

Is the freight free perishable concession available to staff and their families.

If so, in what condition do freight free perishables arrive in the community. Are goods home delivered or do they have to be collected from a community depot. Are staff notified when the goods arrive.

Information about climatic conditions will assist in the choice of clothing, bedding and other household necessities.

Are homes and the school on reticulated electricity, grid supplied power, or individual power generators. Is power 24/7 or limited. Are power outages frequent or irregular.

Are local roads welcoming of conventional vehicles or is a four wheel drive unit necessary’

Does the school have a vehicle and is it available to staff for business related or private use.

The state of housing including available furniture, fittings and general condition of houses needs to be communicated. This includes knowledge of gardening and vegetable growing opportunities and the availability of water for irrigation.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (46)

The most major blunder both historically and contemporarily in sending people to teach in remote communities, is a failure by authorities to equip them with the knowledge and understanding needed to handle altogether different living and working environments.

While some preparatory inservice may be offered, it is often by people within education departments who have had little or no experience of living and working in remote communities. The inservice usually has more to do with departmental expectation than covering issues to do with the personal and living needs of intending staff. Or they may be conducted by people who have never been to the areas for which they are recruiting.

There are practical matters that should be considered by those either contemplating or about to accept appointments to places away from normal urban and large regional town living. The next few ‘thoughts’ will cover some of these key considerations.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (45)

Many graduate teachers are appointed to rule and remote communities at work at schools in small towns, without really knowing the great deal about the communities to which they have been appointed.

It can be a case of not know what questions to ask about what facilities are available within those communities. There may be an assumption that what’s available in normal urban or large towns will be very duplicated and smaller and more remote settings. It could be the questions asked of people who do not know I have an understanding of those places and are not really qualified to answer questions put to them.

Only a small percentage of teachers who are in training actually get to undertake a practice teaching around within her and remote communities or in places away from the larger centres. So if appointed on graduation they don’t really have a frame of reference upon which to rely as they prepare to travel to their teaching assignments. Living and working in remote communities is best undertaken if people go and fully prepared for the life they are going to experience.

The next few entries in this thread cover things about which people should be aware if contemplating remote area service.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (44)

It is critically important that teachers engage with students at both primary and secondary level. I suspect that we are in a time when a great deal of student work is about completing assignments, often complex, that may have been minimally covered during class time. It also seems that the administrative pressures put upon teachers mean they are distracted during class time with data recording, computer entry requirements and other ‘justificational and accountability’ activities. This means that teachers too often are in classrooms but at distance from children when it comes to direct teaching, dialogue and interaction. They are distracted by system pressures.

The upshot of this can be student’s assigned significant homework tasks, with that requirement not supported by in class reasoning to ensure that homework is an extension on what has been covered in class. When ‘homework’ is new work, assignment requirements can be very off putting for students. It also places enormous pressure on some parents to actually do the homework for their children.

When major assignments are downloaded from the web and not created by teachers for students, this adds to the disconnection.

Know your students. Listen to them, talk with them and teach them.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (43)

The biggest of the three challenges teachers may face is that of dealing with student behaviours. Students, both young and old, are not what they used to be in terms of classroom behaviour and deportment. The belief in ‘respect’ for teachers by students is more of an anachronism than a reality these days.

Student teachers on practice regularly report that poor behaviours are the most major challenge they confront when in schools. I have been given to understand that around 80% of the time teachers work with classes can be devoted to attempting classroom management and discipline with only 20% being available to teaching. Students, especially those in secondary schools are increasingly challenging teachers, becoming the prime focus of teacher stress.

I can offer ideas on how this issue can be countered and managed, but in another forum.

Some of the aberrant and dysfunctional student behaviours include:

* Using mobile phones in class for social purposes, notwithstanding school rules to the contrary.

* Throwing objects at teachers and other students.

* Talking over the top of teachers and other students.

* Throwing rubbish and discarded materials onto the floor rather than using the bin.

* Physically interfering with other students.

* Physically interfering with and attacking teachers through hitting and punching.

* Swearing at fellow students.

* Swearing at teachers.

* Indulging in foul mouthed and abusive verbal behaviour toward fellow students and teachers.

* Leaving classrooms without permission.

* Listening to music and other media distractions while in class.

* Refusing either by quiet defiance or outright counteraction to complete work assignments.

* Refusing more generally to participate in lessons.

* Refusing to leave the room when requested.

* Refusing to comply with reasonable requests.

* Engaging in taunting behaviour toward fellow students and teachers.

It is little wonder that many who would teach ‘see the light’ and either discontinue training or quite the profession after a relatively short teaching career. These sure some of the reasons for why 50% of graduate teachers leave the profession within five years of entering upon their teaching careers.

.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (42)

There is a cartoon doing the rounds that quiet aptly (and accurately) portrays the change in parent expectations on the subject of teacher and school accountability. The cartoon shows parents of the 1960’s and 70’s supporting teachers in urging children to do their very best to overcome poor attitudes toward school. The cartoon shows parents and their student children thirty years later. In the 2000’s they are shown rounding on the teacher, blaming that teacher for the poor academic results achieved by children. “The poor results are YOUR fault” they say as they round in unison on the teacher.

This cartoon depicts the way things have changed. Teachers are expected to work miracles so that students, including the lazy, preoccupied, indolent, disrespectful and the deliberately disinclined, achieve positive outcomes. “My child’s poor attitude and indisposition is YOUR fault”, parrots the parent.

Juxtapositionally, if the teacher contacts the parent with concerns about the child’s poor attitude and effort, that parent (multiplied by a factor of tens of thousands of parents) do not want to know. They treat the concerns of teachers as a big yawn.

Be aware of the fact that this parental attitude is one that seems to be increasingly manifest within the community. This apathy needs to be taken into account by those who would teach.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (41)

Teachers need to realise that system expectations are growing at what seems to be an ever increasing rate. Both government and Education Departments put it upon teachers to be responsible for a growing plethora of expectations. Some of these are listed.

* It is expected that teachers get students to a point of fulfilling NAPLAN test expectations.

* It is behoven upon teachers to be responsible for overcoming all discipline issues.

* Teachers are expected to know of physical, mental, social and sexual abuse possibilities.

* ‘Suicide watch’ and awareness of mental welfare issues are part of the equation.

* Children may not understand manners, deportment, and other development issues – fix them.

* Teachers are expected to manage an increasing level of ‘individual differences’ among children.

* The system will, at short notice, impose new teaching methods, classroom modelling and other concepts. ‘Steady state’ and expectation is not the way things go.

* New ideas and different approaches will often be imposed after minimal notice and discussion.

* School hierarchy will often expect teachers to be responsible for behaviour management issues. occurring outside the classroom and away from their direct responsibilities.

* Meetings are regular and occupy a great deal of time outside the normal school day.

* Professional development obligations and accountability (performance management) requirements take up a lot of additional time.

* Reporting to parents must be couched in language that is often unclear and imprecise, tending to ‘skirt’ issues rather than going to the nub of issues.

* With the passing of time, appreciation for teachers by the system has become less and less. Accountability requirements on the other hand have grown like Topsy.

THOUGHTS FOR PRESERVICE AND BEGINNING TEACHERS (40)

There is satisfaction and joy in teaching, but everything is not always a bed of roses. My concern is that those contemplating teaching or about to begin teaching careers, not enter the profession without realising the fallacies and shortfalls that exist and with which the profession has to contend.

These occupy three key dimensions and I will raise them one by one over the next three days. Singly and collectively, they can impact upon teachers in a way that turns the cream of teaching into unpalatable sour milk.

My comments will not aim at being kill joy, serving rather as being part of the necessity of awareness that should be part of the consideration undertaken by all those contemplating becoming educators.

Close to 50% of graduating teachers exist the profession within five years. That is due in part to elements that should be taken into account, being given little forethought and consideration.

Anything that can help teachers avoid pitfalls and becoming subject to dissolution should be canvassed.

The Northern Territory Newspaper revealed this morning that two past school principals, both colleagues, had both passed away.

David Hassall and Kath Phelan AM were major contributors to their school communities during their years of leading and managing schools. Ms Phelan was also a key contributor to system development through her work in the Education Department’s head office.

Earlier this year Andrew Cameron who was the Principal Education Adviser (PEA) jn the Barkley Region ( Tennant Creek and surrounding district) passed away.

More recently Aileen McDonagh was laid to rest. Mrs McDonagh was variously the Principal of Wagaman, Howard Springs and Nakara Prjmary Schools. She was also instrumental in developing the process leading to documentation for School Improvement Plans. These planning concept was designed to help schools and their communities plan medium and longer term goal setting objectives.

We are eight months into 2019. To date four NT educational leaders who helped shape and develop our system and schools have passed on. With them, has passed their rich educational contributions and the history of their achievements.

And all without any public acknowledgement by a government instrumentality, the Education Department. Nor any public mention by the NT Principals’ Association or any of the other groups to which they belonged.

It is incredibly sad that the focus of living in the present denies those who should know better from offering a final word of public recognition or word of tribute.

From this individual, thanks to the four of you for the part you played in building Northern Territory Education.

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Emails can be double jeopardy and I cannot advocate too strongly, the need to take care and to exercise caution when it comes to their construction and dispatch. Once sent, they are out there forever and cannot be retrieved.

There are constant cases and incidents happening to remind us of the fact that we need to be careful with email traffic. It is all too easy for an e-mail written with haste and without prior thought, to create problems for the writer. Never ever comment on people or personality issues within emails; discuss issues but not people, messages but not the character or reputation of the messengers.

Be careful in responding to parental emails, because responses can be held against teachers and leaders who commit on issues relating to students. My suggestion (based on many years of experience) is to respond by telephone or by invited the parent in for a conversation.

Emails are intended to save time in responding to queries. Sometimes they can be terribly counter-productive.

St Andrew’s Cathedral School principal John Collier.

CREDIT: ABC

A father storms into the front office of his daughter’s school and begins to shout abuse. He is responding to a text he’s just received in which she tells him she is being bullied. He tells the office staff he wants to march to her classroom and “belt” the bully; they refuse to tell him where his daughter is. In the end, he tries to coerce the principal into going outside so they can “sort it out like men”.

A father objects to the decision of his daughter’s school to veto a sexist and racist slogan she wants on her school sweatshirt. He is so irate that he takes his complaints to the education minister and accuses the school of running a “cult”. He also starts an online group devoted to abusing and defaming the staff and principal at his daughter’s school.

A female principal disciplines a student for bullying; the student’s father belongs to an online group promoting men’s rights. The principal and her staff find themselves threatened with bashings – to the extent the Department of Education provides workplace security – while also being trolled and defamed. The head of the P&C is sent abusive text messages.

A female principal is wedged between the door and the doorjamb by an out-of-control father. She has tried to leave the room where he’s been shouting abuse at her but he leans his weight on the door and refuses to release her. She ends up with bruises.

I have been hearing a growing unease about the abusive behaviour of parents towards school staff and, particularly, school principals for more than a decade now, backed up by a number of recent studies on principal wellbeing. At the recent New South Wales Secondary School Principals’ Annual Conference in June that rumble had become a roar. Every principal I spoke to has experienced similar things to the incidents above, but female principals seem to cop a particularly nasty form of abuse. A male principal told me: “I have witnessed this with female deputy principals. The language of the abuse is different, and it is often more demeaning to them personally.” A female principal put it even more bluntly: “Most encounters with abusive parents, male and female, clearly demonstrate absolute sexism. I often say this would not happen if I was a man.” Her view is that many people still find it hard to accept female authority. “There is also a sense that if I was a male principal, parents would accept (not agree with) my decisions and take the matter no further, but because I am a woman, they take the matter to my superiors to tell me what to do.” Another female principal concurs, giving an example where she was relentlessly patronised by a male parent, addressed as “darling”, given orders about having documents to hand when next he rang, and micromanaged to make sure she “got it right”.

Most principals seem to agree that this kind of disrespect and out-of-control behaviour is increasing. They put this down to myriad reasons – social media gives angry people the opportunity to unload publicly and parents are more anxious and stressed generally. Other reasons cited by the principals I spoke to are increasing mental health issues in parents, the media encouraging abuse because it creates sensational stories, and a general lack of respect for authority, including school authority. Another experienced principal put it this way: “We are becoming more and more aggressive towards each other in many ways, and the problem manifests itself in schools because we are easily accessible to the community and the work we do is complex. Parents are more frustrated, seeking easier solutions to their own problems, and expecting schools to solve those problems.”

“MOST ENCOUNTERS WITH ABUSIVE PARENTS, MALE AND FEMALE, CLEARLY DEMONSTRATE ABSOLUTE SEXISM. I OFTEN SAY THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN IF I WAS A MAN.”

St Andrew’s Cathedral School principal John Collier wrote a school newsletter about bad parental behaviour last year that went viral. He also put the rise of this poor behaviour down to an increase in parental anxiety and an unrealistic concern about poor marks or an overprotective response when a child is disciplined. He pointed out that he has a duty of care not only to his students but also to his staff. He was surprised at the response, not just in education but across all sorts of sectors, including health and local councils. He wrote the newsletter because, while the number of problem parents in his school was small, he was keen to make sure the numbers did not grow. A case of not all parents being abusive, perhaps, but certainly all principals copping it.

The acting head of the NSW Secondary Principals’ Council, Craig Petersen, agrees the increase in aggressive and abusive behaviour from parents is driven by increasing anxiety and “blind support of the child that fails to take into account the reality of normal adolescent immaturity and behaviour”. The tragedy of this is that far from protecting their children, such blindness can be very damaging. Dannielle Miller, the chief executive of Enlighten Education, believes that what our teens need is for parents to be the calm among the chaos. “If we go in with all guns blazing, we are only fuelling the flames of their fury,” she says. “We need to model how to take a deep breath, and then handle conflict respectfully.” Miller cautions that by reacting emotionally parents run the risk of further alienating themselves not just from the school, but also from their own child. “Sometimes when teens vent, they view a situation in quite a heightened way,” she argues. “Later, when they have calmed down, they may actually be willing to concede the teacher they were upset with is actually firm – but also fair.” Teens will then turn their critical gaze onto their parent for being heavy-handed, she warns. Collier agrees. In his newsletter he pointed out that if the abusive parents asked their kids’ opinion of their behaviour, their kids would tell them to “chill”.

Another complaint by principals facing an increasing onslaught of parental abuse is how alone and unsupported many of them feel. Principals absorb the brunt of this behaviour because they see it as their duty to do so. “Principals see part of their role as protecting the individual teacher, the staff generally, the students and the school as a whole,” said one. “… The personal toll on principals in this respect is massive.” They also feel unsupported by school authorities and yet expected as members of a caring profession to respond supportively themselves. “The problem with you lot is you are too nice,” said a police officer friend of one principal. “You think you need to take every single nutter seriously. In the police force if someone is a jerk, we tell them they are a jerk.” The principal who told me this story was sympathetic to the advice. “While I don’t agree with all of his sentiments,” the principal said, “I do think our bureaucracy is far too tolerant of nutters.”

The consequences of this increase in abusive and threatening behaviour is that an already extraordinarily demanding and complex job becomes even harder and less rewarding. It is already more difficult than it was to attract applicants for principals’ positions and if we don’t start to have a more honest conversation about this problem, we risk losing many of the excellent principals we already have. A female principal was unequivocal – “I love my job, the school, the students, working in education of our young, but I often think lately that I don’t need this garbage in my life. Parental abuse is the thing that will drive me out of the profession into retirement.” Another principal was even more sobering about what will happen if we continue to turn a blind eye to this behaviour. “It will set the community standard,” she said. What a hostile world that would be.

I asked the principals I interviewed what they thought could help improve the situation. They were unanimous in their desire for more support from educational authorities. One principal suggested that a public awareness campaign about why educators are entitled to courtesy and respect in their workplaces – like everyone else – was needed. Personally, I also think the fact public school principals are gagged by their employers from speaking directly about such issues – the main reason none have been named here – is problematic, as we rarely hear their side of the story. Some principals now distribute guidelines for behaviour to parents as well as students and refuse to interact with anyone who breaks them. Perhaps we need an education ombudsman whose job it is to deal with conflict between parents and school executives before it descends into abuse, threats and – occasionally – actual violence.

While all of these might help to an extent, I find it hard to disagree with Craig Petersen. “We need to look at what we want as a broader community, as a whole society,” he says. “At the moment we seem to be using aggression and conflict to solve problems. Is it any wonder we are seeing the same behaviour in our schools?”

This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on Aug 10, 2019 as “Batter of principals”. Subscribe here.

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One of the sins of our profession and many others is claiming ‘ownership’ of ideas without sufficiently acknowledging the genesis of the initiative. So often something claimed as belonging to a person by that person, has its origins elsewhere. That applies to information gleaned from the web but also results from the claimant not sufficiently researching to determine whether her or his idea has been tried in another place and at an earlier time.

As a long term educator, I can attest to that happening for me on quite a few occasions. Never did I protest loudly because if our children benefit, does it really matter where the idea was sourced. Nevertheless, one puts these things away in the back of one’s mind and it does impact upon the respect held for purloiners.

ALWAYS acknowledge your sources. Encourage and require children to do the same.

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I weep for the way in which spelling has been discounted in this modern day and age. Too often the elements of word study are neglected and ‘anything goes’. Teacher too often do not know how to teach spelling and do not know how to spell themselves. Spelling, grammatical constructs, word usage and application including meaning, are discounted.

When I trained as a teacher in 1968 – 69, one of our ‘method’ units was the teaching of spelling. Furthermore, we were required to sit a test of 100 spelling words and were allowed one error. An error included writing the word, realising it was wrong and correcting that word. Failure required the test to be sat again and again and again. The test HAD to be passed before trainees graduated. Failure meant one did not graduate until such time as the test was mastered.

A far cry from then until now, when it often seems anything goes. Dear teachers of today and tomorrow, how I hope you will help reverse that trend by teaching spelling.

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The myriad of educational initiatives constantly coming at us, means schools could always be in a state of flux. We are constantly urged to try this, that and the other idea, meaning there can be little time to settle on an agenda.

Organisations deserve predictability and steady state. Schools also need to be places where deep learning is offered.

Rapid movement from one idea to the next to the next means there is little time for stabilising the agenda. Rather than deep learning, schools become like unto a frog hopping form lilly pad to lilly pad to lilly pad. One slip and the frog is dunked.

In the same way, schools can become places of instability. Students and teachers need both predictability and surety.

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The work done by teachers, school leaders and others connected with schools is metaphorically like an iceberg. One tenth of an iceberg is visible above the water, with the other nine tenths below the water. It is invisible to the casual observer.

Similarly, 10% of what educators do is visible to parents and the community at large. The other 90% is not seen, hidden from view but absolutely essential if their roles are going to be fulfilled.

The depth of education is not seen. But without the devotion to planning and preparation, then follow up to teaching and visible management and leadership efforts, our roles would be far less effective.

With teaching and educational support of students, those who care go the extra mile – and then some.

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‘No one on their death bed ever regretted not having spent more time at work’ is something I heard many years ago. Work IS important and we need to do our very best. However, there needs to be life after work, a time for family, friends and relaxation.

We need renewal and revitalisation. That does not happen if our noses are forever on the grindstone. We need to do our conscientious best at the coalface. We also need to live life.

Teaching should be a joy. I hope that all pre-service teachers are going into the profession because because they want to, not because they feel under qualified to go into any other profession. Teaching is challenging but it should also bring joy.

Teachers need to be ‘wannabees’ not ‘gottabees’. All the best to all those who are preparing to enter our classrooms as teachers of tomorrow.

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MARK STUDENTS WORK WITH CARE

When marking assignments, take care to moderate for the sake of consistency. Mark a few papers at a time and take regular, head-clearing breaks. Come back refreshed to each marking stint.

THE JOY OF MARKING WORK UNDERPINNED BY PRIDE IN PRESENTATION

When marking, it is an absolute joy to encounter rhe work of students who take time and care with meeting presentation requirements. Carefully referenced work is also a pleasure to read and assess. When assessing student work, I tried to think of mself as might the student. How would/will I ‘feel’ when checking the assigned grade? Will I be elated, happy, relieved, disbelieving or despairing? At the same time, picking up on errors and empathetically addressing them was important.

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I was a school principal for over 40 years and have worked in all sorts of circumstances in both WA (briefly) then the Northern Territory. One of the things that has worried me over the years and one that has time and again proven to be true, is that models of operation replacing (superseding) earlier models always seem to be inferior to what is being replaced. Now you may accuse me of viewing things through rose coloured glasses but I do remember the challenges of now historical circumstances. What has changes over the years is that faith and trust along with appreciation placed in teachers and school leaders has largely dissipated.

Where there was appreciation there is now expectation. Where trust was placed in the judgement of teachers, there is now suspicion. What used to be accepted as anecdotal confirmation of progress is no longer acceptable ; everything has to be deeply, externally and empirically tested and teacher judgements are treated with suspicious disbelief.

There used to be joy in teaching and the profession was one people wanted to join. These days there is an increasing reluctance and teachers are largely wan, overtired, overworked and altogether dispirited.

Enjoy education and teaching but PLEASE beware of the pitfalls.

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Money doesn’t ‘make’ educational outcomes. It is the inner motivation of students, the care and commitment of their parents and the earnest energies and efforts of teachers. By teachers, I mean ‘classroom teachers’ those at the coalface and doing the job day-by-day.

Those who think that money for material resources is the panacea, have it all wrong. You don’t enhance educational outcomes through money alone’ It comes from the commitment within the hearts of teachers, the nurture, care and support of parents and, above all, a keen desires on the part of children and students to learn.

Genuine learning and development is from the heart and soul, not from dollars in money bags and wallets.

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Those training to be teachers and recent graduates who have been appointed to schools, are usually on contract, are sometimes reticent to contribute View points on issues. For trainees, there may be a question as to whether or not they’re welcome at staff meeting is.

I believe it to be an important part of pre-service education for those on practice to make every effort to attend staff meetings. This validates educational interest and confirms to staff members and school leaders more than a minimalist sense of obligation.

As in “newbie” in staff meetings it is important to listen and take in what’s being said. A part of staff meetings is to contribute to the debate. Quite often those who have been in schools for a long period of time are up to date with current educational trends and thinking. Sharing what to many will be “new knowledge” helps in terms of deepening and broadening the thinking an awareness of all staff members.

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There are two perpetuating myths about teaching that need to be dispelled.

The first is that teachers work a six hour day five days a week for forty weeks each year. The amount of time teachers spend “on tasks” over and above that time means the public is only aware of the “tip of the iceberg”. Hours of planning and preparation go into teaching. Instruction is followed by assessment, upon which revision and extension programs are based.

The second myth is that teachers focus only on academics. Although the “3Rs” are very important there is a great deal more to the development of children than ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.

The myths are as far from reality as Antarctica is from the equator.

It’s good to see the Northern Territory Principals Association coming out in the public domain over the issue of Executive Principals contracts. I think the Association should be more prominent when it comes to representing its members and education generally in the public arena. Hopefully, this is a new start.

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The 2019 Arafura Games were a real winner for Darwin. Competition was outstanding, the endeavour of all competitors entertaining and uplifting. May these games continue to bless our city every two years. The games are great in making everyone aware of other countries and peoples in our quarter of the world.

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Breakins to businesses and residences is epidemic across the NT. In the same way as the NT News publishes an ongoing ‘Crocodile Catch’ list, I’d suggest a ‘break in’ list to show how much havoc is being wreaked on our community. That would show just how grave the situation has become.

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It is World Teachers’ Day (NT Aust) on the last Friday of every October. May our teachers be blessed and appreciated on this and indeed on every day. They and school support staff are do so much so giving each day. They deserve our plaudits. So too, do our support staff who work hard every day to compliment and support the efforts of our classroom practitioners.

That is more the case in 2019. Year by year by year, teachers are expected to take on more and more and more responsibility for the upbringing of children. Teachers are increasingly in thee community’s debt for all they do and for their willingness to go the extra mile and then some.

So often school staff go unthanked and unappreciated. They cop brickbats but receive few bouquets.

THEY COP MORE AND MORE ABUSE AND THAT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN.

Let’s put this to rights. Our teachers and school staff all deserve our appreciation

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Many years ago while working in the remote Northern Territory community of Numbulwar, one of my staff members suggested that teaching was an ‘art’ rather than a ‘profession’. That raised some thoughts about definitions and it is a matter I have pondered over the years.

To me, teaching has always been a profession and to think of it otherwise is to deny the impact that takes place at the teaching and learning interface.

But an ‘art’. Well, yes it is. There is an art, a deep personal skill in the presentation of what is being taught. That has to do with speech, speaking, listening, gesture and all the elements that go with the physical portrayal of how teachers present and how they model in classrooms. The matter of role modelling grows from the art of teaching.

In a related context, the classroom is like a stage, the teacher a key actor on that stage. Teaching is both a profession and an art.