Veteran teacher shares his concerns for Catholic education

The following heartfelt message was put on Facebook by an IEU Rep in regional Catholic education. As a self-described 41-year education veteran and a foundation member of the union, his words bear serious consideration.

No More Freebies actions suggested by members:

FULL TEXT:

Catholic school teachers are currently at loggerheads with their employer regarding our certified agreement. Our union's main aim is to protect the future of a Catholic education system that values staff and protects teachers from unrealistic workloads and expectations.

We are concerned that current workloads are deterring young people from joining the teaching profession, while others are not considering teaching as a long term prospect.

Primary School teachers work in excess of 50 hours per week. We generally arrive at school before 8am and leave after 5pm. After dinner we spend another two hours each night preparing for the next day. Sunday nights are taken up again with more planning and preparation. Many of our students now require individual programs which in turn require hours of planning at home.

Yes, we do work during school holidays to prepare for the upcoming term. The activities and experiences we provide don't magically turn up on the table on day one of each term.

Teaching is only a small part of our workload when you take into consideration the counselling and parenting required to run today's complex classroom. Many teachers working in our more underprivileged suburbs and regional areas go home heartbroken and feeling despondent and depressed because they are unable to support those students living in a vicious cycle of poverty, drugs, unemployment and significant dysfunction. Teachers are often the only people these families can turn to for support.

Teachers do not turn their professional life off when they get home, how can they when they are dealing directly with the lives of children in need?

We are constantly told by our employers to work harder, complete more documentation within a narrow timeframe, and lift our game because NAPLAN tells us we are not performing. Other sectors of society are always telling the teaching profession how, what, why and when to teach. Wouldn't you think these decisions should be left up to the professional, who has a four/five year teaching degree and years of authentic experience to make these judgements?

Other countries gladly offer their teachers this respect.

Our teaching profession is failing to attract young teachers. A high percentage of those that do enter the workforce leave within their first five years citing poor pay and unrealistic workloads.

What does the future hold for our schools if this is allowed to continue?