THE PERFECT STORM

 

THE PERFECT STORM

(Dated 14 October 2016)
 

 

 

Some of you may remember my post from early September outlining some of the shockers that are occurring in schools under the Local schools, local decisions banner. This is just one component of a group of factors that are beginning to ‘bite’ and, unfortunately, I’m pegging 2017 as the time when all these coalesce and the previously alluded to perfect storm will come into play.

Apart from the increasingly toxic workplaces being mentioned in the initial post, some of these factors include-

TEACHERS’ SALARIES

The current award is near completion in terms of its duration so a new case will be mounted in the coming months. I believe the prospects are gloomy for anything substantial being offered from the department. The state government hasn’t had a good record with salary negotiations and I’m tipping political intransigence will stymie the process even further. Don’t let Baird and Piccoli fool you. Whilst they use megaphones to highlight their support for Gonski-level funding, the same can’t be said for funding from their own state coffers. One only has to take a look at schools’ maintenance that is mounting up and the capital works’ ‘to do’ list is beginning to take on the appearance of a deluxe version of ‘War and Peace’. At best, teachers can look forward to an offer of a 2% increase which is insulting.

THE ‘AWWW….. FUCK THIS!’ SYNDROME

2017 marks the time when all teachers become a part of the accreditation process. Whilst highly experienced teachers have been nominally a part of the system for a few years, they will now have to ‘fully participate’ in the processes, paperwork and general evaluations that their less experienced colleagues have been engaged in. Please note that the former group represents a substantial number of teachers who have been operating successfully in classrooms for 20+ years.

One doesn’t have to be an Einstein to foresee potential problems with such a 2017 scenario. Coupled with this ‘rite of passage’ for near-retirement colleagues are guidelines and procedures for teachers’ performance that form part of their accreditation. Such guidelines were clearly spruiked at combined Department of Education/ NSW Teachers Federation presentations across the state in early 2015. ‘Collegiality’ and ‘team work’ were distinctly identified components of the teacher performance/ review processes but, already, a significant minority of schools has ditched these imperatives in favour of a ‘top down’ modus operandi.

I reckon that more than a few older colleagues will adopt the ‘Awww….. fuck this!’ default setting and leave the profession. Not good….but I hope I’m wrong!

CURRICULUM

The introduction of new curriculums in both History and Geography has been chaotic especially in terms of how these disciplines are assessed and reported on. Little administrative support to schools and teachers has been a distinguishing feature of the shemozzle so far and this will continue into 2017.

ALLIED STUFF

The continuing ‘chase’ towards the pedagogy mirage (with the political emphasis on the teacher as opposed to the system), the calling in of the coroner to explain Gonski’s death as well as the ever-widening gap between rich and poor students’ achievement levels and the waning influence of the shop floor as a bulwark in schools against deteriorating working conditions all point to a pivotal year coming up in state education here in New South Wales.