Get it right Julia - Either "Shine a light on some schools that need a helping hand" Versus the SMH article "Tell off deficient teachers"
What needs to be done is give support to your teachers to do the difficult task they do. The job is complex and multi-layered.
The following horrifies me as an ex teacher.
"Teachers identified as underperformers by the Government's new school rating system should expect to be roused at by disgruntled parents, the Education Minister, Julia Gillard says today."
Do you expect to attract and keep teachers under this regime? Are you are wondering why they hear the 'Alarm Bells Ringing'?
The policy, I believe, requires modification. Teachers are an essential in our society - what is needed is not to target those who are having difficulty in handling the complex society we live in. What is needed is to ask "How can we understand and support teachers and children through the difficult waters?"
I left teaching a decade ago - the class I had at the time was difficult - as the blend included a diverse group of "integrated Students lovely kids but a very stressful situation. One child was moved to the "other" class when her parents were unhappy with the climate of the mix(and threatened to take it further). She was replaced in the class with a new arrival from Russia who didn't speak English, and a student from a Behaviour Management School who had behavioural/bowel problems but needed 'Integration' into the normal classroom.
They had been chosen to be in my class because I was good at dealing with difficult situations but if you had taken the results of the Basic Skills Test with this group, perhaps I would be targeted today as a deficient teacher.
This was the total opposite of the situation and on a personal level, after more than a decade of being away from teaching, I still have recurring nightmares re getting it together (or not) in the classroom. In other words, the job is so stressful already. Think about how you can support your teachers!!
Passionately Clara
I take your point. Testing of kids should only be of equal types, such as; apples with apples. it seems unreasonable to compare results of very different types of children and groups of children from very diverse background . All testing should only be used as useful feedback to the teachers and principle of the schools. They then can give useful and supportive feedback to parents this would help the family to support the child’s learning even further. These tests have no value as a blame and shame tool this could have the effect of demoralising the teacher even more. She /he may be working in a very challenging environment and support for the teacher is what is required.
ReplyDeleteOf course parents genuine concern should be addressed re child’s learning and overall wellbeing at school, opportunities are and should be provided for good communications between parents and teachers in a constructive and supportive manner for both parties.
Jane