Remember back to the time when you were a kid.... The end of the school holidays were nigh and you had to head back to school for another year of learning and schooling, another year older, but sometimes not another year wiser!
Well, I get to experience this feeling EVERY YEAR as a dedicated educator. And let me tell you the feeling does not get any better or easier with age. After 5 to 6 weeks of holidays and being able to wake up late and lie in every morning (yeah I wish with young kids), you then have to set the alarm and wake to that incessant beeping to arise at the same time to get ready for work.....
Oh where did those holidays go...
Now I am not complaining, I am quite lucky in the fact that I get around 12 weeks of holidays a year which I know is a privilege compared to some industries (and I have worked in a few outside of education). But one thing that really grinds my gears (and pisses me off no end) is that I am a lazy, bludging teacher who gets all of these holidays and only has to work from 9am to 3 pm everyday.
Well can I tell you that is just not true....
During the school term, teachers see kids and deliver lessons between the hours of 9am to 3pm. Then they either sit down at school or go home and work many additional hours to provide engaging lessons that shape the young minds of tomorrow. They often purchase additional supplies for their kids and many are like 2nd parents and care for their students just like they were their own kids. It takes a lot of time and effort, both physical and emotional, to be a dedicated and cring teacher.
We need Excellent Educators
Teachers and educators in general, in this great country we call Australia, are undervalued and underpaid as a profession. Teachers are expected to deal with 25-28 students and their myriad of issues on a daily basis, all the while providing them with a worthwhile education and then being bashed by the media and certain parents at every opportunity. Teachers seem to be an easy target for the mass media in Australia, and as soon as there is a fight in a school or a teacher makes a small slip up, the media is there to pounce and belittle that school or teacher.
Media, and the public in general, should be encouraging and fostering teachers and placing them on a pedestal. After all, they are moulding the minds of tomorrow and if we don't support them as a profession we will end up driving good teachers away and the end result will be a lower level of education for the future of this great country, and that is something no one wants.
Please comment and share your thoughts on the topic below.
Disclaimer: I am a passionate educator that believes that all kids can learn and achieve and we need to foster the best people to be the best educators for the future of our country!
Thanks for reading.
Make Sure To Vote For These
Awesome Steem Witnesses!
Come and join us in the Team Australia Discord Channel
