Good to see some debate regarding teachers. In reply to Jason’s (TeacherK6) comments:

1: How many people do work “normal hours’ nowadays? The concept of a standard 9-5 job is rapidly disappearing. If teachers are spending so much time on lesson plans, etc, perhaps the B.Ed course should include a unit or two on time management skills.

As for the preparation of lesson plans and term programs, perhaps you can enlighten us as to why this occurs. Surely all teachers are following a set curriculum so that all students receive the same standard of education across the board. If each teacher prepares their own version of what they want to cover each term, then the consistency of our childrens education must be suffering huge variences. Perhaps this is a major reason behind so many children today suffering from the lack of a quality education? Following a set term plan would mean that teachers are not needing to supposedly ‘sacrifice’ their 12 week holidays. Campaigning for changes to the education system that will reduce the time demands on teachers and as a flow-on effect improve education via less stressed teachers, etc would go a longer way further in winning public support than striking each year for another 10% pay rise. As soon as you stop fighting for improvements to the system and start demanding more money, you instantly lose the hearts of those that will support you most.

2: To quote the WA Education Department:

“The Department of Education and Training pays teachers on an incremental scale through which they progress on an annual basis (subject to satisfactory performance). There are eight pay rates, or steps, in the teaching pay scale from Level 1.5 to Level 2.3. Graduate teachers starting work with the Department are placed on either the first (Level 1.5) or second (Level 1.6) salary step according to their level of training (four or five-year trained).

Four year trained beginning teachers are paid a salary of $38,102* in their first year. This compares favourably with the salaries paid currently to a newly qualified accountant ($23-40,000/average WA $30,000), an architect ($32,800-35,400) and an engineer ($35-45,000). Teachers at the top of the scale (known as Level 2.3) are paid a salary of $55,853*.”

Given that the average salary in Australia is around $37K, for a 22 or 23 year old to be earning an above average wage in their first year of employment is nothing to complain about. The Level 2.3 salary of $55K would group that teacher with the top 15% or so of salary earners, not exactly low paid.

3: What about the cost of child care? I thought we sent our children to school for you to educate with your 4+ years of specialist training, not to babysit them. If you don’t want to teach full-time because you don’t like the pay, but you believe that you could earn $130k performing child care, then perhaps you should chase the money along that career path.

4: It’s very sad that these sort of things occur to so many children. But as ANUDIST sad, it’s not only teachers who confront this on a daily basis.

The education issue at large is a far greater problem that needs to be addressed, so I’ll leave any further comments regarding it for now.