Peter Garrett -- Burning the Midnight Oil...

Being the voracious reader of news that I am, I was reading this story about the Federal Education Minister, Mr. Peter Garrett, formerly of Midnight Oil fame and now responsible for leading the revolution in the education of Australia.

Mr. Garrett, or Petey to his friends, is a firm believer in NAPLAN. I am sure if you are Australian or have children involved in the Australian education system you would have heard of the 'dredded' NAPLAN exam. This exam happens in early May every year for Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. The National Assessment Program -- Literacy and Numeracy was, according to Petey, designed to test the curriculum. It is not designed to be an assessment tool of schools or individual teachers. Consequently, this lack of understanding, or simple fear-mongering by individuals and unions, places increased and undue stress on children who must take part in these exams.

So, rather than admit to a flawed NAPLAN idea and a flawed implementation process, Petey blames the teachers. It is not the government's fault that teachers are not up to speed or not capable of getting the job done. The "fact" that teachers can't get the job done, Petey says, is proof positive that there is a need for performance pay and for pre and post-appointment testing of teachers to ensure that they meet a revised higher standard of expected achievement.

Unfortunately, Petey does not seem to understand that the vast majority of teachers in our state's and territories' education systems already exceed those higher expectations. So, perhaps the issue is not one of teacher quality but rather government commitment to the fundamental belief that education is a human right that all people enjoy and one that government must endeavour to divert more funds to. But, I digress...back to NAPLAN.

The reality is that because of the concerns that NAPLAN is a tool that is designed to test schools and individual teachers, as much as it is to test students place on the literacy and numeracy continuum, teachers often feel compelled to "teach to the test". Simply, this means a teacher gets out there collection of past NAPLAN tests and goes through those tests over and over and over and over again and then they do that over and over again in the lead up to NAPLAN.

This is a flawed approach, not because it does not achieve the desired outcome, because it does not provide students with the basic skills to be natural users of the English language. Students are being taught how to complete the test and not how to be life-long learners of English nor how to be competent users of English.

Back to the idea that students are stressed. Well, when it is all said and done we are talking about students and a national exam. If I was still a school student in Year 3, 5, 7 or 9 then it is pretty likely I would be stressed too. No matter what my teacher would have told me about the importance of the exam or what it is allegedly designed to test. So, yeah, students are stressed. However, it is worth adding that the government is the one that links NAPLAN outcomes to the future funding of schools and particular programs and our informed students are aware of what this means and how it may effect and affect their future educations.

Then again, maybe our students of today are facing a range of different pressures from numerous angles and this leads to the increased stress levels in our students and not their teachers knowledge or lack thereof of the NAPLAN test. Let's face it, when mum and dad are going out and spending $20 or more per book and insisting that their children read and complete each and every activity in the book in preparation for sitting the NAPLAN test would seem to be indication enough that mum and dad think the test is pretty important. So, with this being "reinforced" at school, it is of little wonder that some students are going to have increased levels of stress associated with NAPLAN. Why solely blame teachers for this? Scape-goating?

I must add that these are my own personal views and in no way reflect the views of the organisation that I work for.

Anyways, that might be it for February...I promise to try and get in one post per month.

Feel free to comment...I will reply provided it is not some kind of linked advertisement for viagra or the like :)

School Over-Crowding and Birth Control...

How best to deal with surging school populations? A rapidly expanding school population is not something that I am going to have to worry about at Collarenebri Central School. There is undoubtedly some fluctuation in student numbers. But, as I understand it, those fluctuations are up and down 10 - 15 students. Then again, Collarenebri is a town of just 250 people. It goes without saying that New York faces a whole raft of different challenges. One of those is overcrowding in its school system.

It is estimated that by 2015 that the lower Manhattan school area will need to find an additional 1000 spaces for children wanting to attend school. This poses an enormous challenge to officials and city administrators. Do you build new schools or expand existing schools? Or is there some other alternative. According to, the recently appointed Schools Chancellor, Cathie Black perhaps birth control would be a good option.

This tongue in cheek comment has caused considerable offense. The Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, has had to come to her defense and state, what to me seems obvious, that it was a joke. For offense to be taken it would mean that those taking offense must have believed that she was seriously contemplating birth control as a means of resolving what will become a significant burden on the education budget of the city. Hmmmm....

Nevertheless, the tongue in cheek comment has garnered more press than what the city actually plans to do. So, how are the New York City bureaucracy going to deal with the 1000 extra students that will need to be educated by 2015? Aside from needing extra schools or classroom space at existing schools to accommodate the additional students, there will be a need for additional teachers, won't there? Or is the expectation that class sizes will continue to expand?

Teacher Accused of Raping Students Transferred...To Another School!

There is something fundamentally flawed with a bureaucratic system that allows for a teacher that has been accused of raping primary school students to remain in the classroom pending a finalisation of the accusations. This is not a question on the presumption of innocence.

The alleged perpetrator of these sex crimes against children has the right to a presumption of innocence until such time as those charges are proven against him. However, common sense would demand that the individual be removed from the classroom and placed in a position where he has no interaction with children in the school environment or he is place on leave until the allegations are investigated and concluded.

Sadly, in South Tangerang, a male teacher, Y.P., was accused of having molested a number of primary school students at the Pondok Ranji 5 Primary School in Pondok Aren. He has since been transferred to Setu 3 Primary School which is also under the jurisdiction of the South Tangerang District Education Office.

There are a couple of problems with this. The most obvious being: why is this individual still in the classroom and still with access to children considering the serious nature of the allegations? And, what in the world is the South Tangerang District Education Office thinking when it states unequivocally where the teacher has been teaching immediately prior to the transfer and then goes on to say where that individual is now.

It is not beyond the realm of possibility here that in a country like Indonesia where vigilante justice goes hand-in-hand with more official forms of punishment that an angry mob could soon be descending on Y.P.'s new school.

I appreciate that there are procedures to be followed and the like because Y.P. is a civil servant, a government employee, but nevertheless it would make sense to remove the individual from the situation. But, the preferred option in this instance has been to transfer him to a different school, provide mandatory counselling and to put in place a more strict monitoring regime.

In the meantime, the South Tangerang District Education Office is encouraging the parents of all students who have been abused to make reports to the police.

National Teacher's Day: Indonesia...

Today is National Teacher's Day in Indonesia. National Teacher's Day is celebrated in conjunction with the anniversary of the establishment of the National teacher's Association of the Republic of Indonesia (Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia / PGRI) which occurred on 25 November 1945. The predecessors of the PGRI were the  Teacher's Association of the Dutch Indies which was formed in 1912 and the Teacher's Association of Indonesia which was formed in 1932.

So, to all my Indonesian friends and colleagues who work in the educational sector as teachers / educators, Happy Teacher's Day! I trust, and hope, that it has been a good day for you (even though it is not an official holiday). I also hope that the coming year sees the Indonesian government come good on its constitutional obligations to properly fund the education sector. May you all finally get those opportunities to participate in your own professional development.

But, most importantly may 2011 be the start of a process where your efforts and commitment to educating the youths of today, and our leaders of the future, are recognised!

Do Selective High Schools Have the Best Teachers?

Do Selective High Schools Have the Best Teachers?

I am going to go out on a limb here and say, No!

I went to a selective high school for some of my schooling and a non-selective high school for the rest of it. The idea that selective high schools have the best teachers is a myth. It is a myth that could be easily busted wide open. However, the data that could bust that myth is not released by the NSW Department of Education and Training. In an era of openness and transparency where parents prefer to make informed decisions about where they send their children to schools, then this data would help parents identify which schools have teachers making a significant difference in the educational lives of the students under their care.

The myth is premised on the idea that because it is a selective high school, then not only are the students selected but so are the teachers. This is clearly not the case. Even by the Department's own admission, schools can request, perhaps even demand, certain teachers with specific skills, but generally vacancies appear and they are filled. In any event, the competitive nature of a selective school drives successful outcomes for students more than extraordinary teachers.

That is not to say that extraordinary teachers do not exist in the selective school system, for they surely do, but this is to say that these schools are likely to achieve results with teachers going through the motions because the students themselves are driven to succeed.

The reality is that you are just as likely to come across an exceptional teacher working in Bingara or Moree or Deniliquin as you are at James Ruse or Sydney Boys or Hurlstone Agricultural High School. Similarly, you are just as likely to come across a teacher going through the motions of teaching in anyone of these schools or teachers who are struggling with the profession and their educational responsibilities.

As a prospective teacher I am committed to being successful. Success comes in many forms, but paramount among these is seeing the students that I work with achieve and exceed their learning expectations.

This little rant was inspired by this article.

Building the Education Revolution Indonesian Style...

Education is the key to the future. This is a universal truth. However, you would be forgiven for thinking that most governments and people do not take the future seriously considering how little attention is paid to education or how little respect is given to teachers who are responsible for educating that future. Yet, it is governments and others that are quick out of the blocks to blame teachers and schools for perceived failures in educating that future based on arbitrary test scores and the like (the subject matter for another post perhaps).

Nevertheless, this post is about the educational policies of the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) government that sees it set to allocate some IDR 9.3 trillion to a program that is expected to repair and renovate some 132,000 classrooms at the elementary school level and build new classrooms in more remote areas of the archipelago. What is amazing is that this is the allocation for 2010-2011 and is the best part of the IDR 14 trillion that is supposedly set aside for the renovating and building program.

According to the Department of Education, the building component of the program is focusing on kindergarten facilities that are to be integrated into elementary schools and the building of new junior high schools so that Indonesian children have access to educational facilities that are no more that 2 kilometres from their homes. The idea of no student having to travel more than two kilometres to school is an admirable one, but one fraught with difficulties considering the reality of remoteness that many students will find themselves in outside of the more densely populated islands of Java and Sumatra.

The budget allocation and the plan is a good one. Perhaps once the renovating and building program is complete, the government can then direct some much-needed policy attention to ensuring that there are sufficient teachers available to staff the schools that exist. Then perhaps a little bit of time can be devoted to professional development of teachers to ensure that teachers are always at the cutting edge of teaching pedagogies and technology. After all, it is these teachers who we are tasking with the shaping of our collective futures. Finally, perhaps the government can spend a little (no pun intended) on teacher salaries. Not just thinking about salaries, but actually doing something to see those salaries increase and reflect the level of trust that we as a community put in teachers to educate our children.

Hopefully, governments and the powers that be around the world can dedicate their collective energies to making 2011 the start of a global educational revolution, one aimed at building our future together.

Naked Teachers & Penthouse Magazine...

It would seem that being a teacher and getting your gear off do not mix under any circumstances. This is not a case of a teacher getting their gear off and fiddling with one of their students. This is a story about a New Zealand teacher who decided that it would be a good idea to get her gear off for Australian Penthouse magazine. The offending pictures are supposedly available on their website. Stuff NZ broke the story here.

On second thoughts this might not have been such a good idea. the New Zealand Teachers Council is now investigating. Sounds like a good excuse for the Teachers Council to go and get themselves a few copies of the magazine or open up the website, for research of course.

The young woman, Rachel Whitwell, apparently dates a pornographer. So, in that sense it does not seem to be an unlikely scenario that she might be convinced to get her kit off. The proof of the pudding is in the viewing, and there are six photos to be viewed. Among the six photos are two full-nudes. Oh, to be able to post those. Perhaps, I should post them for educational purposes. You know, what not to do if you are a teacher. Anyways, for those of you that want the full monty, then look here. The two pictures posted above are the more modest of the six available.

According to Whitwell, aka Lexy, the photos are not her only claim to fame. She is also a bit of a writer, having penned a number of erotic stories for magazines and runs her very own pole-dancing studio. I wonder if this means that teaching does not pay all that well in New Zealand.

Nevertheless, the Teachers Council feels that this is a case where the public and private lives of a teacher overlap and the claims must be investigated. It appears though that the photos might prove a little bit difficult to disown seeing they have been professionally done. So, the need for an investigation is an interesting call.

Perhaps a meeting to find out why the photos were done and whether there was any consideration on how posing for Penthouse might impact on Ms. Whitwell's ability to teach in a classroom. Yet, even then, the reasons are pretty obvious, the young woman is exploring whether or not she has what it takes to be a model.

Ms. Whitwell is registered to teach in New Zealand through to 2011. However, she is currently having time off to care for her young daughter, and to pose for nude and topless photographs when she is not in full-on caring mode.

The issue that the Teachers Council will look at is whether this little excursion into modelling will negatively impact on her ability to do her job. For others there seems to be a few morality issues to consider as well. It would seem that teachers are role models, and as such posing topless and naked in a well known magazine like Penthouse, or their website, is not a good example for children.

I am not sure that I ascribe to the view that getting your kit off in any impacts the skills one has or does not have as a teacher. Just because people have seen her naked will not make one iota of difference to whether or not she is a skilled teacher. The question is whether or not now that plenty of people, her colleagues, and perhaps some of her students have seen her in all her glory whether the perception of her abilities change?

They probably do.

Why this post? I am thinking about getting some formal qualifications as a teacher. I am not thinking about getting into modelling or getting my kit of for Playgirl or something (even if I wasn't the fat ugly bugger that I am).

Australia -- Chronic Teacher Shortages

The Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, who also happens to double as Education Minister feels inspired by a British teacher recruitment drive. She is so inspired by the recruitment drive that she is hoping to introduce it to Australia.

Australia suffers a chronic teacher shortage for a number of reasons. Primarily among these is that teachers were underpaid for the value that they provide to the community through education and many simply became more valuable in the private sector and in other fields.

The recruitment drive was somewhat provocatively themed, "Those who can, teach". There were other catchy little slogans used such as, "Use your head, teach". It seems that this has resulted in a significant increase in the numbers of undergraduates entering into teaching based degrees.

However, the government's only real commitment to date on this front is to offer to halve the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) fees for those graduates that take a teaching qualification. I think that a commitment to raising salaries might go a fair way to "inspiring" people to get into teaching.

I guess we wait and see!

Naked Ambition

I do not recall being in the first grade of primary school and looking at my teacher and thinking how hot she was been. To be perfectly honest I cannot even remember if my teacher was a woman or not! I could probably ask my Ma or Pa for the answer on that one because it is something they probably remember...I guess therein lies the point, my parents were probably more interested in my teachers than I was!

This brings me to the substance of this post. It seems a teacher, Lynne Tziolas (who just happens to be married to a fella 21 years her senior -- that is for all you who think us white fellas only come to Indonesia to score younger women that we cannot score at home for whatever reason!), posed for a women's magazine in her birthday suit in an embrace with her husband. The naked embrace does not seem all that sexual despite the nakedness.

This happy snappy has landed poor Ms. Tziolas in a tonne of trouble. She has been dismissed from her position presumably because the photo sets a bad example for 7-year olds. The reality is she was dismissed because of complaints from "several" parents. My question is what were the parents doing buying a woman's magazine with a sealed section to get a squiz at this photos anyway? Let's face it if there is a bad example here isn't it with the parents buying the magazine and leaving it around the house where the kiddies can see? After all it is not like Ms. Tziolas secured a couple of hundred copies of the mag and was leaving them all around school for the kiddies to see!

When it is all said and done any inappropriate sexual comments or pictures in a sealed section of a magazine that is directed to adult females hardly seems a breach of a reasonable code of conduct. The chances of any of her grade one students getting a copy of the mag is if one of their parents buy a copy of it! Quite simply a first grader cannot walk into a newsagent and pick up a copy of Cleo and read it nor are they likely to buy one. I never recall my pocket money being enough to buy magazines and as I recall I was more interested in lollies and if anything I kept the fella that owned the corner shop in business!

So, cutting to the chase...this is another example of the Department of Education going overboard in the sense of taking a wrecking ball to a sand castle. I hope that Ms. Tziolas gets her temporary teaching job back. I would have thought that with a looming teacher shortage that the Department might be looking to recruit more teachers and keep the ones that they have. My opinion on this might be different if Ms. Tziolas had a full time second job as a porn star but if the news is correct then this is nothing more than a one off pose in a magazine -- the punishment does not fit the supposed breach of the code!