Teachers Strike

[Mums5Kids]

I think its ridiculous, how often are they on holidays throughout the year, they holiday more then they work. Before you know it the school term is over and they are on holidays again. I was going to send my kids at 11am but now i cant be bothered for such a short period plus its a 20km round trip. Whos keeping their kids home or whos sending them to school???

[YMo7]

is the strike just for public schools?

[Mums5Kids]

Yes i think so the stupid public education system

[YMo7]

phew... i sent all 4 of my kids to school this morning by school bus... just checking.. lol.

[amandaw]

Musn't be QLD - just dropped my DH off :laughing:

Not that it's a laughing matter when you have kids etc (both mine are little at this stage) but I'm guessing we'll see more of it (strikes across the board) with the labor party back in power....I've been teaching for 8 years now, and there has never been a strike during that time...now there's even rumblings up here in qld that it may happen - last lot of enterprise barginning before they believe that teachers will be subject to individual contracts, and more union movement with the particular party in power

Hope you find a way to have fun with the brood instead :hugs:

[Mums5Kids]

Im in NSW must be only affecting us.

[studyingECS]

I haven't heard anything about it:no:

Where about are you located?



EDIT- Just saw your last post, I'm in QLD and everything is fine here.

[OJandMe]

Sorry, as a teacher I find that a bit rude. Teachers do a LOT more than what you think.

How long do you think it takes to plan for 25-30 children with all different levels and all different learning needs and learning styles?

How long to gather resources and come up with activities that will make learning interesting?

How stressful to have to manage the behaviour of 25-30 children, when you can't even place them in a time out? (not allowed to "exclude from the learning environment")

How long to mark every single bit of work, from every subject for 25-30 children?

How many policies and how much political red tape teachers have to wade through to come up with lessons which are PC, non-offensive, inclusive, engaging, authentic and challenging (but still cater to the learning needs of 25-30 children from all levels of achievement and many different social backgrounds)?

If you think it's so cruisey... lots of holidays on holidays. Why don't you do it??

Teacher's are not valued enough and not paid enough.

[Mums5Kids]

I do teach but not in the school system. Thats part of what you are paid to do. Its the parents that are affected that have to go to work and cant find care for their kids during this 2 hour period. And then they say oh send your kids along there will be minimal supervision. If teachers are complaning about their jobs maybe they should choose a different career.

[bubbleyblossom]

If teachers are complaning about their jobs maybe they should choose a different career.

If everyone chose a different career when they complained about their job then you'd probably find we'd have no doctors, no teachers, no police officers no anything. I think that there is a heck of alot of work that goes into teaching and that if they want to strike then so be it. It may be an inconvenience for parents but it may very well be that the quality of teaching improves and your children wil benefit

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

Simple fact is sometimes certain professions need to strike to ensure better conditions for everyone, that includes teachers and children.

If people don't want teachers and nurses etc to strike then they should lobby the government to ensure that everyone has top working conditions and are paid well.
Teachers do not get endless holidays and often work longer hours then the usual 9-5er because they have so much marking and planning to do at home.
Educating and caring for children is a hard hard job, and instead of tearing them down we should be applauding and supporting teachers.
I for one support strikes because I know what usually happens before the teachers or others even get to that point. If the government negotiated fairly and ensured all people got pay rises when they should and decent conditions we wouldn't have strikes.

[QuackinDuck]

I'm not sure what they are striking for where you are, my kids are at school here today. Last time they were striking had allot to do with pay, not just that but funding, the teachers are having to provide supplies for the classroom's out of their own pockets.

I will support them, the money they get is ****.... They are the ones giving our kids the most important lessons in life, yet they get paid pocket money.

[Frany]

Good on those teachers. Of course they should strike, it is their right to fight for what they deserve. They don't strike every other day, action like this is carefully considered and only taken when they feel it is absolutely necessary.

Anyone who thinks that teachers have it easy with 'all' those holidays is kidding themselves and is obviously unaware of the challenges teaching involves and the actual hours they work.

[bubbleyblossom]

:iagree: I understand it must be frustrating for parents having their kids home instead of at school, but in the long run things will be better.

Its not as if the teachers have just decided to strike because they dont want to be at work, they have genuine reasons behind it. heck my tafe teachers strike, and so they should, teachers are paid nowhere near enough. I want to be a teacher but I am looking elsewhere because of the conditions

[Aquillah]

Im sorry OP but I find your opinion incredibly offensive and uneducated (although you are entilted to it)

If you were a teacher (in the system and knew what it was really like) you would be supporting teachers.

How would you like it if you went to University for four years of hard slog to become a professional in your field only to find that many people like you think that you are worthless,you dont work hard enough and you are not worth valuing.

Do you know how much pressure there is upon us? We are bringing up the next generation and trying to educate them for a world that is changing so fast no one can predict what it is like.

We are also past the point of just teaching course content anymore. We are expected to teach them manners, life skills, how to behave in social situations and the difference between right and wrong. Dont get me wrong, I think we should have to teach a part of this but no so that its a major part of the curriclum. These things are a parents job.

However, what would you think when I have to ring home because a 6ft 16yr old threw a chair at me and the response I get from home is "we cant control him, what do you want from us"Sadly these are not one off incidents.

We are reguarly exposed to violence in the classroom including bad behaviour, physical abuse, spitting, swearing and the list keeps going. If you think these are one off incidents they are not, they happen in EVERY school all the time.

Primary teachers get very little time during the school week to plan,prepare and implement new,exciting,relevant, educational material so it is all done on weeknights, weekends and SCHOOL HOLDIAYS. I tell you we dont just sit around for the holidays all the time, we are to busy making our classrooms a better place for your children.

The same goes for high schools were we can see up to 150 students a day in overcrowed and underfunded classrooms. We can barley discpline these students due to the schools hand being tied by some parents who have made it difficult.

When we do have our allocated couple of hours of during the week for planning and resource finding we are to busy having to fight burecrats for some decent resources, ringing parents (to stay accountable) filling in behaviour management reports (so we dont get in trouble) and the list keeps going.

Most teachers enter the profession because they love children and the thought that you can make a difference in a childs life is an amazing feeling. However, you have no idea what its really like until you get your own classroom.

Who is going to "change professions" just like that after putting themselves through university and generally comming out $20 000 poorer to earn, on average, only $60 000p.a. Whats worse its that I know trades assistants who do less hours who earn $80 + a year. No uni, no training, no time on weekinights and weekends!Can you see how that is fair?

I'm sorry that I had to be so horrible to your OP but as teachers we are very tired of being undervalued, underpaid and treated like scum. If you dont think we deserve more money think of this

"Pay peanuts and get monekys"
What calibre of people would you like teaching your child? If more people supported teachers and their concerns (and a BIG thankyou to the parents and community members who do, and there is plenty of them)we would have less strikes and you wouldnt have to keep your children home for the day once in a while!

On a final note, many of us have families and it is very hard and demanding on them when Mum or Dad come home and still have to work and not be able to spend as much time as we would like with them.

Food for thought I hope.

[Myztik]

Considering there are members of Bub Hub who are teachers and find this thread hurtful I will close it now.

Teachers need decent money to live just like everyone else ;)