Diversify Teacher Quality

And...Negotiate on Merit

In the 1950s and 60s, many teachers employed in Victorian Catholic schools lacked formal qualifications.

At a 1956 conference, growing alarm was expressed by the director of Catholic education over the hiring of teachers without the basic prerequisites for teacher training or adequate professional development.

While these teachers were publicly praised, diocese inspectors privately questioned their quality and its impact.

It was evident the best candidates typically opted for government schools.

"We do not get the best for our schools," they reported.

To make matters worse, teacher training programs in Catholic colleges were not recognized by the government.

This lack of recognition, coupled with limited career advancement, lower salaries compared to government school teachers, and more challenging working conditions, made it difficult for Catholic teachers colleges to attract well-qualified candidates.

We've got similar challenges today with disparity in income, talent and recognition.

Two principles in my book that support the Schools of Distinction? model are:

'Negotiate on Merit' and 'Diversify Teacher Quality'

What do I mean by that?

Talented teachers can be found in just about every school.

The problem is a lot of these talents are underutilised and undervalued.

An example: A year 4 teacher thrives on teaching mathematics and is brilliant at playing guitar. When there's time, the students in his class benefit from his talent and his talents are showcased at school assemblies.

As for the other subjects...he does his job well, but there are gaps in his interest and specialisation.

You could say he's a classic 'generalist' teacher with fewer skills and knowledge in some areas and untapped talent in others.

What if this teacher's employment was Mathematics across Year 3 to 6 and guitar was on offer as an elective from 4pm to 6pm? (Other electives would be available too.)

I'd value your feedback on this and more importantly, the principles:

'Negotiate on Merit' and 'Diversify Teacher Quality'.

Have a great day.

Copyright ? Cheryl Lacey 2024

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