Right now, teachers need allies

Dr Sarah Aiono is the chief executive of Longworth Education, a consultancy specialising in supporting schools teaching learning through play.

OPINION: There’s a lot of noise at the moment about what should be happening in our classrooms when it comes to teaching.

I’m tempted to draw some analogies to illustrate the issues facing teachers, given they are told how they should teach and micromanaged via quotas on how much time should be allocated to literacy and numeracy.

I could discuss how someone telling a surgeon how to perform an operation, or suggesting parameters to an engineer for a bridge design, compares to how teachers feel about what is happening in our classrooms.

While that could provide for some dramatic statements, the situation our teachers face as they deal with much of the noise around how they should be doing their jobs doesn’t need more drama.

What we need to accept is that right now, teachers need allies.

People don’t just pull up outside a school, get out of their car and go straight to a classroom to begin teaching.

Before being eligible to be registered, teachers undertake training which has been approved by NZQA and the Teaching Council.

To qualify as an early childhood education or primary teacher usually takes three years’ full-time study.

A secondary teacher usually undertakes four years’ full-time study.

On top of this, many teachers have completed other degrees, alongside the other life skills and experience they bring to their profession.

The other important point is that teaching is a profession that requires passion and commitment. Teachers do not enter the profession with ill intent or a desire to screw up kids’ futures. They are in the job because they want to see kids succeed and grow as capable human beings.

The current headlines around cuts in the public sector, including education, add to the noise.

No right-thinking person would argue “more is better” as the sole criterion we should apply to resource allocation in achieving desired outcomes for our community. Neither can we argue “less is more” to support cutbacks.

What we need now is an understanding of the issues facing the teaching profession at every part of the ecosystem.

The sector is plagued by ever-changing rules for funding criteria for many services, often introduced at very short notice or even after applications have been made. This impairs the ability of teachers and schools to plan effectively and can undermine important aspects of professional development.

Teachers need to be kept abreast of the latest developments in their profession. To see such areas as “low-hanging fruit” when it comes to finding savings within the overall system is to compromise the future of our children.

Right now, teachers need recognition and support from the community to help the Government, politicians and the decision-makers within the public sector understand the reality of what is happening on a day-to-day basis in our classrooms.

We can’t continue to allow the future of our children to be subjected to knee-jerk management, left at the mercy of headline seekers, or facing dramatic upheaval at every change in government.

We need to celebrate our successes for sure.

But we also need to accurately identify where we need help and provide pathways to finding solutions.

The people on the ground, parents, the community, teachers and support services are in the best position to do this, and we need to make our voices heard.