Queensland University of Technology’s capstone program puts graduating teachers at the top of their class

WITH one in four teachers burning out in the first five years of teaching, it’s time to educate our university students on how to prevent it.

Kelsey Mathiesen (left) and Sarah Rountree (right).

MANY people don’t realise how hard the first year of a teacher’s career is.

Nights spent preparing lessons and worksheets until the early hours of the morning, a class of students who pick up on your every mistake, long afternoons spent marking tedious homework assignments and twice a year, the seemingly insurmountable task that is reports.

And unlike other industries, first-year-out teachers are expected to complete these tasks in the same time period and at the same quality as teachers with forty years experience.

Research indicates that the drop out rate of beginning teachers Australia-wide ranges from anywhere between eight and fifty per cent. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine why so many young teachers leave the profession within the first five years, with mentions of burnout, disillusionment, feeling inadequately prepared and poor work-life balance.

Young teachers can have an incredibly tough time in their first few years of teaching.

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is one of the only institutions in Australia who is actively seeking to acknowledge these issues and address them in the final semester of teaching degrees.

QUT runs a capstone program for teachers, the only one of its kind in Australia, aimed at assisting education students as they transition from pre-service teaching to classroom teaching.

The Stepping Out program is unique because it is run over three days as a conference, instead of in traditional university lectures, and features talks from educational industry leaders, school principals from rural and urban schools and a panel of first-year teachers.

It also includes opportunities for students to meet a range of prospective employers at a careers market.

Students mingle in a courtyard at the Queensland University of Technology.

Kelsey Mathiesen, a 20-year-old QUT student from Brisbane who attended the conference believes it has given her a great deal of confidence in transitioning from university to classroom teaching.

“The highlight of the conference for me was definitely the presentation on preventing burnout in the early years of teaching,” Ms Mathiesen said.

“As fourth year pre-service teachers, we are always trying to push ourselves to stand out as candidates for potential jobs in the near future so this was very relevant and something that isn’t always thought of as a top priority.”

Fellow-student Sarah Rountree said that a highlight for her was the panel of first year teachers. “It was great to hear their experiences and what to expect,” she said.

The focus of the conference was alleviating teacher burnout through education and awareness.

Both Ms Mathiesen and Ms Rountree feel better equipped in knowing the signs of teacher burnout and taking steps to prevent this by taking care of themselves.

“In terms of preventing burnout, we need to ensure we take time out for ourselves even if it feels like there is simply no time,” Ms Mathiesen said. “The presentation also gave me permission to splurge in massage when things get stressful!”

Kelsey Mathiesen (left) and Sarah Rountree (right).

Originally published as Queensland University of Technology’s capstone program puts graduating teachers at the top of their class