South Australian Education Minister Blair Boyer calls for more respect for ‘important job’ done by teachers
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves and there’s one major factor driving them out of classrooms, according to the state’s education minister.
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Managing student behaviour in the classroom is “tougher than it’s ever been” and parents are offering less support, the state’s Education Minister says.
In the midst of a worsening teacher shortage and record low unemployment, minister Blair Boyer said student and parent behaviour were among the top challenges prompting educators to choose less stressful career paths.
In a wide-ranging interview as part of The Advertiser’s Best in Class education campaign, Mr Boyer said there were currently about 40 teacher vacancies in public schools across the state.
“It’s getting harder (to recruit) ... and it’s country areas where it’s always hardest,” he said.
“The Covid pandemic resulted in some people pulling the pin early who might otherwise have taught for another five years.
“And teachers aren’t getting the same help from parents that they used to.
“They are the kind of things that people are saying ‘You know what? I don’t have to do this’.
“People are choosing jobs which I don’t think come with the demands and stress (of teaching).”
Earlier this week The Advertiser revealed Education Department data from across Australia showing a spike in teacher resignations in recent years.
In South Australia the number rose from 139 to 266 in the past two financial years.
Many cite growing workloads, abuse from parents, student behaviour and a lack of respect for the profession among the biggest drivers.
Mr Boyer said national data showed huge numbers of teachers quit the profession within five years of starting a career in education.
”That says to me that we’re not doing a good enough job preparing them for the classroom, and what’s going on in the classroom is tougher than it’s ever been,” he said.
“As the son of a high school teacher in the public system I will always be sensitive to people having a crack at teachers because I saw how hard he worked.
“People are motivated to teach to change lives.
“(But) because of the behavioural demands of the job you don’t feel able to support your kids... you take that home. It wears people down.”
Mr Boyer said over the four decades his father worked in public schools in Victoria, up to 2012, he noticed a steady drop in support from parents to manage student behaviour.
“I think lots of teachers and principals are feeling that,” Mr Boyer said.
“That’s one of the reasons why we’re bringing in tougher laws around banning abusive parents (from schools).”
Mr Boyer has also previously warned parents who deliberately keep their children from attending school that they face prosecution.
“I want to do everything we can to support teachers and reinforce to the public just how important that job is,” he said.
Asked about other issues facing the education sector, Mr Boyer also said:
THERE were “very very isolated cases” where students were still using mobile phones in classrooms, despite a total ban last year.
HE was concerned about the impact of “addictive” social media content and “what it’s doing to kids’ brains”.
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