Reality of life inside classrooms shows how tough teaching has become – something parents would do well to remember

Do you know what really goes on inside your child’s classroom? As school resumes on Tuesday, it may be time to find out, writes Ann Wason Moore.

It’s the best of times, it’s the worst of times … it’s time to go back to school.

As the school bell rings in the start of a new year today, it’s not just preppies indulging in tears and tantrums.

While many a parent will be happy crying at the return of their freedom – even as senior students sook at that same loss – it’s the teachers who perhaps bear the brunt as the school year starts.

From soothing stressed-out helicopter parents to distracting distraught little ones and attempting to engage the older students, it’s a tough job.

Sure, teaching comes with enviable holidays and office hours, but we need to talk about the true toll that this career can take.

Queensland teachers have been stabbed with pencils, had desks thrown at them by students, been threatened with replica guns and received death threats, leading to more than $80m paid by WorkCover claims to Queensland teachers and other school staff for physical and psychological injuries in the 2022-23 financial year.

Add to that the ever-increasing administrative workload and it’s no wonder that the Queensland Teachers Union last year stated that teacher burnout was at an all-time high, with many leaving the profession long before retirement as “they no longer wish to remain in a pressured and under-staffed work environment”.

Indeed, the federal Department of Education predicts that, this year, demand for secondary teachers in particular will exceed the supply of new graduate teachers by about 4100.

Queensland teachers have been stabbed with pencils, had desks thrown at them by students, been threatened with replica guns and received death threats.

Unfortunately, it seems this is a vicious circle, with education researcher Dr Saul Karnovsky telling the ABC there is a direct correlation between the current teacher shortages and increasing burnout — something he predicts “will only get worse” without better funding.

While the Federal Government’s Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) would lift the Commonwealth’s share of public school funding from 20 to 25 per cent – finally reaching minimum funding levels recommended by the Gonski review in 2012 – Queensland is yet to sign on.

But there is plenty we can do as parents and families to help our teachers and schools right now.

Start by being more engaged. Even if there are no issues, attend the parent/teacher meetings so you can build a relationship with your child’s teacher. You’ll be glad if/when issues arise.

However, don’t be too engaged. There’s a fine line between helpful and painful, so think twice before you email with any concern or complaint. Also, while I’m all for backing your children, make sure you hear both sides of the story. That doesn’t mean your child is lying, but feelings are not facts.

Make sure you do your homework, as well. Teachers have dozens of students in a class and it’s far too common for a child to get left behind, especially when far too few have the confidence to speak up. Help reinforce what your child has learned at school, at home – you don’t have to teach the curriculum, but just check in about how they’re feeling with their classes and if they’re keeping up. Advocate for your child whenever necessary, because teachers want every student to succeed.

Teaching has become a highly stressful business.

Remember that it’s not all academic – best behaviour starts at home, too. Your family might love to argue about politics (welcome to the Wason Moore dinner table), but that does not belong in a classroom.

Alas, this is turning into a particular problem given today’s politics.

Said one teacher on a Reddit forum for Australian teachers: “I just want to teach my subjects but I feel I’m going to have to constantly be the mitigator of political debates and inappropriate conversations in the classroom.

“(Last year) we had to ask a bunch of year 12 boys to take their MAGA hats off … and they adamantly argued about us hindering their ‘freedom of expression’ and it really just made their last few days unnecessarily insufferable.”

A reminder, too, that teachers should not bring their politics or personal ideologies into the classroom, it works both ways.

After all, teachers are people too: they get sick, their partners get sick, they have personal problems, they miss their pets. Of course it’s optimal if they can leave their problems at home but, as we all know, that’s not always possible.

So give them grace, and encourage your kids to do the same. But if the problem persists, don’t be afraid to discuss this calmly and kindly.

No one claims that the system, the schools or the teachers are perfect, but our children’s futures are in their hands, so let’s invest in our kids.

If we lose this class warfare, it’s our children at stake.

Originally published as Reality of life inside classrooms shows how tough teaching has become – something parents would do well to remember