Opinion: We need a new social contract to protect teachers

We need much more than advertisements reminding parents to be respectful in teachers’ workplaces, writes Paul Williams.

Teachers have been targeted by both students and their parents. (File picture)

We’ve all seen car bumper stickers reminding us, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.”

But how many are genuinely grateful for the (usually public and free) primary and secondary education we received via hardworking teachers paid little more than unskilled labourers? (The beginning wage of a Queensland teacher, after four years’ university training, is just $84,000).

Most of us have a favourite teacher from our salad days of innocence – perhaps they offered warm encouragement, handed out prizes or gave lots of free time – but what about the others who, though grey in personality, nonetheless taught you the knowledge and skills to make sense of the world?

Not all teachers have to be stars. As Malala Yousafzai – the young Pakistani activist shot in the head at age 15 by a religious zealot who believed girls should not attend school – has said, “One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”

In fact, Malala’s story can encourage our own kids on those mornings they don’t want to go to class. Remind them that 250 million children around the world would much prefer to sit in a classroom but cannot because they must sweat in a field or a factory, or scour rubbish dumps for food.

But if your child is reluctant to go to school, it might also be because Australian classrooms are increasingly noisy centres of chaos where too little learning takes place.

Sadly, a 2023 international survey of almost 700,000 students and teachers found Australian classrooms were among the most disruptive in the world, ranking 71st from 81 nations surveyed. Indeed, one in three Australian students freely admitted they did not listen to the teacher in most lessons. Forty per cent also said there was noise and disorder during maths class all or most of the time – a finding supported by a third of all teachers, who say they have to wait a long time for students to settle down. Worse, a 2022 survey found Australia ranked 75th (from 80 countries) in terms of bullying, with around a quarter of all kids reported being bullied at least a few times a month.

East Asian countries enjoyed the most well-behaved classrooms while the US, despite what we see in films, is home to the 15th-best-behaved students – hardly a “blackboard jungle”. Even the UK came in at 28th.

Classrooms have become war zones for embattled teachers. (File picture)

That’s why I’m thrilled to see the Queensland government work with the Queensland Teachers’ Union in launching its “There’s no excuse for school abuse” television campaign. Given we’ve long been warned against abuse of hospital and supermarket staff, a warning to protect our teachers – among our most noble and selfless professionals – is long overdue.

It’s been almost 30 years since I taught in a primary school classroom where, I’m happy to say, the vast majority of children and parents were delightful. But there was the occasional delinquent who, after refusing to be disciplined, induced a classroom-door rant from an entitled parent insisting their darling was special and therefore exempt from the rules. Only once was I threatened with physical harm.

It’s amazing just how close the apple falls to the tree.

Sadly, while such examples were the exception 30 years ago, anecdotally that sort of abuse now seems the rule. Perhaps that’s why we’re seeing a spike in teacher and teacher aide resignations – up 54 per cent since 2020 – from Queensland schools.

Happily, we’re already seeing some improvement in classroom and playground behaviour in those states where mobile phones are banned. And with the federal government now moving to legislate minimum age limits for social media, we’re bound to see more improvements.

But, as I wrote on this page some weeks ago, the elephant in the (class) room is still inadequately addressed: the role of the parent in each child’s education – not just in terms of attendance and homework but also in how parents model respect for others (hospitality workers, fellow road users and, of course, teachers), and how parents value (or devalue) the role of education, and even authority itself.

We therefore need much more than advertisements reminding parents to be respectful in teachers’ workplaces. State and territory governments must formalise the parents’ role in what is currently an unwritten schoolteacher-parent-child social contract. I urge governments to legislate for written contracts between stakeholders so that wayward parents of wayward children can be held to account.

Sadly, as long as governments are too timid for such action, classroom bullies will rise while learning outcomes fall.

Dr Paul Williams is an associate professor at Griffith University