Qld teachers react to flexible school timetables, four-day week proposed solutions to workforce crisis

Dozens of Qld teachers have blamed the state’s workforce crisis on parents and poor discipline in reaction to solutions like flexible timetables, four-day weeks that were put forward by industry experts.

Dozens of Queensland teachers have put the blame for the state’s workforce crisis squarely back onto parents and poor discipline, saying this point should be a key part of next week’s roundtable between the Education Minister and key stakeholders.

It comes after four-day weeks, flexible school timetables, wiping HECS debt, one-off bonuses, and pay rises based on a school’s remoteness are set to be put forward as ways to fix the staffing crisis.

Di Farmer will bring our education eggheads together for a schools summit to map out a way forward, with the State Budget looming on June 11. Some ideas are already known and used elsewhere, but the message ahead of the meeting is “nothing is off the table”.

In terms of solutions in The Courier-Mail poll, readers believe policy changes to increase salaries based on a school’s remoteness (40 per cent) and wiping HECS debt for interested candidates (30 per cent) are the best fixes for hard-to-fill positions at remote schools.

More than 2000 readers voted in the poll, with the other options being four-day weeks and a guaranteed long weekend for teachers willing to make the move (13 per cent), greater timetable flexibility in general (also 13 per cent), as well as one-off bonuses for teachers once they stay in a remote position for a certain period of time (4 per cent).

The more than 500 comments on Saturday’s story included a clear message from readers who identified themselves as current teachers – parents are to blame.

Here’s what they had to say on the issue.

Mrs Max: “There is a teacher shortage because parents are not teaching their own children appropriate behaviours, so teachers are leaving in droves because classroom behaviour is out of control and would not be acceptable anywhere else in society. Abuse of teachers from Prep-Year 12 is the norm in schools and teachers can’t take it anymore – no one else in any other workplace or home would be expected to be abused like teachers are on a daily basis. A four-day week or any of the other proposed options will not solve the teacher shortage … parent training and immediate and harsher consequences for misbehaviour in the classroom by school leaders (supported by parents) need to be the first steps to entice people to enter and remain in the teaching profession.”

Education Minister Di Farmer is set to meet with key stakeholders this week to work towards solutions to the state’s teacher crisis. Picture: Richard Walker

Brian: “I’m 60 – [I was] hit again last week. The textbook line is ‘I’m sorry that happened to you’ and that’s it. Nothing happens. Seven more years until retirement … no idea how I will keep going. If you’re a ‘mature’ classroom teacher who never wanted a leadership role – you get large classes. I love the students and teaching, but I’m exhausted. New graduates get good kids. All the 30-year-olds in head office with no classroom experience making up the rules from a whole 2-3 years in a classroom. We are doomed. Maybe Bunnings is hiring?”

Samantha: “Throwing money at the problem won’t help. As a teacher I can tell you we are bullied by administrators including principals, parents and other teachers. There is little camaraderie left as everyone is vying for better-behaved classes. We are pitted against each other and then have to face criticism from people, whose only experience of education is being a student. We are offered no support, only additional red tape. We have been stripped of any autonomy. We are directed what to teach, with a constantly changing and boring curriculum which does little to engage the teachers, let alone students. We have poor funding leaving us with fewer resources. I love my job as a high school teacher but the constant pressure may make me leave the profession.”

JRCO: “Unless you have a family member or a friend who is a teacher you have no idea what they do. My son who took a position up in Cairns from Brisbane for $75,000 and has got nothing extra for moving up there. He is a third-year teacher and works from 6.30am – 6.30pm. This 9am-3pm is totally BS. Regarding holidays at the end of the year where he gets six weeks, he has to travel back two weeks prior to get ready and meet with the other teachers to prepare for the school ahead. The two weeks during the year he needs to be back at least four days prior to once again get organised and he is doing preparation when he is home in Brisbane. So teachers do not have 8-10 weeks off a year as everyone thinks they do. He is at a good school in Cairns and everyone looks out for each other. I do believe they need to have part or all of their HEC fees cleared if they take a position in rural towns and at least get some rent assistance as it is so difficult finding a place to rent and affording it on his wage. He is fortunate that another teacher offered a room in her house for him and another teacher which takes off the pressure with the cost of living.”

Dan: “None of these things address the real issues – out of control kids, aggressive parents, unsupportive school administration, increasingly cluttered curriculum, left wing govt pandering to the 2 per cent. Been registered [as a teacher for] 40 years, so I think my insights are spot on.”

Kerry: “Where is the [poll option] that is missing – I don’t agree with any of the options provided. As a teacher of 35 years I resigned early because I could not stand the lack of discipline, the left wing woke subject material we were asked to teach our students, plus working until late into the night preparing for classes the next day, and having so-called professional development in school holidays carried out by woke members of administrators from William Street [government building] telling us how to incorporate the government agenda into our subjects.”