The teacher shortage around the country is stressing School Leaders in all sectors and in all geographical locations. Even this week, newspapers are reporting in increase in teaching position ads on sites like Seek of up to 40%. Some of us are old enough to remember not even needing to advertise. It can leave us…
At the start of the school year we’re naturally more inclined to invest social capital in our students … but also our colleagues. At the end of the year, we sometimes tend to withdraw that capital and can eventually end up running a relationship on an empty bank account. That’s probably not ideal. I’ve come…
Schools in all Australian states and territories are being implored to try harder to improve student behaviour and reduce suspensions. They’re worthwhile ambitions but they’re also hard to achieve without changing the system. If the system is that we investigate student behaviour and then use the findings of that investigation to determine blame before…
I remember working with a teacher whose class was fabulous for him … and only him. He was a talented classroom operator with a highly unique and somewhat unorthodox way of teaching that’s hard, even now, to describe. He could make breakthroughs with tough kids too. They loved him. He commented to me one day…
I’m acutely aware that never in the history of people being told to “calm down” has anyone actually done it. But is it possible that we in the teaching profession need to take a little chill pill as we traverse Term 4? I think it could be. Yes, I know things are hard, perhaps more…
I second guess myself quite a bit. I find myself fretting over what I’m thinking about doing and whether it will work. And what it doesn’t? What will happen then? Since commencing Real Schools, I’ve come to learn that this thinking was actually engrained within me across my time as a Teacher and Principal. Doesn’t…
I’m captivated by this picture from 1963 of Parisian children watching a puppet show. I think it’s mainly because the level of interest in their eyes is so intense. They just can’t pull themselves away from whatever is happening on stage. The kids clearly weren’t ready for that little development in the plot! We talk…
I went to my own kids’ annual school presentation ceremony last night. I love both of them dearly and I also value the wonderful contribution that their school makes to their growth. But here’s the truth – it isn’t exactly a riveting evening. And so, I kept myself occupied scoring the gender split when it…
I had the privilege of being in the audience for some staff presentations at Albanvale PS last week. These four PLCs have made commitments to challenge their practice through the work of our Real Schools Partnership in a variety of different ways in the first year of our collaboration. The Prep PLC looked at the…
One of Aesop’s fabled … umm … fables was The Crow and The Pitcher. Summarised, a crow dying from thirst finds a pitcher with just a little water in it. But sadly, the crow can’t get his head far enough into the pitcher to get to the water. If managing, training or coaching the crow, the likely response of…