Great staff make a huge difference to both the outcomes achieved by a school as well as the school’s culture. Attracting and retaining great staff is paramount. Super Stars – dedicated, hardworking, talented staff who have a great work ethic and a terrific attitude can afford to be fussy! They are highly sort after and…
Education Crisis Looming
A perfect storm is brewing in Australian education and it’s likely to have a major impact for many years. An aging population of stressed teachers at risk of burnout, problems retaining new graduates, rising enrolments, challenging student behaviour and the declining status of teaching all contribute to a potential crisis in education. Quality teaching is…
Fullan’s Thoughts On Raising Respect for Teachers
Highly regarded educator Professor Michael Fullan recently commented on what can be done in the U.S. to raise the profile of the teaching profession. The comments also have relevance to the respect shown to the profession in Australia. “When you look at Finland, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, all of which have high quality…
Australia Should Be Filled with Happy Teachers
In the recently released OECD’s Better Life Index 2012 report, Australia took the top spot as one of the world’s happiest countries. The report measured income, housing and life satisfaction to gauge the satisfaction or happiness of people living in these countries. I love the use of life satisfaction. Instead of thinking about work-life balance…
Who is Your BEST Teacher – Teacher Effectiveness Measures
Who is Your BEST Teacher? Is Billy Bloggs your best teacher? You know him, his class is always orderly, the students are on task whenever you walk past, his kids line up quietly before the lesson, he never sends any students to the office, there are never any parental complaints, he cooks the staff breakfast…
It’s NOT What Teachers Do, It’s What Students Do, That Matters
John Hattie recently added to the debate about observing teachers and highlighted that ultimately what matters, is what students are doing during the lessons. Hattie rightly points out that much has been said and done about observing the behaviour of the teacher. However the ultimate gauge of the effectiveness of the learning experience should be…
The Fastest Way to Improve Your School
The Fastest Way to Improve Your School The fastest way to improve your school and boost staff, parent and student satisfaction is to identify and address the problems that annoy and frustrate people. One of my biggest frustrations as a Principal were the ‘car park’ conversations that occurred before and after school. At around 8.30…
Are You Getting Enough?
Are You Getting Enough? I’m not sure whether the headline grabbed your attention because it doesn’t seem to fit with the usual content of this website or it hit a raw nerve! It’s important that we talk about this vitally important issue. Teaching is REALLY demanding. Jobs that work with people can be unpredictable. At…
Lost Opportunity
Lost Opportunity Last week my own children returned to school after the long Christmas break. The start was delayed by a day due to the flooding and storm damage affecting Queensland in the recent weeks. For Sarah and Michael the school year started on Thursday. We joked about how a short week would ease them…
The Early Years Are Vital
The 0 to 4 age group is paramount for brain development yet many children don’t receive the necessary support during this peak time. The significance of this period on brain development and academic success is clearly documented by Fraser Mustard. Mustard gave voice to three enduring messages: The years before 5 last a lifetime; It…