tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11498932162712010422024-03-15T18:09:42.232-07:00Learning With LiteratureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.comBlogger3078125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-19071438828437007942021-01-12T13:14:00.001-08:002021-01-12T13:14:49.835-08:00Charity rorts and Labor doesn’t seem to care...<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><b><font size="6">Charity Rorts by William De Maria ( Michael West Media 12/01/21)</font></b></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Charity Rorts: how private schools and big business rob from the poor to give to the rich</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">by William De Maria</span></p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s time to tackle charity rorts, writes William De Maria. The richest schools are charities, as are big businesses like Queensland Sugar Limited. Even the likes of AI Group and NSW Business Chamber Ltd, organisations which fight against higher pay and better conditions for workers, enjoy charity and tax exempt status. Why should taxpayers foot the bill? </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The registered charity that is Victoria’s Wesley College, one of the nation’s richest schools, had an income in 2019 of $128.64 million. Its massive renovation program has included $21 million for a music school, $16 million for a boarding facility and $2.5 million to refurbish its boathouse.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As a charity the school receives perks including income tax exemptions, GST concessions and deductible gift recipient status.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another registered charity just down the road is Caulfield Grammar, with more than $100 million of income. It has been constructing a new aquatic centre with an Olympic-sized swimming pool, moveable floors and walls and “wellbeing spaces” for dance, pilates, meditation and yoga.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Along with Victoria’s Haileybury College and Sydney’s Knox Grammar School, these Australia’s richest schools. Together, these four charities spent more on new facilities and renovations ($402 million) than the poorest 1,800 schools combined (less than $370 million) yet they teach fewer than 13,000 students. The poorest 1,800 schools teach 107,000 students.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Then there is one of Australia’s poorest schools, Sheidow Park Primary School in South Australia. As principal Jennie-Marie Gorman does her annual walk around the school with the finance officer and the grounds person, they pass windows held together by safety screens; inspect the playgrounds built 20 years ago; note the walls that haven’t been painted in 15 years; and look again at the patch of exposed concrete in the front office, where the finance officer’s swivel chair has worn a hole in the carpet. That hole will be fixed in about five years if all goes to schedule. Says Ms Gorman:</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“We have a plan to carpet two to three classrooms a year, based on need, so the ones with the biggest holes in them or the biggest rips get replaced first.”</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“We also need new carpet in the office, but we look at what the children need first and we put ourselves at the end of the line — which is just normal teacher stuff. That’s just how we operate.”</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The charity concession to non-government schools is propping up a massive two-class education system. Tax concessions take more than $1.3 billion from the government’s budget each year.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Opening up the tax concession trough</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Take the cruel issue of homelessness. Some 81% of all charities registered with the national regulator in mid-2019 say they are working in the homeless area. So 46,716 registered charities claim that combatting homelessness is one of their core missions. Remarkable.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The problem is in the definition. In 2013, the Commonwealth Parliament recognised a legislative clarification was needed to respond to the exponential growth of charities caused by governments retracting their historical welfare obligations.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It ended up being not so much a “legislative clarification” as the government opening up unprecedented access to the tax concession trough.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As long as your organisation is set up without a profit motive and comes together for a “charitable purpose” then, well, welcome to the trough.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Definition of a charity</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What is a charitable purpose? This is a definition that can stretch across an airfield and is applied recklessly.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Queensland Sugar Ltd (QSL) describes itself as “a not-for-profit, service organisation owned by Queensland cane growers and sugar millers, which is dedicated to serving their interests for the long-term prosperity of the Queensland sugar industry”.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So a strictly commercial operation, with no donors and no charity programs, is recognised as a charity by the ACNC, in fact recognised as the fifth biggest charity in Australia.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It is hard to believe. Even harder is understanding Queensland Sugar’s logic in justifying why it self-nominated to be on the charity register.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In its Activity Information Statement to the charity regulator Australian Charities and not for profits Commission, in response to the regulator’s question: “What charitable work did you do in 2018”?</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">QSL replied (paraphrased):</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Continued to promote the development of the Australian sugar industry through providing services to all of Queensland’s growers and Millers (sic).”</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">So there you have it! Every time you sit down for a cuppa and put sugar in your tea or coffee, QSL is right behind you nodding approvingly that it has just performed another charitable act.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Charity that fights against workers</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Then there’s the registered charity the NSW Business Chamber Ltd, which fights against better pay and conditions for workers – and has even fought against workplace leave for victims of domestic violence. There is big money in it. In 2019, its revenues rose from $205 million to $237 million.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This charity also enjoys hefty government grants. Its financial statements for 2018 show the Chamber booked government grant income of $7.5 million, with $6.7 million in grants the year before. As a charity the Chamber pays virtually no tax, even though it operates large law firms and an array of recruitment agencies.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We have gone too far. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We need a complete review of the flawed Commonwealth Charities Act 2013. This review should cut away most existing charitable purposes and return the definition of charity back to its Samaritan roots.</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-90719275352346052082021-01-05T14:26:00.001-08:002021-01-05T14:26:42.359-08:00UK COVID crisis<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Teacher Covid rates up to 333% above average!</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-70245866727235521482020-11-09T01:48:00.001-08:002020-11-09T01:48:58.306-08:00One law for the rich...<div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_0 introduction et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20.4375px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; background-size: cover; word-wrap: break-word; animation-timing-function: linear; animation-duration: 0.2s; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; background-position: 50% center; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><div class="et_pb_text_inner" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 1.5em;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With its favouritism of funding wealthy Independent and Catholic schools, the Morrison Government has completed the demolition of the Gonski funding model that began with the Abbott and Turnbull governments. Yet public schools educate more than 80% of disadvantaged students and 95% of disadvantaged schools are public schools. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: 700;">Trevor Cobbold</span> reports.</p></div></div><div class="et_pb_module et_pb_text et_pb_text_1 et_pb_text_align_left et_pb_bg_layout_light" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline; background-size: cover; word-wrap: break-word; animation-timing-function: linear; animation-duration: 0.2s; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida, sans-serif; background-position: 50% center; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><div class="et_pb_text_inner" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Morrison Government has abandoned public education and is blatantly favouring private schools with special billion-dollar funding deals over the next decade. They will ensure that the existing resource gap between public and private schools will widen dramatically.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yet public schools enrol more than 80% of the nation’s disadvantaged students – those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, Indigenous students, those with a disability and students living in remote areas. Furthermore, 95% of disadvantaged schools are public schools.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The massive funding bias coincides with continuing huge gaps in achievement between rich and poor. The latest PISA international tests show that low socio-economic status and Indigenous students are two to three years or more behind their high socio-economic status peers. There has been virtually no change in the gaps since 2006.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A critical factor behind this social inequity is that government funding increases have not been fully targeted at need. Since 2009, after adjusting for inflation, recurrent funding per student by the Commonwealth and state governments increased by 25% for Independent schools, 21% for Catholic schools and just 3% for public schools. Recurrent funding includes funding for teachers’ salaries, maintenance of school buildings and so on.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Government funding increases have favoured privilege over disadvantage.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With its blatant favouritism, the Morrison Government has completed the demolition of the Gonski funding model that began with the Abbott and Turnbull governments. Those governments ditched the large funding increase for 2018 and 2019 that was planned under the original Gonski funding model, an increase that would have mainly benefitted public schools.</p><h4 style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 18px; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.5em; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Commonwealth funding to 2029</h4><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Private schools are already much better resourced than public schools. In 2018, the total income of Independent schools was $23,029 per student and $16,401 per student in Catholic schools compared to $14,940 per student in public schools.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Massive funding increases for private schools planned by the Morrison Government to 2029 will exacerbate the disparity. By 2029, Commonwealth funding for Catholic schools per student will be nearly five times that provided for each public school student ($19,732 compared to $4,882). Funding for Independent schools of $13,063 per student will be nearly three times that for public school students.</p></div></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-22211813638742501712020-11-02T23:03:00.001-08:002020-11-02T23:03:28.893-08:00NSW hates its teachers.<p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(79, 79, 79); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(79, 79, 79);">AEU has condemned the NSW Government’s choice to cap pay increases for public sector workers at 1.5 per cent, calling the decision a reflection of its scant regard for the value of the work of teachers and principals.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; color: rgb(79, 79, 79); font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(79, 79, 79);">President Angelo Gavrielatos said the insulting decision by Treasurer Dominic Perrottet was “bad economics” and cuts to the wages of the NSW public service — the nation’s largest employer — would torpedo any effort to rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-18536957743043217742020-10-10T21:30:00.001-07:002020-10-10T21:32:03.189-07:00Budget shocker.<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The 2020-21 budget showed non-government schools will receive $12.8 billion in federal funding this year and government schools will pocket $9 billion. They don’t care. Add to it the 60 million for church councillors in state schools.</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-56340718349193691782020-10-02T20:38:00.001-07:002020-10-02T20:39:54.121-07:00Funding shame<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘Australia's private schools over-funded by about $1B, while public schools are facing a shortfall of about $19B over the next four years ...</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">‘... public schools in all states & territories except the ACT falling below the benchmark for adequate funding’</span></p><p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Students in private schools overfunded to the tune of $816 per students whilst students in public schools underfunded to the tune of $1525 per student. 2020- 2023 State and federal governments take a bow...</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-38831356468342112142020-09-20T23:36:00.001-07:002020-09-20T23:36:27.587-07:00I spend about $1800 a year <div class="tg-tlc-storybody_intro" style="box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; font-size: calc(16px + 0.3rem); line-height: 1.6rem; padding: 0px 32px; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;">Exclusive:</strong> Teachers are spending thousands of dollars of their own money to buy classroom supplies for parents too poor to pay for books, pencils and school excursions.</p></div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; clear: none; padding: 0px 32px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">A new Australian Education Union (AEU) survey of 12,000 state school teachers and principals has revealed they spent a whopping $150 million of their own money to buy basic school supplies in the past year.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; clear: none; padding: 0px 32px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Each teacher spent an average of $874 on essential school supplies such as stationery, with primary teachers averaging $1067.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; clear: none; padding: 0px 32px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">One in four teachers spent more than $1000 of their own money – and 12 per cent spent more than $2000.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word; clear: none; padding: 0px 32px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Most of the money was spent on stationery, such as pencils and exercise books for students too poor to buy them.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-5755839850566268582020-09-19T22:15:00.001-07:002020-09-19T22:15:07.140-07:00Public schools<p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">All around the world, students attend schools which have an astonishing degree of similarity.</p><ul style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em 2.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: square; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);"><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Children are required to attend.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It runs from kindergarten to grade 12.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Students are divided by age, not by what they need or want to learn, nor by what they’ve already learned.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The teacher is the authority. The children provide heads which the teacher is supposed to fill.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">There is little or no opportunity for students to explore a subject in depth, to develop a passion, to hone a skill. There’s an hour for one subject, then an hour for another.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Teachers are considered qualified if, and only if, they have the required certificate.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether they can teach well is irrelevant.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether they love or hate children is irrelevant.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether childhood is a happy time for anybody, is irrelevant. That’s not on the spreadsheet.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Curriculum is fixed, and taught at a fixed rate, even if that doesn’t work for some students… even if it doesn’t work for anybody at all.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It centers around a standardized curriculum and lesson plans, not real-life experiences.</li><li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Students and teachers alike believe that the main purpose of school is preparing students to pass the exam.</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">If you were starting from scratch, and wanted to help children become contributing, well-rounded members of society, would you have invented this plan? Surely not. Nobody else did. With one exception.</p><hr class="wp-block-separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border: 0px; height: 1px; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; opacity: 0.4; max-width: 100px; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px;"><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">For many centuries, the favorite pastime of European rulers was invading one another to win more territory. The King of Prussia encountered a problem: Most of his troops were farmers who had been drafted to serve him. When the enemy shot at them, they had an annoying tendency to go home to their family and farm. He wouldn’t win more land with that army! He wanted soldiers who, if ordered to make a suicidal charge, would blindly obey — not soldiers who might shoot their captain and go home.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">To create them, he instituted a system of schools that focused on making students respect and obey the authority figure — a teacher. When young men arrived for their first day in uniform, they already knew how to stand in a straight line. Prussia became a military powerhouse by following the king’s plan. It expanded its territory, and today we call it Germany.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">But the king couldn’t tell parents, “Send us your children so we can teach them to be cannon fodder.” Schools also taught reading and arithmetic. History does not tell us if the king’s primary goal was to mold obedient soldiers or obedient citizens. He got both. Students did not, however, learn to think independently. The teacher had the answer; the students’ job was to memorize it.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">This, alone, would have been enough to persuade other rulers to adopt what became known as the Prussian System. Soon another incentive appeared: The Industrial Revolution. Previously, most Europeans lived in the countryside and worked for themselves — typically as farmers, shopkeepers, blacksmiths, or carpenters.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">The invention of the steam engine changed all that. Within a few decades, urban factories sprang up. Farmers — sometimes seeking a better life, other times forced off their land — moved to the city. But they weren’t reliable factory workers. Owners needed workers who would show up on time, follow orders, and accept boredom as their fate in life. Prussian-style schools churned them out.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">More support came from a different direction. Horace Mann, an American reformer, thought the Prussian school system could improve the lives of poor people in the United States. He got Massachusetts to adopt it and other states soon followed.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">European nations introduced the Prussian system in their colonies. It created the docile, low-level workforce that they needed, while appearing to benefit the local population. In most countries today, school enrollment has increased but the Prussian system still predominates.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">Today, further support for this Prussian system comes from a new source: The education industry. A vast network — administrators, teachers, and government officials; textbook and curriculum publishers; teacher training colleges; aid workers in developing countries; and the inevitable consultants — all derive their income from the public school system that has evolved. Many of them genuinely care about children and education. But they also care about their income and job security. That shapes their thinking, and limits their enthusiasm for deep change.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">And so here we are today, with a model of schooling intended to mold soldiers who wouldn’t run away when the enemy started shooting, and which evolved to meet the needs of factory owners, but also to make everyone feel good about sending their children into it. The origins of this system are still in evidence.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">A never-ending stream of critics, in the global South and North alike, see plainly that the system doesn’t work, and think this is so obvious, it shouldn’t be hard to improve it.</p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border: 0px; font-family: minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, serif; font-size: 19.5px; margin: 0px 0px 1.625em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(55, 55, 55); color: rgb(55, 55, 55);">But the system <span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">does </span>work — for many people. And so, it continues to thrive.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-6956407863619946622020-09-02T00:56:00.001-07:002020-09-02T00:56:56.898-07:00Surely this doesn’t come as a surprise.<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 2rem; padding: 0px 0.9375rem; word-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.666666667; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: ABCSerif, "Book Antiqua", "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; width: 853.328125px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); margin-right: auto !important; margin-left: auto !important;">Leaked documents seen exclusively by the ABC suggest hundreds of NSW Catholic schools are missing out under a scheme that will have diverted more than $300 million in public funding from the system’s poorer to richer primary schools by 2023.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 2rem; padding: 0px 0.9375rem; word-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.666666667; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: ABCSerif, "Book Antiqua", "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; width: 853.328125px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); margin-right: auto !important; margin-left: auto !important;">Administered by Catholic school authorities and approved by the state’s bishops, the scheme aims to keep fees low for families in wealthy parts of Sydney, according to the documents. </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 2rem; padding: 0px 0.9375rem; word-wrap: break-word; line-height: 1.666666667; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: ABCSerif, "Book Antiqua", "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; width: 853.328125px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); margin-right: auto !important; margin-left: auto !important;">It comes at a hefty cost for low- and middle-income families in the system, who are asked to pay much higher fees to make up the shortfall.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-61867537348192170602020-07-12T01:25:00.001-07:002020-07-12T01:25:56.627-07:00School closures again<p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Victorian state school students from prep to year 10 in lockdown zones will return to remote learning from July 20 as coronavirus cases continue to climb.</p><section class="_2ybzm Es5LH _1LbdU _1bAUU q-cWK" role="contentinfo" aria-label="key points" data-component="KeyPoints" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: visible; padding-top: 1rem; padding-bottom: 1rem; clear: right; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); margin-bottom: 1.5rem; width: 263px; margin-left: 1.5rem; margin-right: -2rem; float: right; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><h2 class="zT1nT _4Zpdk SelAj _1t9H3 _2-MxD lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="margin-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: inherit;">Key points:</h2><ul class="_3Crv1" data-component="List" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>The Premier says returning to home learning in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will stop movement around the community</li><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>Specialist school and VCE students will return to the classroom as normal from next week</li><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>Those returning to school will not be required to wear masks in the classroom</li></ul></section><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">The state's total number of active cases stands at 1,484 and the <a class="_2HoMm _1ks7p _1u2om _36tc0" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-12/victorian-hospital-worker-coronavirus-cases-raise-fears/12447024" data-component="ContentLink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--link-visited-text,var(--colour-visited)); text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--link-border,#ccc); transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: var(--colour-tap-highlight);">newest cases include hospital workers and public housing residents</a>.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Premier Daniel Andrews acknowledged the return to home learning would be challenging for many parents but said there was "simply no alternative".</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"We can't have the best part of 700,000 students as well as parents moving to and from school, moving around the community, as if there wasn't a stay-at-home order, as if there wasn't a lockdown," he said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Prep to year 10 students who attend school in Metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire will go back to home learning until at least August 19, Mr Andrews said.</p><aside class="_1LbdU _1bAUU _34JiP" data-print="inline-media" data-component="LegacyWysiwyg" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: auto; border: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); margin-bottom: 1.5rem; padding: 1rem; clear: right; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><a class="_2HoMm _1ks7p _1u2om _36tc0" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-12/coronavirus-australia-live-news-covid-19-latest-victoria/12446142" data-component="ContentLink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--link-visited-text,var(--colour-visited)); text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--link-border,#ccc); transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: var(--colour-tap-highlight); margin-bottom: 0px;"></a></aside><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Year 11 and 12 students, year 10 students doing VCE subjects and children at specialist schools will resume face-to-face learning for term three from tomorrow.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Schools outside the restricted areas will operate normally, and students will be able to attend regardless of where they live.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">While the Government's decision only directly affects state schools, it is expected most private schools will follow suit.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Independent Schools Victoria, representing more than 200 member schools, has encouraged its members to follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer.</p><h2 class="_1LI2A _3_H8z SelAj _1t9H3 ZPXNE lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-top: 1.5rem; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2rem; line-height: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Free kindergarten for eligible families and extra support</h2><aside class="_1LbdU _1bAUU _34JiP" data-print="inline-media" data-component="LegacyWysiwyg" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: auto; border: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); margin-bottom: 1.5rem; padding: 1rem; clear: right; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><h2 class="zT1nT _4Zpdk SelAj _1t9H3 _2-MxD lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="margin-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; color: inherit;"></h2><ul class="_1LbdU _1yO5y _3Crv1" data-component="List" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible;"><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.5rem;"></span><a class="_2HoMm _1ks7p _1u2om _36tc0" href="https://abcapp.page.link/download" data-component="ContentLink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--link-visited-text,var(--colour-visited)); text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--link-border,#ccc); transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: var(--colour-tap-highlight);"></a></li></ul></aside><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Children of essential workers and vulnerable children will have the option to return to school, as they did during the last lockdown.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">This time, parents of children with a disability will also have the option of sending their kids to school for face-to-face learning when required.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"It could be five days a week, it could be two days a week, it could be half a day a week, to provide a bit of respite," Education Minister James Merlino said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Mr Merlino said students with a disability who did not receive the Program for Students with Disabilities funding would be eligible.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"There are tens of thousands of kids who have additional needs that at the moment don't receive that funding," he said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"So we've got the broadest step possible — all students with a disability, parents will have the option of sending their child to school for on-site learning."</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">The Government will also offer extra funding to eligible kindergarten services in the locked-down areas to let them offer free kinder to children during term three.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Other resources available include video or phone counselling for secondary school students.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"These settings, learning the lessons from the past, but keeping more than 700,000 students and their parents and carers not moving around metropolitan Melbourne or the Mitchell Shire will go a long way to the goal that we all have," he said.</p><h2 class="_1LI2A _3_H8z SelAj _1t9H3 ZPXNE lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-top: 1.5rem; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2rem; line-height: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">'Irresponsible' to have kids going back, Chief Health Officer says</h2><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said students returning to school next week would not be required to wear masks, but would be welcome to wear them if they wanted to.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"Teaching is pretty tough with a mask on," he said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"They require those facial expressions; they require the ability to be understood and heard clearly."</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">During the last lockdown, Victoria's child safety watchdog <a class="_2HoMm _1ks7p _1u2om _36tc0" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-12/child-safety-watchdog-concerns-about-home-learning/12445596" data-component="ContentLink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--link-visited-text,var(--colour-visited)); text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--link-border,#ccc); transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: var(--colour-tap-highlight);">raised concerns about how some of the state's most vulnerable students would access education.</a></p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Professor Sutton said reintroducing home learning was a difficult decision to make, but the pandemic had not yet reached its peak and authorities were throwing "absolutely everything at it".</p><aside class="_1LbdU _1bAUU _3nAF7" data-component="Pullquote" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: auto; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 2rem; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.5rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><blockquote class="OsWT8" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><p class="_1SzQc" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p></blockquote></aside><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"It would have been irresponsible of me to have gone into a phase where we might have had increasing numbers day on day, to have kids going back to school."</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-39537651307446345602020-07-12T00:27:00.001-07:002020-07-12T00:27:53.780-07:00Greater prevalence <p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Proxima Nova", system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue"; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Victoria's Chief Health Officer has warned that extensive testing in the state is revealing that child-to-child transmission of COVID-19 is "more apparent" than first thought.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Proxima Nova", system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue"; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Professor Brett Sutton said while the instances of transmission among children was not a significant risk, the data was showing that it had a greater prevalence in the community.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 18px; line-height: 24px; margin: 16px 0px 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Proxima Nova", system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue"; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">"Child to child transmission has become more apparent as we have tested more kids," Professor Sutton said.</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-84175017253757061242020-07-11T15:52:00.001-07:002020-07-11T15:52:41.202-07:00Lockdown concerns From the ABC<div><br></div><div><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Victorian schools turned away children living in high-risk homes during the height of coronavirus lockdowns, while other students suffered potentially catastrophic disruptions to their education because of a failure to provide them with adequate technology, according to the state's child-safety watchdog.</p><section class="_2ybzm Es5LH _1LbdU _1bAUU q-cWK" role="contentinfo" aria-label="key points" data-component="KeyPoints" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: visible; padding-top: 1rem; padding-bottom: 1rem; clear: right; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); margin-bottom: 1.5rem; width: 263px; margin-left: 1.5rem; margin-right: -2rem; float: right; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><h2 class="zT1nT _4Zpdk SelAj _1t9H3 _2-MxD lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="margin-top: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: inherit;">Key points:</h2><ul class="_3Crv1" data-component="List" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>The concerns follow a reduction in child protection visits due to coronavirus restrictions</li><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>Children in residential care were also fined for breaching social distancing laws</li><li class="" data-component="ListItem" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; font-size: 1.125rem; line-height: 1.75rem; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span class="_1HQd4 as_Ss" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 0.75rem; height: 0.75rem; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0.25rem;"></span>Victoria is deciding whether to return to remote learning for some students</li></ul></section><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Commissioner for Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan, confirmed that serious concerns had been raised with her office about access to education for some of the state's most vulnerable students, calling into question repeated assurances from the State Government that no children would be disadvantaged by remote learning.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">In some cases, students known to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) child protection workers, because their parents had histories of neglecting them or abusing drugs, were not permitted to attend school.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Some children with disabilities and Indigenous children at risk of disengaging from school were also turned away.</p><aside class="_1LbdU _1bAUU _3nAF7" data-component="Pullquote" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: auto; font-size: 1.25rem; line-height: 2rem; margin-left: 0px; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 1.5rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;"><blockquote class="OsWT8" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;"><p class="_1SzQc" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></p></blockquote></aside><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"We've had accounts during this period of children in care being turned away by their school, of children who are involved with the family violence service not being allowed to attend school, children with a disability who just can't get the level of support and learning support they need at home, not able to attend on site."</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">The concerns raised by the commissioner come as <a class="_2HoMm _1ks7p _1u2om _36tc0" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-08/daniel-andrews-says-victoria-home-learning-on-table-in-lockdown/12434892" data-component="ContentLink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--link-visited-text,var(--colour-visited)); text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--link-border,#ccc); transition: color 0.2s ease-out, border-color 0.2s ease-out, background-color 0.2s ease-out, box-shadow 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out, transform 0.2s ease-out; touch-action: manipulation; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: var(--colour-tap-highlight);">Victoria grapples with a decision about whether to return to remote learning</a> for some students when term three resumes on Monday week.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">While she would not comment on individual cases or schools, Ms Buchanan said remote learning also created another significant issue within the child protection system — teachers were no longer able to pick up signs of injury or abuse on students which could then be reported to authorities.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">This was compounded by a reduction in visits to the homes of children from child protection workers, due to coronavirus restrictions.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">It was too early to say whether some of those children had suffered harm while they were isolated from school and child protection.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"My worry is that we're going to see more of that in coming weeks and months, because some of these things take a while for children to disclose," she said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Children who required laptops and internet access only received it, in some cases, when they returned back to school, Ms Buchanan said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">In a statement, a Department of Education spokeswoman said that schools had worked hard to meet the needs of vulnerable children during remote learning.</p><aside class="_1LbdU _1bAUU _34JiP" data-print="inline-media" data-component="LegacyWysiwyg" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; overflow: auto; border: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); margin-bottom: 1.5rem; padding: 1rem; clear: right; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">What She confirmed specialist schools would open as normal during term three.</aside><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"Any move to remote learning in government schools in term three will be based on the health advice," she said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"In the event this occurs, every student will get the support they need, especially children and young people facing disadvantage."</p><h2 class="_1LI2A _3_H8z SelAj _1t9H3 ZPXNE lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-top: 1.5rem; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2rem; line-height: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Children fined for social distancing breaches</h2><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">The commission has also been told children in residential care, including Indigenous children, received fines of more than $1,600 for breaching social distancing laws during the previous lockdown.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People Justin Mohamed said those fined included children as young as 12.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"They're the responsibility of the state, and the state are then fining them," he said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">He said it would have been better if police had used the opportunity to educate young people about the importance of social distancing, rather than giving them a fine they would never be able to pay.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Mr Mohamed said cases of Indigenous youth being fined came as the global Black Lives Matter movement left many of them reflecting on their relationship with police.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"In many cases you wouldn't see a police officer in a positive view if you were an Aboriginal young person, especially in out-of-home care," he said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"Sometimes, there's a lot of contact with police, through no fault of their own, but it could have been the police who removed them … when they were in harm's way.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"As a young person, you still see … that's the side of society that took me away from my parents."</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Mr Mohamed said another key issue for Indigenous young people in state care or youth detention was being prevented from seeing their parents and relatives during lockdown, as these visits were considered vital to maintaining their identity.</p><h2 class="_1LI2A _3_H8z SelAj _1t9H3 ZPXNE lxkD- mSYxO age8P" data-component="Heading" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin-top: 1.5rem; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 2rem; line-height: 2.5rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Survey gauges pandemic's impact on young Victorians</h2><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Since late March, the Commission for Children and Young People has spoken to more than 200 young people in group sessions, about 70 in one-on-one sessions, and about 450 more have completed a survey.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">The pandemic forced the commission to move quickly to hear from young people who would no longer have the same level of support as before lockdown.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">There are a lot of children living in less than ideal situations, either because … they're living with a degree of neglect or violence at home, or because they've got mental health issues or other support needs," Ms Buchanan said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"So the prospect of COVID … was really alarming to us.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"We decided the only way that we could really track what was happening for children and young people, as well as getting the data and working with departments like we normally do, was to speak to children and young people."</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">Highlands Youth Advisory Board member Zach Eaton said he had passed on to the commission the fears of his friends; that the economic downturn created by the response to the pandemic would disproportionately affect them.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">But she said more must be done if Victoria again moved to shift students online.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"I need to be fair: no one predicted this pandemic," she said.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"No-one predicted that schools would suddenly have to move to online learning.</p><p class="_1SzQc" style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif;">"My hope is that … if we need to move to home learning again that there's much stronger guidance from the department to really make sure that schools are encouraged and indeed required to do what they need to for these vulnerable kids."</p></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-71906285858283253262020-07-08T18:05:00.001-07:002020-07-08T18:05:20.901-07:00Lockdowns in Melbourne<p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Early research on remote learning from the Grattan Institute suggested students from disadvantaged backgrounds lost about a month of learning during term two, learning at about 50 per cent of their regular rate.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">"If you’ve got family members who are illiterate, for whom English is not their first language, or who have addiction problems, they can’t provide the levels of support that other families might be able to provide," Professor Wilkinson said.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">"Teachers can provide some level of support, but it's not like the level of support they can get when they’re actually in school, face to face with a teacher all day."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Meanwhile, Independent Schools Victoria has told its schools they can implement remote learning from the start of term three, but advised them to wait until the state government announces a formal return to learning from home.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-43416236234006202062020-06-06T23:37:00.001-07:002020-06-06T23:37:35.400-07:00Uni debacle<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Second-year university student Emily Johnston failed her first online exam this semester "miserably", she says. She'd usually have lab classes every week at Sydney University, examining brain specimens and cadavers. But these have been replaced by demonstrations over blurry Zoom sessions, where other students have hijacked meetings and blared music.</p></div><div subscriptions-section="content" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"We're just so unengaged, to the point where we can't be bothered to get out of bed," she says. "I know in three weeks I will forget everything. I'm not learning - just reading notes, hearing what they're saying in pre-recorded lectures from years ago and copying it down. When I inevitably fail the semester, I'll have to redo the entire unit. That would cost me $1200."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">For thousands of university students, a semester of online learning was not what they paid for. Motivation has dropped and many fear they haven't learnt content they need to progress their degrees. Some are disgruntled they must pay full fees for what they see as a lesser service and have been <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/you-re-being-watched-and-recorded-every-breath-students-unsettled-by-exam-software-20200519-p54ucb.html" data-vars-event-label="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/you-re-being-watched-and-recorded-every-breath-students-unsettled-by-exam-software-20200519-p54ucb.html" data-vars-event-action="related article" data-vars-event-category="internal link" class="link-header" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); text-decoration: none; color: rgb(112, 112, 112);">disturbed by online exam technology</a>.</p></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-30182217482662555782020-05-30T00:48:00.001-07:002020-05-30T00:48:51.154-07:00Teachers going back<div data-barba="wrapper" class="content" aria-live="polite" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 80px; min-height: 60vh;"><div data-barba="container" class="onecol-container" data-barba-namespace="one-column-builder" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-bottom: 160px;"><section class="onecol-text onecol-element" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-bottom: 48px;"><div class="container" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; position: relative; max-width: 1440px; margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px 48px;"><div class="centered-column" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; width: calc(50% - 36px); float: left; margin-left: calc((25% - 30px) + 48px);"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Over the past month, teachers have been heroic as they have ‘pivoted’ (to employ the popular term) their entire educational offerings. An enormous effort. BUT</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">the wear and tear </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">is</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> starting to show. Some are suffering virtual exhaustion, others of us are at risk of becoming ‘</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">zoombies</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If there ever was any doubt that teachers are among our country’s frontline workers, it is now dispelled.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">We need to care better for all of our teachers. They curate our future.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Research shows there are 3 big factors that reliably create the resilience that help people through tough times </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> they have nothing to do with gratitude or empathy or mindfulness (all good things to have, mind you, but I can’t find any research that links them with resilience).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If we look at how people who have thrived after serious hardships </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">– </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">holocaust, pandemics, concentration camps, kidnappings, prolonged neglect </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> deprivation</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">three factors stand out as helping them through: re-adjust, re-align </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> re-invent.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-adjust</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">It takes time to re-adjust to major changes and it requires looking reality fair and square in the eye. It really is what it is. These really are crazy times.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">This is not some glossed up, optimistic version of, ‘everything will be all right by next week/term/year’. A positive mindset that is not supported by an appreciation of reality does not serve people well. </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Typically,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> optimists who make these sorts of predictions, fall apart when the timeframe they set doesn’t</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">eventuate.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Life really is tough in these times </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> none of us knows exactly how long this will last.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For sale</b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Worst Purchase Ever! A 2020 Planner</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">While it is tempting to be like an ostrich </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> put our heads in the sand, it is better to model yourself on the meerkat</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> –</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> upright, aware, observing and orienting.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Ask yourself, ‘Do I truly understand </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> accept the reality of the situation? Does my school?’ Do this by keeping informed by high-quality sources and ignoring the endless barrage of conjecture that surges in times like these.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of your colleagues will slip into denial, don’t join them. Some may be unwisely reckless while others take a doom and gloom perspective. Respect that everyone has their own triggers and will respond in different ways to these times.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For those who feel less preoccupied by the busy ‘to-do’ list of work, there can be a backwash of unprocessed emotions. Some may experience vivid and unsettling dreams. Others may find small </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">past incidents that seemed trivial at the time re-emerge as issues. Helping people to process their feelings is helpful for their long-term resilience.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Rather than asking people how they are feeling about these times, it is often better to ask them to tell you what they think is the best and the worst part of it for them?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">This is about processing, not correction. You are not likely to change their viewpoint so don’t waste your time trying.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Denial may feel like it is fun </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> relaxing but in the long term will not serve you well. The best way to cope with this is still, not to get the</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">virus.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">One form of denial involves ‘platitudes of gratitude’ such as, ‘isn’t it wonderful we can all be at home and have virtual dinner parties?’ While there are opportunities to be found in adverse times, glibly overlooking the challenges of these times will lessen your ability to adapt to changes as they become necessary.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Facing reality is gruelling work and re-adjusting your life is emotionally wrenching. Expect to feel exhausted</span><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">. </i><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Expect to have some good days but also accept that we will all have some tough days.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">In times of disconnection, we need to work harder to create belonging. Reach out to people. Increase your reach. If you typically connect with a small group, consider broadening your circle of contacts. Think about who might be feeling especially disconnected or alone and give them a call.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-align</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">At these times some people throw their arms in the air and cry, ‘Why me?’ It is much more powerful to regard yourself as a participant in recovery rather than a victim of circumstance.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Victims become helpless, lose hope </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> feel higher levels of despair </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> anxiety. Resilient people return to the process of creating a great life for themselves and the people around them.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-align yourself with your core values as well as with the things that boost your immune system and nourish your life. Sleep, diet, rest, healthy food, fun and contributing to the people who are important to you are all essential ingredients.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Build a bridge from the current hardships to a better future. Do meaningful activities that </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">utili</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">s</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">e your expertise. Find ways to make the most of increased time-in and less time-out.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">One way to do this is to conduct a ‘check-up from the neck-up’. As yourself, what have I neglected in my rush to deal with my job and with the world? What have I suppressed in me through that degree of busy-ness? Can I give myself the freedom to re-awaken those neglected parts of myself?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Take the time to get to know your students even better. Happy teachers get along well with the people they spend most of their time with</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">their students. Discover your students</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> character strengths, learning strengths and interests. Ask them to share their thoughts about the best </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> worst aspects of this time. Ask them what sorts of support would be helpful for them. Deepening your connection to your students will increase your effectiveness and your job</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">satisfaction.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Deepening relationships does not mean rushing around taking care of everyone. </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If we feel we need to ‘fix’ others, we take on their burden </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> can rob them of an opportunity to take responsibility for themselves. This is a sure path to compassion fatigue and burnout.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Linking with students in a positive way at this time can forge bonds for the future. Ask them also to tell you what’s great and what sucks about this time. (You’ll get to hear more about what sucks). Remember your aim is to connect and understand, not to fix. You don’t have to have the answers. It is enough to have the caring and the questions.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of your students have been training for an online lifestyle for years </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> will adapt well. Others will be more needy. None of us has all the answers that we would like to have. Help where you can but don’t feel you can provide reassurance that you don’t feel you have yourself.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Apply </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">CPR </b><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">to your own personal relationships</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">connect, protect and respect. In ‘</span><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">The Revolutionary Art of Changing Your Heart’ </i><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">I suggested two main ideas to develop this: Firstly, look at the people close to you and think ‘I am so lucky to have you in my life.</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Secondly, take on responsibility for creating better relationships by taking on a position that if </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">you</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> have a problem, </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">we</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> have a problem (and I have a role in helping fix</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">it).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Find the things that give your life meaning and do them. A role model we all have for this is Viktor Frankl who survived internment in concentration camps by finding meaning even when times seemed hopeless. It is often by contributing to others that we increase our happiness and the sense of meaning in our lives.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">There may be an opportunity to provide more powerful learning experiences. NAPLAN is suspended, assessments are less intensive </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> Year 12 exams are delayed. Consider how to use these</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">freedoms to create meaningful work that you can really believe in.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-invent</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of our most imaginative solutions had their origins in the toughest times in history.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Life is an improvisational art. Resilience</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">is</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">the ability to flexibly respond to whatever</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">life throws at you.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">While you will hear stories of great scientific insights occurring in times of isolation, don’t pressure yourself to be creative at the moment.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Teachers have had a particularly rough time. They have worked incredibly hard, transforming education into online learning. Some have not had a proper break since the start of the academic year. Some will have been away from their usual </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">workplaces</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> colleagues for an extended period. It may be that the schools they return to may not always resemble the schools they</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">left.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">When teachers </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> their students do return to school, expect that everyone (staff, parents </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">students) will all need to go through the process of re-adjusting then re-aligning before re-inventing.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Flexibility allows you to be inventive </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> creative. For teachers who fear the class time their students will lose this year, I have one question for you, ‘How much of your own schooling do you really remember?’ If your answer is 60% or </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">more,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> you are doing better than most. Of the 13 years of school available to be completed</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> about 5 years is wiped from the memory banks. I would be the first to say there is much more to school than just knowledge recalled. Even so, 5 years! Deep breaths.</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Relax.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">By facing the reality of being in uncertain times, doing what is meaningful and takes cares of others and most importantly ourselves, we can go forward and together create an improved form of learning.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For a moment, time travel into your future. Ask yourself, ‘How do I want to look back on these times?’ No doubt there will recollections of loss and sadness. Will you relate stories of deprivation, fear and </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">hardships or will you tell a tale of renewal and re-invention? Take care and nourish your spirit. Think about what makes you come alive and go and do it.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Andrew’s books include: </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Your Best Life </i></b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">At</i></b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> Any Age </i></b><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Unlocking Your Child’s Genius</i></b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559737":-46,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></p></div></div></div></section></div></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-68180863798503981182020-05-27T02:05:00.001-07:002020-05-27T02:05:43.403-07:00Thoughts on our return<div data-barba="wrapper" class="content" aria-live="polite" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-top: 56px; min-height: 60vh;"><div data-barba="container" class="onecol-container" data-barba-namespace="one-column-builder" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-bottom: 88px;"><section class="onecol-text onecol-element" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-bottom: 48px;"><div class="container" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; position: relative; max-width: 1440px; margin: 0px auto;"><div class="centered-column" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; width: calc(100% - 32px); float: left; margin-left: 16px;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Over the past month, teachers have been heroic as they have ‘pivoted’ (to employ the popular term) their entire educational offerings. An enormous effort. BUT</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">the wear and tear </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">is</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> starting to show. Some are suffering virtual exhaustion, others of us are at risk of becoming ‘</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">zoombies</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If there ever was any doubt that teachers are among our country’s frontline workers, it is now dispelled.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">We need to care better for all of our teachers. They curate our future.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Research shows there are 3 big factors that reliably create the resilience that help people through tough times </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> they have nothing to do with gratitude or empathy or mindfulness (all good things to have, mind you, but I can’t find any research that links them with resilience).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If we look at how people who have thrived after serious hardships </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">– </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">holocaust, pandemics, concentration camps, kidnappings, prolonged neglect </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> deprivation</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">three factors stand out as helping them through: re-adjust, re-align </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> re-invent.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-adjust</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">It takes time to re-adjust to major changes and it requires looking reality fair and square in the eye. It really is what it is. These really are crazy times.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">This is not some glossed up, optimistic version of, ‘everything will be all right by next week/term/year’. A positive mindset that is not supported by an appreciation of reality does not serve people well. </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Typically,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> optimists who make these sorts of predictions, fall apart when the timeframe they set doesn’t</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">eventuate.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Life really is tough in these times </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> none of us knows exactly how long this will last.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For sale</b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Worst Purchase Ever! A 2020 Planner</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">While it is tempting to be like an ostrich </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> put our heads in the sand, it is better to model yourself on the meerkat</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> –</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> upright, aware, observing and orienting.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Ask yourself, ‘Do I truly understand </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> accept the reality of the situation? Does my school?’ Do this by keeping informed by high-quality sources and ignoring the endless barrage of conjecture that surges in times like these.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of your colleagues will slip into denial, don’t join them. Some may be unwisely reckless while others take a doom and gloom perspective. Respect that everyone has their own triggers and will respond in different ways to these times.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For those who feel less preoccupied by the busy ‘to-do’ list of work, there can be a backwash of unprocessed emotions. Some may experience vivid and unsettling dreams. Others may find small </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">past incidents that seemed trivial at the time re-emerge as issues. Helping people to process their feelings is helpful for their long-term resilience.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Rather than asking people how they are feeling about these times, it is often better to ask them to tell you what they think is the best and the worst part of it for them?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">This is about processing, not correction. You are not likely to change their viewpoint so don’t waste your time trying.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Denial may feel like it is fun </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> relaxing but in the long term will not serve you well. The best way to cope with this is still, not to get the</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">virus.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">One form of denial involves ‘platitudes of gratitude’ such as, ‘isn’t it wonderful we can all be at home and have virtual dinner parties?’ While there are opportunities to be found in adverse times, glibly overlooking the challenges of these times will lessen your ability to adapt to changes as they become necessary.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Facing reality is gruelling work and re-adjusting your life is emotionally wrenching. Expect to feel exhausted</span><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">. </i><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Expect to have some good days but also accept that we will all have some tough days.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">In times of disconnection, we need to work harder to create belonging. Reach out to people. Increase your reach. If you typically connect with a small group, consider broadening your circle of contacts. Think about who might be feeling especially disconnected or alone and give them a call.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-align</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">At these times some people throw their arms in the air and cry, ‘Why me?’ It is much more powerful to regard yourself as a participant in recovery rather than a victim of circumstance.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Victims become helpless, lose hope </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> feel higher levels of despair </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> anxiety. Resilient people return to the process of creating a great life for themselves and the people around them.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-align yourself with your core values as well as with the things that boost your immune system and nourish your life. Sleep, diet, rest, healthy food, fun and contributing to the people who are important to you are all essential ingredients.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Build a bridge from the current hardships to a better future. Do meaningful activities that </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">utili</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">s</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">e your expertise. Find ways to make the most of increased time-in and less time-out.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">One way to do this is to conduct a ‘check-up from the neck-up’. As yourself, what have I neglected in my rush to deal with my job and with the world? What have I suppressed in me through that degree of busy-ness? Can I give myself the freedom to re-awaken those neglected parts of myself?</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Take the time to get to know your students even better. Happy teachers get along well with the people they spend most of their time with</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">their students. Discover your students</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> character strengths, learning strengths and interests. Ask them to share their thoughts about the best </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> worst aspects of this time. Ask them what sorts of support would be helpful for them. Deepening your connection to your students will increase your effectiveness and your job</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">satisfaction.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Deepening relationships does not mean rushing around taking care of everyone. </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">If we feel we need to ‘fix’ others, we take on their burden </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> can rob them of an opportunity to take responsibility for themselves. This is a sure path to compassion fatigue and burnout.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Linking with students in a positive way at this time can forge bonds for the future. Ask them also to tell you what’s great and what sucks about this time. (You’ll get to hear more about what sucks). Remember your aim is to connect and understand, not to fix. You don’t have to have the answers. It is enough to have the caring and the questions.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of your students have been training for an online lifestyle for years </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> will adapt well. Others will be more needy. None of us has all the answers that we would like to have. Help where you can but don’t feel you can provide reassurance that you don’t feel you have yourself.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Apply </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">CPR </b><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">to your own personal relationships</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> – </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">connect, protect and respect. In ‘</span><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">The Revolutionary Art of Changing Your Heart’ </i><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">I suggested two main ideas to develop this: Firstly, look at the people close to you and think ‘I am so lucky to have you in my life.</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">’</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Secondly, take on responsibility for creating better relationships by taking on a position that if </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">you</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> have a problem, </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">we</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> have a problem (and I have a role in helping fix</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">it).</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Find the things that give your life meaning and do them. A role model we all have for this is Viktor Frankl who survived internment in concentration camps by finding meaning even when times seemed hopeless. It is often by contributing to others that we increase our happiness and the sense of meaning in our lives.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">There may be an opportunity to provide more powerful learning experiences. NAPLAN is suspended, assessments are less intensive </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> Year 12 exams are delayed. Consider how to use these</span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="none" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">freedoms to create meaningful work that you can really believe in.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Re-invent</b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559738":360,"335559739":120,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Some of our most imaginative solutions had their origins in the toughest times in history.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Life is an improvisational art. Resilience</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">is</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">the ability to flexibly respond to whatever</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">life throws at you.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">While you will hear stories of great scientific insights occurring in times of isolation, don’t pressure yourself to be creative at the moment.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Teachers have had a particularly rough time. They have worked incredibly hard, transforming education into online learning. Some have not had a proper break since the start of the academic year. Some will have been away from their usual </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">workplaces</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> colleagues for an extended period. It may be that the schools they return to may not always resemble the schools they</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">left.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">When teachers </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> their students do return to school, expect that everyone (staff, parents </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">students) will all need to go through the process of re-adjusting then re-aligning before re-inventing.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Flexibility allows you to be inventive </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> creative. For teachers who fear the class time their students will lose this year, I have one question for you, ‘How much of your own schooling do you really remember?’ If your answer is 60% or </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">more,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> you are doing better than most. Of the 13 years of school available to be completed</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">,</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> about 5 years is wiped from the memory banks. I would be the first to say there is much more to school than just knowledge recalled. Even so, 5 years! Deep breaths.</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Relax.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">By facing the reality of being in uncertain times, doing what is meaningful and takes cares of others and most importantly ourselves, we can go forward and together create an improved form of learning.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">For a moment, time travel into your future. Ask yourself, ‘How do I want to look back on these times?’ No doubt there will recollections of loss and sadness. Will you relate stories of deprivation, fear and </span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">hardships or will you tell a tale of renewal and re-invention? Take care and nourish your spirit. Think about what makes you come alive and go and do it.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px;"><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":240,"335559740":240}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Andrew’s books include: </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Your Best Life </i></b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">At</i></b><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> Any Age </i></b><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">and</span><span data-contrast="auto" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Unlocking Your Child’s Genius</i></b><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559737":-46,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> </span></span></p></div></div></div></section></div></div><footer class="footer tiny" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 1.2; padding: 56px 0px 1.25rem; position: relative;"><div class="container" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; position: relative; max-width: 1440px; margin: 0px auto;"><div class="footer__column footer__column--quick" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; width: calc(50% - 24px); float: left; margin-left: 16px;"><p></p></div></div></footer> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-25141589735713150102020-05-19T14:51:00.001-07:002020-05-19T14:51:33.836-07:00NSW again<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Education experts believe intensive tuition and additional teaching resources will be required to ensure students do not fall behind in their studies following the disruption to classrooms caused by COVID-19.</span></p></div><div subscriptions-section="content" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As the NSW government rushed guidelines to teachers ahead of the full-time return to school next week, experts called on the state's education department to fund the increased resources, which may include redeploying teachers from bureaucracy or even retirement.</span></p></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-91923311013096730812020-05-17T00:21:00.001-07:002020-05-17T00:21:37.807-07:00NSWMark Scott: (it was) “striking to us the number of students in metropolitan Sydney who did not have a device or fast broadband access at home.” Has it really taken this crisis to bring home the level of inequality in our education system? Kay Buckeridge Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-49986324001138054152020-05-15T19:45:00.001-07:002020-05-15T19:45:19.693-07:00NSW set to resume<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Schools will begin testing students to identify where they have fallen behind in their learning when they return full-time, and will cut parts of the kindy to year 10 syllabuses to ensure they can focus on literacy and numeracy.</span></p></div><div subscriptions-section="content" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The NSW government will announce details of the next phase of the return-to-school plan next week, and is hoping to have all students back full-time by the end of this month, Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said on Friday.</span></p></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-47140151668407816192020-05-09T15:11:00.001-07:002020-05-09T15:13:11.498-07:00 I guess this is what we’ll be doing in Victoria soon?<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Students will learn a stripped-back version of the NSW curriculum for the rest of term two, with educators given permission to factor learning disruptions from the last six weeks into their teaching plans and focus on the most essential content.</p></div><div subscriptions-section="content" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">A <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/full-time-schooling-to-resume-term-3-beginning-with-one-day-a-week-in-may-20200421-p54lpj.html" data-vars-event-label="https://www.smh.com.au/national/full-time-schooling-to-resume-term-3-beginning-with-one-day-a-week-in-may-20200421-p54lpj.html" data-vars-event-action="related article" data-vars-event-category="internal link" class="link-header" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); text-decoration: none; color: rgb(112, 112, 112);">staged return to school</a> begins on Monday for NSW public schools, but Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott said it would be a while before regular calendar events such as assemblies, excursions and school sport resumed.</p><div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><figure class="Image-media-3ujPS Image-landscape-3x3-4" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; position: relative; clear: right; overflow: hidden; width: 319.609375px; float: right; text-align: inherit;"><amp-img alt="NSW Department of Education secretary Mark Scott." srcset="https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.202,$multiply_1,$ratio_1.5,$width_756,$x_271,$y_0/t_crop_custom/w_736/q_86,f_auto/d86ac846e7255060e56790767dabc5c1d43f1f04" itemprop="image" layout="responsive" height="1" width="1.5" class="i-amphtml-element i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined i-amphtml-layout" i-amphtml-layout="responsive" i-amphtml-auto-lightbox-visited="" lightbox="i-amphtml-auto-lightbox-0" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: block; position: relative; overflow: hidden !important; --loader-delay-offset: 374ms !important;"><i-amphtml-sizer style="box-sizing: inherit; padding-top: 213.0625px; display: block !important;"></i-amphtml-sizer><br></amp-img><figcaption class="Image-caption-3CZmy" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Sans", "Trebuchet MS", "Arial Narrow", sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 16px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); background-color: rgb(244, 245, 247);"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; font-size: 0.8125rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">NSW Department of Education secretary .</p><cite style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.23077; font-size: 0.8125rem; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Photo: Edwina Pickles</cite></figcaption></figure></div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Principals will spend this week trying to ‘manage this’</p></div></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-79291334005385039602020-04-17T03:58:00.001-07:002020-04-17T03:58:53.139-07:00Morrison want us to go on a guilt trip <p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">The nation’s teachers have spent their Easter "holidays" shifting their units of work online. And now, the Prime Minister pleads, think of the children.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">The term of a million weeks finally came to an end and our teachers breathed a collective sigh of relief. Two weeks to take stock and, as the metaphor goes, stop changing the tyre while the truck is hurtling down the highway.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Then the Prime Minister pleads with them to return to the classroom, emphasising after the national cabinet meeting on Thursday that classrooms are the best places for children to learn.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">This follows his comments on Wednesday, when teachers busy trying to prepare for remote learning might have paused to catch sight of the Prime Minister calling on them to walk back through the school gates, telling them that “the education of our children hangs in the balance”.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 9px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(112, 112, 112); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 10.3px;"><span style="font-size: 9pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">He doesn’t want children “giving up a whole year of their learning”.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Teachers were mystified by this. To begin with, the idea that classroom teachers — or even most school leaders — have any say over whether schools are open or "closed" is absurd. Those decisions are taken at a system level, guided by state and territory governments.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); min-height: 13.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">On Thursday, after the national cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister’s office unveiled a list of seven national principles for the educational response to the COVID-19 crisis. The first was reiterating his point that learning is best achieved in a physical classroom.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">But he then conceded what the education community knows already — that schools will be allowed to continue with remote flexible learning.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">It’s hard to fathom that at the very point in time when teachers are collectively working harder than they ever have before, that they should be accused of somehow letting the side down. A reminder that teachers already set a high bar — it’s a mighty difficult job at the best of times — in the interests of their students.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Right now, we must have national conversation about what schooling and learning are — and what they are not. The new principles are a departure point but they don’t get to the essence of either.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 15px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(35, 35, 35); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 17.2px;"><span style="font-size: 15pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Let’s start with the conversation about "home schooling". What is happening now is not home schooling. In home schooling, parents design learning for their kids. They map learning activities to the curriculum. They assess learning.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">On the basis of this assessment, they make decisions about what needs to happen next. An integral part of home schooling is usually an array of social and community activities, from Girl Guides to gallery visits to the local football club, none of which is available right now.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">If children are learning at home, following a course of study painstakingly designed by their teachers, with whom they have regular contact via a variety of means, they are not being “home schooled”. To call what’s happening in this situation “home schooling” undermines the extraordinary work of our teachers, who are engaged in the Herculean effort of rethinking every aspect of their practice with an eye to maintaining the quality of teaching and learning.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; background-color: rgb(9, 109, 210); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Not to mention that it puts ridiculous and unnecessary pressure on parents, most of whom are neither teachers nor home schoolers. So let’s call it "schooling from home".</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Neither are teachers who have spent untold time and effort rethinking and reshaping their lessons for students to engage with at home shirking their responsibility to teach.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">The Prime Minister had it wrong when he said on Wednesday “I kept my kids in school up until the last week because they weren't getting taught at school in that last week, I mean, they were sitting in a room looking at a screen; that's not teaching, that's childminding”.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">The teachers at Mr Morrison’s daughters’ school were surprised surely to hear that they spent the final week of term one babysitting. That’s not what online teaching feels like to anyone.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; background-color: rgb(9, 109, 210); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">The job of the teacher, in a nutshell, is to create the conditions for student learning. It’s not to stand in front of the class and "deliver" the curriculum or to magically transmit knowledge from one brain to another. Yes, being co-located with your students helps, because an important part of being able to create the conditions for learning is really knowing your students, being able to read the room, but it’s simply not the case that teaching, much less learning, happens only in the classroom.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">When teachers are pedalling as fast as they can to create good conditions for their students’ learning without having access to their physical classrooms — and I know from my serial lurking on teachers’ social media groups that they are — it doesn’t follow that we’re looking down the barrel of students “giving up a whole year of their learning”.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(109, 77, 143); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(9, 109, 210); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 16.1px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://omnystudio.com/learn/?utm_source=omnyfm-embed&utm_medium=player"></a></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Yes, there is a problem with equity of access only not all students have adequate equipment for schooling at home, including internet access. And, of course, some students need to be at school because their parents need to be at work, or for welfare-related reasons.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; background-color: rgb(9, 109, 210); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Nobody, however, is suggesting that those children be denied access to school, and indeed teachers and school leaders are working hard to make sure they aren’t. Some acknowledgement of those efforts is necessary.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Schools are workplaces for students, teachers and other adults. In most schools, neither classrooms nor staff-rooms are spacious — your average office worker’s cubicle set-up looks like salubrious accommodation compared to most school staff-rooms. Morrison was right when he pointed out the staffroom could be a risky place for teachers to be.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">At a time when social distancing orders prevent us from moving around freely or catching up for dinner with a couple of friends, it makes no sense for teachers and students to be sent back to the confines of the classroom or the staffroom.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); min-height: 20.7px;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;"></span><br></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Social distancing measures put in place for workers in other essential services are simply not able to be rolled out in schools full of students and teachers — there’s literally not enough space. It might be a safe enough environment for students because of their age (I don’t dispute the public health experts on this) but if it’s not safe for lawyers or waitstaff or academics or parliamentarians to be in their workplaces right now, it’s not safe for teachers and their families either.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; font-family: Helvetica; color: rgb(10, 22, 51); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 18pt; -webkit-font-kerning: none;">Nicole Mockler is an associate professor of education at the University of Sydney</span></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-53645711343845664642020-04-16T03:45:00.001-07:002020-04-16T03:45:21.847-07:00More rubbish from Morrison <h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">I was intrigued by the PM’s message yesterday, pleading with teachers to keep schools open.</h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 1.73; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">As if it is teachers themselves who make those kind of decisions, rather than school authorities; both state and independent, and governments -- you know, like his.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 1.73; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">It was even odder because schools are already open -- apart from during the holidays -- and remain so -- public schools anyway. Maybe the PM was talking to teachers who work at private schools, because those are the ones that can decide whether or not to open or close as they choose, despite their very high levels of public funding.</p><article style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div class="nextstory" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.73;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://10daily.com.au/news/a200415nyaql/this-cant-be-sustained-nsw-wants-kids-back-in-classrooms-by-term-three-20200415" class="card__link" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(1, 170, 156); text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: 700;">'THIS CAN'T BE SUSTAINED': NSW WANTS KIDS BACK IN CLASSROOMS WITHIN WEEKS</a></p></div></article><article style="box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div class="nextstory" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1.73;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://10daily.com.au/news/australia/a200406jtgpc/if-you-can-you-must-learn-from-home-vic-premier-urges-school-students-not-to-return-for-term-two-20200406" class="card__link" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(1, 170, 156); text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: 700;">'IF YOU CAN, YOU MUST LEARN FROM HOME': VIC PREMIER URGES SCHOOL STUDENTS NOT TO RETURN FOR TERM TWO</a></p></div></article><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(64, 64, 64); line-height: 1.73; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">But if that was his intended audience, why did he try to tug at the consciences of teachers by talking about the students who are most likely to fall behind if most education goes online for the duration? They include the approximately 150,000 Australian students <a href="https://www.thebigsmoke.com.au/2020/03/24/desperate-and-data-less-how-covid-19-is-impacting-our-most-vulnerable-school-kids/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box;">who do not have internet access</a> at home or the kind of devices needed to participate properly.</p><blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 1rem; line-height: 1.5; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: rgb(64, 64, 64); font-family: Barlow, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">This is the first time that I can recall -- and I have been in the trenches fighting for greater equality of opportunity for disadvantaged schools and students for decades now -- that Scott Morrison has actually acknowledged the stark educational divide between our poorest and richest students.</blockquote> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-92005052792580870422020-04-14T03:40:00.001-07:002020-04-14T03:40:41.101-07:00Good news<span style="font-size: 16px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(35, 35, 35); color: rgb(35, 35, 35); font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Private schools including Haileybury College and Ballarat’s Clarendon College are being taken to the Fair Work Commission in a fight against staff stand-downs amid the coronavirus epidemic.</span> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-67441502307614277812020-04-10T17:36:00.001-07:002020-04-10T17:36:16.211-07:00I fear a shitstorm on the horizon<p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Education Minister James Merlino says the government has no plan to enforce restrictions about children going to school in term two, preferring to trust parents to follow the “crystal clear” advice that students should stay home if they can.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Yet principals worry that as the term goes on, more and more parents will send their children to school once they discover that managing remote learning is difficult and the teachers' union says its members should not feel compelled to work on campus rather than remotely.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Victorian schools are set to open on Wednesday with coronavirus restrictions meaning that only the children of essential workers will be allowed to attend in person.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Only those workers who cannot work from home should send their children to school, Mr Merlino said, with most students set to be taught remotely, at least until the end of term two.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“It’s about common sense," he told <em>The Age</em> in an exclusive interview on Friday.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“The Chief Health Officer’s advice is it’s better not to have lists of who is in and who is out but a really simple message: if you can work from home, your children must learn from home.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The union for government school principals has raised fears that as term two drags on, parents will increasingly send their children to school “when they are not coping with them at home, in the face of a prolonged shutdown”.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“So, while schools are kept open for the children of essential workers or for vulnerable children and limited staff are available to monitor them in the school, this might soon change, unless monitored carefully and restrictions enforced,” Australian Principals’ Federation president Julie Podbury told her members this week.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Meredith Peace, Victorian branch president of the Australian Education Union, said most teachers will also work from home, other than volunteers required to supervise at schools.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"There is no compulsion and we have been clear with our members to say you shouldn’t be compelled to be at school if you’d prefer to work at home," Ms Peace said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mr Merlino said the unprecedented remote schooling of one million students would be a case of trial and error, and that technology would sometimes fail but parents should believe that schools were going to provide a quality education.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“What we are asking parents to do is trust their schools, trust their teachers, because there will be some things that will work and not work, including technology,” he said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“The guidance is there, the resources and support are there but there will be things that we will need to tweak along the way, inevitably.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The minister said it was possible the closure of schools would be extended into term three, which starts in July, but that would depend on the success of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Our hope is that we can return to full on-site normal days at school as soon as possible but this is a long fight for our community, our state, our country and the world,” Mr Merlino said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Deputy Premier acknowledged there was apprehension in the community about how a full term of home schooling would play out, including whether children’s education would suffer and how heavily it would disrupt parents’ ability to work.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mr Merlino asked for patience from parents who will be working from home while their children are studying.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I’ve got three kids, two in primary school, one in high school and I am as apprehensive as any parent, any teacher,” Mr Merlino said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“I’m spending a lot of time at home, my wife Meagan is a high school teacher so she’ll be teaching remotely as well … We are talking about that, we are thinking about, where are we going to set up our three kids?”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Children who go to school will be supervised by teachers but will be taught remotely just like their peers at home.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan issued a binding legal directive to non-government schools on Thursday to open their doors for any students who could not learn from home, tying the directive to Commonwealth funding.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mr Merlino said he expected all schools – government, Catholic and independent – to be open for those who need them to be.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; font-family: MillerDisplay, serif; font-size: 21.25px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“My expectation is that all schools in Victoria follow the advice of the chief health officer and that no funding should be at risk if they are following the advice,” he said.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1149893216271201042.post-71484757724553163562020-04-10T15:22:00.001-07:002020-04-10T15:22:06.196-07:00More shameful Independent school antics<div style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Staff at a high-fee Melbourne independent school were told in a Zoom meeting their roles were not required during the coronavirus crisis.</p></div><div subscriptions-section="content" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "PT Serif", Georgia, Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(10, 22, 51); color: rgb(10, 22, 51); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The employees of Haileybury's music department were informed they were being stood down in an online video call on Wednesday morning.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Aftqer the meeting, at which a number of teachers were told their hours would be suspended or reduced, the affected staff were sent a five-page document detailing options for temporarily stopping work or reducing hours.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The document, seen by <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The Age</span>, states: "Unfortunately, at this time, the business does not have capacity to continue operating with a fully utilised workforce."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"There is no certainty about this yet and tentative dates are likely to change as the situation develops."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">It also stated that if staff found alternative work during the crisis it would not affect their ability to eventually return to Haileybury.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Principal Derek Scott said it was a "distressing and sad situation".</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"Haileybury is in discussions with a number of staff where some may be stood down due to a work stoppage in certain departments," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"These decisions are not being made lightly and impacted staff will have access to their annual leave and any long service leave they are entitled to and these will continue to accrue</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The document gave no timeline for when jobs may be reinstated.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">All affected staff are highly valued members of our school community.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"When the school operations recommence as per normal, once the COVID-19 global pandemic is contained, and government shutdowns are lifted, we look forward to welcoming our employees back to the school."</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Victoria's Education Minister James Merlino said non-government schools "should make every effort possible to retain staff".</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">"Catholic Education has said its expectation to all their schools is to avoid standing down staff ... no one is losing their job in the government system so my message is to try and avoid that at all costs," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">Haileybury is not eligible for the Morrison government's $130 billion JobKeeper subsidy.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">The school has four Melbourne campuses, one in Darwin and a partner school in China.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;">When term two begins on Wednesday next week, the school's classrooms will be open to children of essential workers but the students will be participating in online lessons.</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: 0px;"><b>Always remember, when the shit hit the fan, it was the so called elite independent schools that panicked and closed and that have treated their teachers like shit whereas the state school stayed open ( for way too long) and its teachers kept and will keep teaching. Remember that.</b></p></div> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13787821629239378070noreply@blogger.com0