Nearly two years ago I started a scholarship to become a primary school teacher
The
Nexus program is an employment-based, accelerated teacher training
pathway, primarily run by La Trobe University in partnership with the
Victorian and NSW Departments of Education.
It
allows career-changers and education support staff to earn a teaching
qualification while working in schools with teacher shortages.
There
were a number of hurdles to get accepted and I was grateful that a
staff member kept in contact after a series of emails saying that I was
unsuccessful.
Full-time study
and part-time work took a toll, but it wasn't until the second
placement in a public school in Yanco that the wheels really began to
wobble.
The first day was characterised by
miscommunication, as the principal there I had heard that I taught
ukulele and asked me to run classes.
Being
eager to appear agreeable, I explained that they wouldn't be the lessons
expected of me by the university but that I could introduce students to
the basics of tuning and strumming one-finger chords.
It
was a surprise during the first lesson that the supervising teacher
asked for a lesson plan, since it wasn't something required previously.
When
the principal returned she was furious with me for not following
directions, cancelled the ukulele classes and abruptly changed the
arrangement we had to move from stage one classes to stage two -- where I
had been planning to teach a sequence of classes.
This added a level of stress, which combined with a university subject that I couldn't see how I would pass.
In
the end I left my placement early, found the school cancelled it and
attempted to explain the circumstances to the course coordinator and
dean at the uni.
They were unsympathetic and I failed the unit.
This
year I attempted the unit again, again failed the assignment and was told I'd
need to undertake another assessment while undertaking a full-time
placement and working on the next assignment.
I wrote to the lecturer, who was again unsympathetic to my circumstances and this led me to decide that teaching was not for me.
One
of the key moments in making the decision was a comment from a friend
who, as a mature-aged student like me, had completed a teaching degree
and quit the profession within a few years:
My experience of the primary teaching profession once I got there was that it was matriarchal, bullying, political and sycophantic rather than meritocratic...
Someone will write a Phd on teacher culture some day, and it will speak to toxicity and an endless procession of burnt out former educators with good intentions.
It put into perspective some of the experiences I'd had and made me realise the journey to teaching would likely take a toll.
There are many wonderful teachers I have met and I admire their work and grace in challenging circumstances.
Schools
are currently struggling with kids not prepared for classrooms, as well
as screen-based activities that appear to be impacting on the
attentiveness of students.
The university
course was a mess of subjects that were attempting to combine units for
the fast-tracked path to graduation, which was occasionally acknowledged
by lecturers.
Having previously worked in
tertiary education, I am aware how high the attrition rate is for online
learning, as well as the number of students who never finish a teaching
degree.
I just wish I'd thought more realistically before leaving permanent employment and taking on thousands of dollars of HECS debt.
Meanwhile, I am telling anyone who cares to avoid La Trobe Uni.
