High School Teaching

Arse. It seems high school teachers are getting harder to come by – especially in Auckland.

Current stats in New Zealand indicate 50% of newbie high school teachers bail within their first four years. Hefty attrition.

I’m a bailer.

I taught high school for over a decade.

In my first year or two I wasn’t much older than my senior students.

I brought an opshop radiogram and kids thrashed my LP ‘s during lunchtimes.

It was a fun thing.

Years later we played vhs tapes of early Southpark.

80 kids packed into one classroom over lunchtime.

Sir’s in charge, cup of tea/round wine biscuit.

Had to fend the Principal off over that one. Came running with one hand on the bible, the other my teacher registration.  I had some behavior management issues.

I bailed because the system was vacuum sealed in yesterday.

Before I go further I say this -

High school teachers are my heros’, underpaid, undervalued, sometimes sandwiched and stitched up. I feel for them, the miracle workers, the talented, the tireless, the average - even the wretched, the ones the kids give a wide berth.

Some operators are absolute wizards, keepers. Born to it.

Others struggle, a half baked bipolar escape plan blue tacked somewhere.

Anyone that thinks teachers have it sweet, give it a go.

Teenage kids are combustible packages of energy, challenge and change.

Most days, most periods, surfs up.

Waxed, leg rope on, waiting for that seventh wave of the set that’s gonna make the ride all worthwhile, or smudge you out with a bruising dumper.

Then the bell goes, n’ you’re paddling out ready for the next set.

Few years back I went to the farewell of one of my best high school teachers.

This guy did 42 yrs in the classroom. When promotion knocked, he looked the other way, stayed with the kids.

I always had the feeling there was nowhere else in the world that he wanted to be than hanging in a prefab with us.

He was the real deal, twinkle in his eye, excited – loved his job.

He could have been teaching macramé and we’d have aced it. We rolled with him.

For him it was the best job in the world.

So why have we got difficulties retaining high school teachers ?

They’re everyone’s bitch; the kids, parents, Principals and the Ministry’s.

Depending who you talk to it’s obsession with assessment, paperwork,

lousy pay, weak leadership, exhausting expectations, yada ..

And teachers don't need that national standards monkey on their back.

Fair enough. It’s more like a gibbon on acid.

Boxes to tick and little time, it’s a tightrope to also be creative and take a lesson somewhere. Ringmaster by day, paperwork by night.

And the dramatic energy - friendly mentor one minute, raging gorilla cop the next.

 “School stand …sit, you’re too noisy… stand ….. QUIET ! … Right, you boys talking in the fourth row, etc …”   The assembly ritual, DP n’ Deans pulling out the talkers and uniform irregularities. 

Socks up. I sometimes wondered if I hadn’t joined the Dept of Corrections.

Lately, in parent mode I went to my schools ERO (Education Review Office)

‘meet the community’ session.

I said what if the school invite parents and other members of the community to bring their passions/adventures/skillsets into the class and work with teachers to help mentor groups of kids, build portfolio, achieve goals etc

I can hear my teacher mates saying, “Baz there’s no space to build another expectation into the day”, and some parents wouldn’t be keen or find the time. No prob.

But I've seen it work.

My eldest son went to a high school that did that.  

When he enrolled they chatted me up.

“So what do you do Baz”, and then “would you like to come in to help ?”

Soon got round to “how’s your diary looking, police check all good?”

On chosen day in I’d go, wear a name badge so I wasn’t a wandering random.

My job was helping media studies kids with their imovie projects. It was fun.

Teachers with parents on speed dial. Solid idea.

Push the boat out some more and imagine a learning landscape different again.

Environments where people collaborate at different times of the day/eve/weekends.  Mixed ages, streams, subject collusions, different spaces, processes, outcomes … rethinking teaching and learning.

Teachers might further flourish in their craft, give value and feel valued.

Though there’s the risk of sexing it up too much.

 A stampede of freshly baked high school teachers clamouring for work in high schools, could be very, very, scary.