Talking out of school

'Principals, you can control the emotional temperature of your schools by not buying into the desire of those who employ you to make you afraid.....' says Jane Caro, a woman known for saying what's on her mind. Her low-boredom threshold level has seen her embrace many careers; she is a novelist, lecturer, mentor, social commentator, columnist, workshop facilitator, speaker, broadcaster and award-winning advertising writer.  Jane also has strong opinions on private schools and wonders why parents feel compelled to select their children's social groups.  'It's all about that bling, pushing the prestige and glamorous and brand private...'

Why is it that we have this compulsion to fix things in our schools that don't need fixing? Take the early years, for example. Victoria is the highest performing state in Australia when it comes to reading. Naplan tells us this.  Misty Adoniou is a respected expert in the field of language and she says the gaps are in the middle years, not the early years. The overwhelming majority of kids in the early years are doing well and don't need to be taught using a 'deficit' approach.

Rosie hasn't been teaching long but she knows it's not a job that promotes work-life balance. And university didn't prepare her for the administrative tasks, curriculum planning, and challenging relationships.  She loves the work with students, but needed much more support to navigate and manage the workload, which is overwhelming. 

Experienced teacher Rob McDonald loves teaching, loves his kids, and knows his craft. But what he doesn't like are the endless administrative tasks, the never-ending collection of data and the things that take him away from what he needs to do - teaching. In this interview, Rob reflects on the job's highs, but also what is driving him to seek out a new career .....

I call Diane Snowball the reading guru.  With more than fifty years experience under her belt, which includes a lengthy consulting stint in New York, her knowledge about how children learn to read is outstanding. In this second episode, Di talks about the importance of building world knowledge, scaffolding learning and the philosophy behind flexible small group teaching. Di urges teachers to steer clear of reading programs; it's understanding how learning takes place and what it looks like in reading that makes all the difference.

Kids just love books about bums and farts! They also love to read about dinosaurs, planets and animals. This is why the humble classroom library is a must in all schools.  Reading expert, Diane Snowball, talks about the importance of exposing children to a range of reading material that stimulates curiosity, builds vocabulary and has them craving more. Principals, get the cheque book out because this is just the beginning in how to transform reading......

Retired principal, Deborah Patterson, calls it like it is. If her recently published book 'Passion, guts & leadership: an A-Z for the unconventional educational leader' is anything to go by, she can teach us a great deal, not just about the school principal's job, but about life in general.

Teaching mathematics is no simple task. It requires some real shifts in pedagogical thinking and making sure students are at the centre.  According to Peter Sullivan, educational consultant specialising in the teaching of mathematics,  kids learn best when they work on problems that they do not yet know how to solve. Peter's research shows that many students do not fear challenges in mathematics, but actually welcome them. However, to get to this point, principals need to be sure the numbers add up.

Whilst equity funding to disadvantaged schools is a god-send, the work involved is huge. Principal Phillip Banks doesn't shy away from his tough gig.  The Victorian education system puts an unrelenting emphasis on PISA and Naplan results, but this principal knows that the wellbeing of his students is paramount and he has to get this right before any meaningful instruction can occur. Kudos to principals like Phillip Banks who courageously put first things first.

36 years is a long time to be in education; but even longer as a primary school principal.  This principal has 'given back' in many ways, not just to his Dandenong North  community, but to state education generally.  Kevin Mackay is a remarkable man, mentor, leader and school principal who started out as one of those rambunctious naughty kids and today leaves a legacy like no other. This is his story....