ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
The critical shortage of teachers in this country has come as a shock to many around the country.
From the beaches to the bush, school principals are crying out for more teachers as the ones that have either retire or realise that life’s too short to burn out teaching the child of some uninterested deadshits how to read.
This is despite the nation holding teachers in the same regard as babysitters. Just a person to look after a child while a parent either watches Ellen or Dr Phil at home during the day or go to work and makes some old man even richer.
Former teaching study Ellen Bowmore spoke to The Advocate this morning about why she decided to change her major at South Betoota Polytechnic School to something that offers her a bit of sanity.
“It just looks so stressful. Teachers I was doing prac with told me to run while I still could,” she said.
“So I did. I changed my major to journalism. The great catch-all of directionless young people who can read and speak to strangers without getting anxious about it. Plus, other people’s kids are terrible. You can try your best but they’ll still be a little shit to you,”
“So I quit. Because I didn’t want to be a glorified babysitter like society thinks they are. They reckon all that paid holiday, too, is too much. If you can go ten weeks in a room with 40 kids under 10 and maybe teach the ones that have a bit of go about them how to read then you deserve two weeks off,”
“Anyway, I don’t really care.”
The Advocate reached out to the education department for comment but have yet to receive a reply.
More to come.
