The Perth Thread

[Kram]

I've mentioned it here before but I'm still pissed off about failing an essay in year 10 because Japan and the Soviet Union were irrelevant in WWII

lol, I've heard you mention that before. Classic, would absolutely do your head in.

Another one I've got is instead of mice for more than one (rodent) mouse, they thought it was 'mouses'. Not only that she continued to argue about it after an assistant pointed it out, until her younger subordinate had eventually had enough and raised her voice and said "NO, it is WRONG".

 

[Off The Couch]

**** teachers. Their ten weeks off a year, their decent hours, their $70,000 a year... and they have the gall to bitch about it.

Gonski would have been amazing.

You really shouldn't comment on stuff that you obviously know **** all about

 

[Kram]

I've never yet met a 'simple tradesman'.

Bloody hell I certainly have It's a funny job really, you get some quite intelligent people doing it but also some complete dumb arses.

 

[Noobz0r]

They get minimal support – try seeing school teachers constantly reward the kids who do their homework (I wonder why they do? Maybe because mum and dad care and make them, as opposed to someone who has a parent indifferent to their kid's education at best and see it as irrelevant at the least). Teachers heap praise on little pricks who have every chance in the world to make it. It's embarrassing and shameful.

**** teachers. Their ten weeks off a year, their decent hours, their $70,000 a year... and they have the gall to bitch about it.

Gonski would have been amazing.

Way to generalise campaigner.

 

[Off The Couch]

Funnily, my friend just signed for three years at Halls Creek, he's in his early 20s, and he loves it there. He's not a drinker, though, perhaps that's why.

My neice was the replacement teacher after the infamous Halls Creek riots many moons ago.

We were so shocked that she accepted this placement as her first ever job as she was this gentle, pampered, blonde, blue eyed, private school girl who was musically inclined, sportingly challenged and had never ventured out of the metro area - she ended up staying about 5 years and absolutely loved every single, challenging moment of it.

 

[Ross Prunster]

Government has sold a big dummy to schools re the Independent deal. Unfortunately need to have competent administrators, some schools have them, some don't. As for attracting the best teachers, load of wank. It's about getting the cheapest teachers. My school, re the Yr 7's coming in, 6 new teachers needed, all positions given to graduates, positions not advertised, said graduates known by staff. Not what you know, who you know. Now, they may be terrific teachers, but the whole spiel about having the best teachers at the school is a bit hard to do if positions aren't advertised.
Schools now handle their own salary pool, that pool is reducing 2.5 percent each year for the next 2 years. Teacher's wages are going up 5.25% over the next 2 years. Pressure is on those staff with 9 years plus experience, or teacher assistants, cleaners. Have already seen the effect at some schools - teacher librarians let go, replaced by non teaching staff; Year Coordinator positions being abolished, replaced by social workers; Year Coordinator positions being amalgamated, no extra pay, no extra time; HOD positions being amalgamated, i'm sure the list will go on.

 

[Silent Alarm]

The only people who disagree are middle class white people.

Come back when you're a disenfranchised minority.

**** teachers. Said it before, say it again.

 

[Scotland]

I find common sense (oxymoron as it is) isn't evenly distributed throughout tradies, professionals etc.

I've got friends that are professionals and if you handed them a tool box and asked for a shifter or a phillips head would look back at you blankly.

By the same token I've seen tradies who are more than capable with their respective skills do a fine job completing a task - wrong. I ran through what I wanted done with my plumber then came home to find that the neat and professional job he'd done left one of the water outlets in the wrong spot, so he came back the next day and fixed it up which just wasted an hour or two of his and my time. Was plainly obvious to me the non plumber, but he just didn't see it until I pointed it out.

I've also seen engineers, experienced maintenance guys etc. on sites having long winded discussions about doing tasks only for an apprentice/labourer to simply say 'why don't you do xyz' which is usually met with a whole lot of silence, then the idea being adopted without credit given to who came up with it.

 

[Off The Couch]

The only people who disagree are middle class white people.

Come back when you're a disenfranchised minority.

**** teachers. Said it before, say it again.

I am a descendent of a disenfranchised minority so I presume that qualifies me to repeat my post that you should refrain from commenting on stuff you obviously know **** all about

 

[Silent Alarm]

Are you a teacher, though?

 

[Off The Couch]

Are you a teacher, though?

No
Are you

 

[Drumroe]

I'm going to have to agree with SA about the part of people whinging that its tough to find a full time job. I completed my degree 3 years ago and havn't found a full time job yet because it's tough to find a full time job in the industry, but I'm happy to pay my dues and work my way up until I get it. Teaching is the same thing, if you want a guaranteed full time job when you finish then do another degree/find another job.

 

[Scotland]

Isn't there a perennial teacher shortage?

Surely it can't be that hard to get a job. Maybe not a class of 20 well behaved kids in a leafy Western suburb primary school, but a job nonetheless.

 

[Borry]

I remember someone on here over a year ago point out that in 2012 less than a sixth of graduates from the four public universities combined got jobs.

There's a difference between a skills shortage and a jobs shortage. People think they are the same. Perhaps there are shortages of teachers with certain experience levels and there are high standards with regards to experience because they want the best quality teachers. And they may want more than just the generic bachelors degree.

 

[Off The Couch]

Isn't there a perennial teacher shortage?

Surely it can't be that hard to get a job. Maybe not a class of 20 well behaved kids in a leafy Western suburb primary school, but a job nonetheless.

There is an over supply of primary teachers made worse now by the loss of year 7's to high schools. The shortage of teachers are predominately science and maths in upper schools.

An increase to the entry levels required to do teaching would go a long way to resolving this problem IMO

 

[Scotland]

So basically what Azzlandia was suggesting above, there is a shortage of specific teachers, or useful teachers if you were being a bit more cynical.

I think a lot of people forget that teaching (whether it's primary, secondary or tertiary) is two-faceted. You have to be able to teach and you have to have something to teach. The balance varies depending what you teach. If you're teaching primary school kids then the subject matter isn't rocket science. If you're an adult and you can't do primary school maths, spelling etc. then you should go back and do it again. The skill is engaging kids aged 6-12. ****ed if I could do that. Anyway things like year 11/12 physics, calculus etc. are actually quite difficult to most people. In order to teach it you not only have to be able to teach, but you need to know what you're talking about. Not many can do both, and those that can rarely pursue teaching. If you can do physics, calculus etc. and aren't a complete savant then you should be able to forge a professional career with a healthy 6 figure salary. Teaching won't offer that, so we invariably end up short of good maths/science teachers. That can only lead to less maths/science classes being offered (or overloaded classes) or people teaching it who can barely pass it. It's a tough one...

 

[Off The Couch]

The other issue is that too few are prepared to do country placements and this is partly because it is so difficult to get back to the city as once you have a job in a metro school then they are loathe to move on - the exception of course is LSL or maternity leave and we are then back to it being only a temporary position.

In the "old" days all government teachers had to do country service at some point, because without it you could not receive permancy. If you did three years in a country school and you wanted to return to the city then you were given a school ahead of someone who hadn't. With the introduction of contract only based positions and schools having the licence to employ their own teachers rather than allocation by the education department means that other than slightly more money, there is no incentive to leave the metro area (the exception of course are schools close to the metro area and desired locations like Margaret river, Busselton, Broome etc.). I'm sure there are jobs out there but it's the location that doesn't appeal to some unfortunately.

 

[Ross Prunster]

The other issue is that too few are prepared to do country placements and this is partly because it is so difficult to get back to the city as once you have a job in a metro school then they are loathe to move on - the exception of course is LSL or maternity leave and we are then back to it being only a temporary position.

In the "old" days all government teachers had to do country service at some point, because without it you could not receive permancy. If you did three years in a country school and you wanted to return to the city then you were given a school ahead of someone who hadn't. With the introduction of contract only based positions and schools having the licence to employ their own teachers rather than allocation by the education department means that other than slightly more money, there is no incentive to leave the metro area (the exception of course are schools close to the metro area and desired locations like Margaret river, Busselton, Broome etc.). I'm sure there are jobs out there but it's the location that doesn't appeal to some unfortunately.

Spot on

 

[Keys]

I've been to Garden City and driven up and down Risely Street a gazillion times and I don't think I've ever actually paused to notice Applecross SHS.

You can't see applecross shs from riseley street. It's one street back from riseley

The only people who disagree are middle class white people.

Come back when you're a disenfranchised minority.

**** teachers. Said it before, say it again.

Which disenfranchised minority are you a part of?

 

[Scotland]

You can't see applecross shs from riseley street. It's one street back from risele

Well that's good to know, if I'm not noticing entire high schools I should probably focus a bit harder on my surroundings...

Which disenfranchised minority are you a part of?

Hipsters.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

I remember we had a woman straight out of Mauritius. She would send people out when we pointed out "becouse" was "because" and "therfour" was "therfore." Prick of a thing.

It's "therefore".

 

[Keys]

Hipsters.

They were disenfranchised before it was cool

 

[Scotland]

They were disenfranchised before it was cool

Now being disenfranchised is cool so they do it ironically.

 

[Teriyakicat]

Bloody hell I certainly have It's a funny job really, you get some quite intelligent people doing it but also some complete dumb arses.

I'm lucky, then, aren't I?
Ah- I do recall one idiot pommy young fella. Came out here and I gave him 3 jobs to do, which I'd called up and listed when I made the appointment. 1. fix some wiring that my husband had done wrongly with the lighting. 2. Put in a surge protector at the meter box and 3. Fix an outdoor plug that was connected to my septic pump. The plug had been smashed and was held together with sticky tape and had been working OK for about 5 years.
So the young bloke arrives- Good ol' GA Perry- they're very bloody merry... He arrived 5 minutes before his cut off time where I'd be able to claim a free callout. He fixes problem #1. Moves onto problem #2. Sorry- I don't have the correct part. (Yes, it WILL cost you another $100 callout fee for me to visit and install a part, which I will order for you.) ME: forget it. He moves on to #3. Sorry- I can't fix that plug. There's a nick in your cable, it's illegal for me to replace that- you'll have to call your pump supplier. So, for my callout fee of $100, I got 1 job of 3 completed (not doing #3 was fair enough). Cannot understand why his company didn't ring and ask me to read out info in my meter box so he could bring the correct surge protector when I'd specified that was what I'd wanted.

Three days later, I walk past that pump and notice that he's left the frigging plug out of the socket!! Grrr!! Thank goodness the pit hadn't overflowed and backed up the bloody toilets or I'd have taken a bucketload of waste, found his truck and dumped it on the driving seat!! I sticky taped the plug back together, shoved it back in the socket, and it worked for another 2 years until the sump pump failed- as they do.

 

[Scotland]

Teriyakicat is a woman. That somewhat explains the post count.