ARTICLES
Seven Reasons People no longer Want to be Teachers
By Nan Bahr and Jo-Anne Ferreira
The oldest profession – teaching – is no longer attractive . Queensland Deans of Education revealed there have been alarming drops in first preference applications for this year ’ s teacher preparation courses . Queensland has experienced an overall 26 % drop . Most alarmingly , UQ reported a 44 % plunge . QUT saw a 19 % drop . These figures reflect a national trend . ACU ’ s is down 20 % for its campuses in Queensland , New South Wales and Victoria . This follows disappointing interest in 2017 , when VTAC reported a 40 % drop in 2017 compared to 2016 .
to know content and related ways to teach it . These skills are necessary , but are not sufficient . We need the relationships dimension in the teacher education package . The types of things we value in our best teachers are conspicuous by their absence in program accreditation . So why would someone aspire to teach if the interpersonal dimension is lost ?
2 . Standardised testing obsession
Standardised testing has become a national sport , with PISA and NAPLAN . Much class time is spent preparing students to do well . The stakes are high for the teachers and their schools . While teachers do need to test their students to check on their progress , the current national obsession is a problem . Teachers spend a great deal of time preparing students for these tests . Standardised tests are a unique testing genre , and teachers really need to attend to this preparation without abandoning everything else they are required to do . That ’ s a challenge and the first casualty is teacher creativity . International reports also argue this point . Where ’ s the pleasure in teaching if you don ’ t have scope to be creative ?
Programs long , intense creativity and relationships aspects of the vocation eroded pervasive negativity in the media comparatively low salary working conditions
So why don ’ t people want to be teachers anymore ? There are at least seven reasons people are no longer so keen .
1 . Teacher education competency fixation
Our best teachers can inspire a student to achieve beyond their wildest expectations . They find the teachable moments , and also use humour to explain key concepts . They care for their students as individuals and go that extra mile to design their teaching to connect with them in meaningful ways . Their assessments are fair , and they rejoice with students when they master important ideas .
These professional attributes are the essence of good teaching , but accredited teacher education programs have to be designed around 37 competencies , as prescribed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership ( AITSL ), and these competencies do not address such personal attributes as these .
Having a competency framework is not so terrible ; we need teachers to have observable capabilities to plan assessment ,
Standardised tests , like NAPLAN , contribute to lack of enthusiasm to take up teaching
3 . Lack of autonomy
Finland enjoys attention for their successful education system . Finnish teachers have an open brief to decide what to teach their students and how . In Australia we micromanage and control . The emphasis on play and the arts in Australian schools is lacking .
23 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 3