Well, what do you know!

I recently applied to be a member of a National group looking at Teaching Standards in Australia.
This was my application:

I was recently exposed to the draft of the Charter for the Teaching Profession at a recent AGQTP session on Constructive Pedagogies. We were examining the document whilst using the ANSN teaching protocols – in this case we use the Consultancy Protocol. Whilst examining the document I was intrigued by the possibilities for my own school and for the profession in general.

We did not come up with any significant changes to the document – that was not our purpose. The five areas outlined in the document immediately suggested to me a guide for helping to create a Professional Learning Policy for teachers at our school.

I have been a teacher for nearly 24 years and have taught in High Schools for all of that time. In my time I have had many positions of responsibility including Coordinator of Science, Year Level Coordinator and my current position Professional Learning Coordinator. However, time and again, I have been drawn back to teaching in the classroom. I have set myself the goal to improve my teaching methodology each year. Each time I have felt that this personal goal (personal improvement of my teaching methodology) was enough. This document has shown me that it can be much more than this.

During my teaching career I have undertaken further study – I have completed a Masters in Science Education through Curtin University in 2002, for example. I have been a member of the AGQTP group looking at Constructive Pedagogies over the last two years and have been asked to join a leadership group amongst our system to help other teachers develop their teaching strategies.

In the last three years (thanks to a visionary principal) I have had a position in the school where I have the opportunity to work intimately with members of the teaching profession. This has included work as a mentor (to both new and student teachers), a leader of teachers during the implementation of the Middle School structure in our school and as a leader of small groups of teachers meeting in Learning Teams.

My reflection is that teaching has become incredibly complex in the last 10 years. More is expected of teachers from Governments, leadership, parents and students themselves. It is no longer enough simply to teach what we taught last year in the same way we taught it last year. Teachers can get lost in this complexity and this is where a charter can help clarify the role of those of us in the teaching profession.

We are reminded again and again of how important the job is theoretically, but the almost constant sniping at teaching standards from both sides of the political divide is weakening the confidence that members of the public have in teachers. A well-implemented charter is something that we can hold up and say, “No, you are wrong. This is what we are on about. Now let us get on with this very important work”.

I would like an opportunity to join the Drafting Group for the reasons I have outlined above. I believe I have significant experience in teaching and working with teachers to make a worthwhile contribution to the Group. I very much pride myself on my ability to work with others in a team. I do this constantly with my own teachers, working with teachers of the same subject or in the same year level, exchanging ideas and resources and discussing strategies and expectations.

I would see many advantages in developing national professional standards. Not only do they become a statement for all teachers to present to the wider community, they become a framework for teacher improvement and a clear guide for new teachers coming into the profession.

I am new to the area of writing professional standards but I would bring a new perspective and plenty of useful ideas to the Drafting Group. I am willing to learn. My talents include an ability to apply deep analysis of such documents but also an ability to show how things are connected.

If this application is not successful, I would appreciate if you could keep in contact with me in my capacity as the Professional Learning Coordinator. As stated earlier I can see such standards as being directly useful in my work as the Professional Learning Coordinator.

And guess what...I got in!
Late November I get to go to Canberra to work with the group for four days. Pretty amazing and exciting. To top it off, I will be in Canberra on the day of the election! I might even get to go to the Tally Room and meet the new Prime Minister! Magic.