2013 Federal election - Rudd sets date as 7th September

[bulldogproud2]

It is rather sad though that the states are so slow to sign up to it. From an educationalist's point of view, it is the reform that Australia has been needing for decades.
I have a feeling all states will sign up by June 30. They just know they have a chance of getting a sweeter deal by waiting

I'm inclined to think only the states that don't believe they have to keep their budget deficits within reasonable bounds will sign up unless the federal government ups the offers and blows its budget even more.
Then you may be right they may all do just that.

From a former school student point of view, from the days of classes of 50 plus, I'm inclined to think the issue isn't so much money and staffing as the philosophy and curriculum of education today.
Teachers I've seen as WorkCover victims/claimants, after they've fought a losing battle to maintain educational standards, have tended to express similar views.

Cheers

My feelings exactly and I think why there has been a big move to private education by many people. It is simplistic to simply believe that throwing vast sums of money at education will improve it. Some teachers seem terrified at the prospect of some sort of review of their performance that can be quantitated. Teaching should be a more highly paid job and held in high esteem by the community to attract the brightest and best, and those who don't cut the mustard be encouraged into other occupations.

I won't disagree with those points (heck, the 70-90 hours a week I work as a teacher sure won't have me complaining if we have a pay rise ). However, what I like about the Gonski reforms are that the money spent is being targetted to the right areas - those at most disadvantage in the community.
It is very hard to compare teaching 50 students a class in the 'old days' to what is required now though. Whereas, in our days of 50 students, we pretty much were treated as one homogenous group, nowadays all attention is on teaching each individual student according to their needs. It is almost like teaching 20 separate classes at times, rather than just one group of 50.

In relation to attracting the 'brightest and best', the vast majority of teachers at my school either already have, or are currently studying for, their Masters in Education.
How many other professions require a Masters Degree to gain entry?


Cheers

[am Bays]

In relation to attracting the 'brightest and best', the vast majority of teachers at my school either already have, or are currently studying for, their Masters in Education.
How many other professions require a Masters Degree to gain entry?


Cheers

I got out of High perforamcne Sport (read Sports Science/Physiology) becasue I knew my Masters Degree wasn't going to cut it anymore - to get a job in High Performance Sport - athlete services basically need a PhD or studying towards one.

[Jimmy_041]

If they cut funding to private schools too much, we might head back to the 50+ classrooms
Private fees are bordering on the ridiculous.

[Psyber]

I won't disagree with those points (heck, the 70-90 hours a week I work as a teacher sure won't have me complaining if we have a pay rise ). However, what I like about the Gonski reforms are that the money spent is being targetted to the right areas - those at most disadvantage in the community.
It is very hard to compare teaching 50 students a class in the 'old days' to what is required now though. Whereas, in our days of 50 students, we pretty much were treated as one homogenous group, nowadays all attention is on teaching each individual student according to their needs. It is almost like teaching 20 separate classes at times, rather than just one group of 50.

In relation to attracting the 'brightest and best', the vast majority of teachers at my school either already have, or are currently studying for, their Masters in Education. How many other professions require a Masters Degree to gain entry?
Cheers

I sympathise with teachers and have close friends who teach.
Both my two successive wives were teachers at one time - my first was highly regarded in the department, and rapidly promoted but was keen to quit and have kids ASAP, and my second taught at a couple of Catholic schools, then with the department at Balaklava for a couple of years, but her final year at Elizabeth High made her quit and take a post in charge of a section of the old DSS, where she was when I met her.

I suspect, admittedly from second-hand observations, that the whole philosophy of education is a problem now, causing not enough structure in the early years for the young kids who need it, and too much extra work for teachers. Then you get kids who don't learn the basics of language and arithmetic and it shows when they apply for jobs.

The Masters degree looks like a farce. A friend of mine completed it recently to get back into teaching after a few years off, and was unimpressed with some of the work she saw being given good marks. She showed me some of what was required - again it looked like the same problem - a lot of paper work and writing and presenting of standardised theory without much real learning substance. She and I both got the impression the focus was on learning to think and say the right PC things, rather than be creative and constructive about practical teaching.

[Jimmy_041]

I won't disagree with those points (heck, the 70-90 hours a week I work as a teacher sure won't have me complaining if we have a pay rise ). However, what I like about the Gonski reforms are that the money spent is being targetted to the right areas - those at most disadvantage in the community.
It is very hard to compare teaching 50 students a class in the 'old days' to what is required now though. Whereas, in our days of 50 students, we pretty much were treated as one homogenous group, nowadays all attention is on teaching each individual student according to their needs. It is almost like teaching 20 separate classes at times, rather than just one group of 50.

In relation to attracting the 'brightest and best', the vast majority of teachers at my school either already have, or are currently studying for, their Masters in Education. How many other professions require a Masters Degree to gain entry?
Cheers

I sympathise with teachers and have close friends who teach.
Both my two successive wives were teachers at one time - my first was highly regarded in the department, and rapidly promoted but was keen to quit and have kids ASAP, and my second taught at a couple of Catholic schools, then with the department at Balaklava for a couple of years, but her final year at Elizabeth High made her quit and take a post in charge of a section of the old DSS, where she was when I met her.

I suspect, admittedly from second-hand observations, that the whole philosophy of education is a problem now, causing not enough structure in the early years for the young kids who need it, and too much extra work for teachers. Then you get kids who don't learn the basics of language and arithmetic and it shows when they apply for jobs.

The Masters degree looks like a farce. A friend of mine completed it recently to get back into teaching after a few years off, and was unimpressed with some of the work she saw being given good marks. She showed me some of what was required - again it looked like the same problem - a lot of paper work and writing and presenting of standardised theory without much real learning substance. She and I both got the impression the focus was on learning to think and say the right PC things, rather than be creative and constructive about practical teaching.

Is this your friend you old scallywag? You been playing with our heads again?

[bulldogproud2]

I won't disagree with those points (heck, the 70-90 hours a week I work as a teacher sure won't have me complaining if we have a pay rise ). However, what I like about the Gonski reforms are that the money spent is being targetted to the right areas - those at most disadvantage in the community.
It is very hard to compare teaching 50 students a class in the 'old days' to what is required now though. Whereas, in our days of 50 students, we pretty much were treated as one homogenous group, nowadays all attention is on teaching each individual student according to their needs. It is almost like teaching 20 separate classes at times, rather than just one group of 50.

In relation to attracting the 'brightest and best', the vast majority of teachers at my school either already have, or are currently studying for, their Masters in Education. How many other professions require a Masters Degree to gain entry?
Cheers

I sympathise with teachers and have close friends who teach.
Both my two successive wives were teachers at one time - my first was highly regarded in the department, and rapidly promoted but was keen to quit and have kids ASAP, and my second taught at a couple of Catholic schools, then with the department at Balaklava for a couple of years, but her final year at Elizabeth High made her quit and take a post in charge of a section of the old DSS, where she was when I met her.

I suspect, admittedly from second-hand observations, that the whole philosophy of education is a problem now, causing not enough structure in the early years for the young kids who need it, and too much extra work for teachers. Then you get kids who don't learn the basics of language and arithmetic and it shows when they apply for jobs.

The Masters degree looks like a farce. A friend of mine completed it recently to get back into teaching after a few years off, and was unimpressed with some of the work she saw being given good marks. She showed me some of what was required - again it looked like the same problem - a lot of paper work and writing and presenting of standardised theory without much real learning substance. She and I both got the impression the focus was on learning to think and say the right PC things, rather than be creative and constructive about practical teaching.

This would probably be a different course to mine. The Masters I am completing at the moment is the Masters in Catholic Education. There is a lot of learning substance in this course, with some great ideas re pedagogy etc. Also, definitely not a case of trying to say the right PC things. I am doing my thesis on Liberation Theology and its role in Catholic schools btw.

Cheers

[Bully]

swanny out and about in Chermside this morning, and was asked again about the recent polls, his response was "oh, the public doesn't listen nor wants to hear about the polls anymore, and are not relevant to the election in September "..........hmmmmm if you say so

[GWW]

I find it astounding that the electorate-at-large has forgotten how bad a PM Rudd was.

Abusing people about hair-dryers; record number of staff turn-over; dictatorial approach; decision making ground to a halt.

But the polls say voters want him back as ALP Leader? Because he smiles and says nice things on "Sunrise"?

[Bully]

Maybe the way he was pushed out and the current woeful pm was never voted in by the voters. She won the last election but the one that Rudd won the labor party was so far in front of the libs it should never have come to a hung parliament .hence how it went to a hung parliament .

I don't see the major issue that Rudd did really myself? The mining tax ?? Well Julia has the carbon tax ......

[GWW]

The Labor MPs who worked under Rudd would be the best ones to judge what he was like.

They are the ones who it appears would rather lose an election, than have him reappointed and competitive in the next election.

Gillard is no worse than Rudd as PM, indeed she inherited many issues/problems from his time as PM.

Gillard's biggest problem is her complete lack of political acumen, moreso than her ability to implement policy (admittedly she has made many errors, but so did Rudd -which seem to be glossed over now).

As for the way Rudd was replaced by Gillard, we the electorate don't select/vote in PMs. That is done by MPs of the party in Government. We dont have an American presidential system.

[Bully]

I worded it wrong in regards to the pm being " voted in"

Rudd is far more popular by the general public and it shows in the polls and or media Asking people on the street. But I guess we will find out on the 14th whether the labor party made the correct choice in staying with Julia

Going down the path of Rudd is far more better for the labor party than sticking with the lame duck that is in the position currently . They are all the same yes but Rudd is far more popular than Julia and having him as the face of the labor party would help them more so than her

[Sojourner]

I find it astounding that the electorate-at-large has forgotten how bad a PM Rudd was.

Abusing people about hair-dryers; record number of staff turn-over; dictatorial approach; decision making ground to a halt.

But the polls say voters want him back as ALP Leader? Because he smiles and says nice things on "Sunrise"?

I am pretty sure the LNP have not forgotten it and should he be PM will have a massive advertising blitz with various pieces of footage to remind people of it - along with the footage of his collegues stating what a bastard they think he is and how much they hate his guts and so on.

[am Bays]

Larry Pickering, bloody funny cartoonist

[dedja]

but a despicable human though ... allegedly

Larry Pickering, top bloke

[Q.]

Larry Pickering, bloody funny cartoonist

I see he's branched out from drawing naked toons of pollies. Shmuck.

[Sojourner]

Will be interesting to see who the ALP does actually choose!

[Sojourner]

Amber Petty seems pretty forthright about what she thinks about Julia Gillard,

"Last week that rubbish about men with blue ties and all the attendant nonsense was really just the icing on the cake. There's no two ways about it, our Prime Minister uses the sexism card in a manipulative and utterly transparent fashion and I find her tactics depressing for so many reasons."

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opin ... 6665850245

[Magpiespower]

Should The Ruddster reclaim the throne next week, it wouldn't surprise if he called a snap election to capitalize on The Honeymoon Period.

And during the campaign, the Libs will remind us exactly what kind of PM he was by rolling out last year's character assassination by his caucus colleagues.

"Dysfunctional," "Deeply flawed," "He has great weaknesses," "A complete and utter fraud," "Lance this boil" and "Contempt (for just about everyone and everything)" are just some of the freebies from the mouths of Labor's Goon Squad.

Heavy Kevvy HAS to come back!

This brilliant satire doesn't have a third act or the big ending it deserves if he doesn't...

[shoe boy]

Enougth of the b...t with Rudd and Gillard can we please get on with governance is this not what we elect our pollys to do!!

Now Tony and co can we have some policy's????

[GWW]

Its being said now that the coalition will probably have a majority in the senate as well as Lower House.

Scary thought what legislation Abbott will be able to get passed if thats the case.