Scoil Naomh Anna

TEACH:
AN ELEGANT SOLUTION TO PRIMARY SCHOOL UNEMPLOYMENT

The Problem:

The Dept. of Education is insisting that temporary posts be filled by permanent teachers which will lessen the numbers on the ‘panel’ (there are approx 1700 teachers currently on the panel). Circular no. 0019/2011.
The consequence of is that hundreds of temporary teachers will be made redundant and will have little chance of finding new posts. The vast majority of these are recent graduates, many of whom will now not get the opportunity to complete their dips. We might as well buy them plane tickets.
To further compound the problem hundreds of new teachers will graduate this summer. More plane tickets!

A Possible Solution that:
1.postpones 2011 graduates from entering this already overcrowded playing pitch.
2.allows 2011 graduates to affectively complete their training by affording them the opportunity to do their ‘Dips’.
3.up skills and refreshes experienced teachers in areas such as whiteboard teaching etc.
4.goes some way towards tackling our literacy problems.
5.most importantly gives temporary teachers who are about to be made redundant a real chance of finding a teaching job in Ireland.


So tell us – what is this panacea for all our woes?….and what’s the catch?
Firstly: 2011 B.Ed. graduates to be offered a choice;
Either:
Take your degree and take your chances.
Or;
Do an optional 4th year…that is radically different and has real benefits.
The 4th year: The graduate, who is after all fully trained, teaches full time in three different classes at three different levels in a primary school during which time they get the opportunity to do their Dip. (Some fast-tracking of Dip. requirements will be needed here).
The teachers whose classes that the grad. teacher takes over from go back to the teacher training colleges / or teacher centres for a term for refresher/ up skill training.

Won’t the training Colleges have to employ new staff for this 4th year programme…and there is no money!!

No they won’t because 1st year teacher training will be radically altered!
1st years student teachers will do a year’s placement in schools assisting in all aspects of school life. But primarily their job would be to listen to reading (we all know that Pairing Reading can be taught in a quarter of an hour and has huge benefits for struggling readers...but it is very time-consuming and teachers find it hard to fit it in). At the end of the year each student would receive a report from the school in which they were placed.
These students would then proceed into 2nd year and complete their 3 year course as previously…oh but with so much more experience and know-how!

AND TEMPORARY TEACHERS ABOUT TO BE DUMPED OUT OF THE SYSTEM THEY HAVE SO MUCH TO CONTRIBUTE TO GET A FIGHTING CHANCE OF GETTING A JOB….SAVING THE COUNTRY A LOT OF DOLE MONEY OR THE HEARTBREAK OF EMIGRATION!
John Newman
Ph. (01) 2825565