At Last!… Please excuse my exuberance but I’ve been waiting years and years for people to come to their senses and protest about the complex, unfair and extremely work- intensive system of education we have in Queensland. Were it producing high standards, one could possibly accept it, but the truth is, despite the massive demands made on both teachers and students, standards have been steadily dropping over the duration of my teaching here. We now have (as far as I can judge) the most UNPRODUCTIVE education system in the world.
I graduated from University in the 60’s and have been teaching French, Spanish and sometimes English, since then to the present day. I have taught in the UK and Europe, as well as in Queensland and Victorian Schools. I attempted to retire several years ago, but I have been constantly asked to do short contracts, teaching in various Queensland Independent Schools. At the school where I am currently teaching, I have experienced teaching the far superior International Baccalaureate course. In this system teachers can actually add up marks (yes, I could hardly believe it) and fairly give an overall score. The final papers are marked externally so the students know that nothing can be manipulated within their school. It is no wonder the numbers of students enrolled in these I.B. courses are rising every year.
Things have been getting progressively worse in our schools. Students are choosing more and more the “easier options” of drama, art, media studies etc. which do not require prior learning. The problem with languages and maths is that they are cumulative subjects needing to be built on carefully year after year. They are regarded as “hard” subjects. The problem we face is that the “hard “ subjects are no longer required for a good exit result. Nor are they required for University entrance. Many students drop the “hard” subjects as soon as they can, hoping to migrate to a subject like drama. One of the problems we face in languages is that students coming fresh from Primary school are ill-equipped to deal with anything that smacks of grammar or rigorous learning. To add insult to injury we have to cope with copious QSA requirements devised by people who are far removed from the coal face.
I regret I was not able to attend the meeting on June 16th. I do not know how much was achieved but we must all continue to fight this ridiculous system which is needlessly depriving our young of a quality education.