Nominations are now open for the 2022 NEiTA Awards. Winners receive a professional development grant of up to $10,000 to further their career and to find ways to help their students reach their potential. They’ll be honoured in a virtual awards ceremony and be invited to meet and network with the other recipients and NEiTA alumni. And most importantly, they’ll know they’re appreciated, noticed, and that we’re all truly thankful for what they do.
The public perception of teaching is that it’s a ‘cruisy’ profession, with fewer working hours and enviably long holidays. But anybody who has been a teacher or knows one personally understands that the job is anything but easy or simple.
What teachers say
Responses of Australian teachers to The NEiTA-ACE Teachers Report Card 2021 revealed that teachers feel overworked, burnt out and undervalued. Many said they had no work-life balance. In fact, four of five teachers surveyed admitted that they had thought about leaving the profession in the previous year.
Fortunately, teachers also know what to do to get over the rough patches in their career. Those surveyed said that support from colleagues and superiors, collaboration between schools and other institutions and supporting physical environments can help them tackle everyday issues as well as the profession’s unique challenges.
The good news is that 80% already felt supported by their colleagues. Though positive, this sentiment is down from 95% in 2017, when a similar survey was conducted. Teachers who said they felt unsupported would like to have received greater assistance from their peers and superiors. Early career teachers acutely felt this lack of support.
Around 65% of teachers working with students with special needs also felt that they did not have the necessary resources and support. The survey respondents indicated frustration not just with the deficits but also with the process of accessing assistance. “The frustrating amount of time and effort it takes to get funding for students with disabilities!” remarked one teacher.
Challenges on the job
Findings from The NEiTA-ACE Teachers Report Card 2021 were based on survey responses of 571 teachers across Australia. Results of the survey revealed that work does not stop once teachers leave the classroom. Little wonder then that even though an overwhelming majority of teachers said they find teaching rewarding, three of four teachers feel stressed by their work, four out of five struggle with work-life balance, an equal number have thought about leaving the profession and one in three are not satisfied in their job.
Together we can tackle these issues
There is strong evidence that collaboration between schools and other institutions can deliver positive gains for students, teachers, and schools. Teachers found that schools lacking in time, resources and/or specialist expertise can overcome these issues by working together to develop curriculum, programs and materials, pooling resources and sharing experiences.
When it comes to physical environments, teachers say that the sufficiency and design of physical spaces influences the effectiveness of teaching and the engagement and comfort of teachers and students.
Teachers also sought mentoring as it gives them the opportunity to acquire knowledge and expertise, and to learn with and from each other. It enables teachers to reflect on the practice and analyse it critically. Of those surveyed 59% said they have benefited from being mentored, either formally or informally, by an experienced fellow educator.
How NEiTA can help
The National Excellence in Teaching Awards, the longest-running community-based awards to recognise teaching excellence in Australia, facilitates mentoring by encouraging networking and collaboration between NEiTA recipients over the years and interaction with Futurity’s Education Advisory Panel of renowned academics and experienced educators as well as the distinguished NEiTA panel of judges for mentoring purposes.
Visit neita.com to nominate a peer teacher or school leader today.
