Term Two - Day One

We have both been retired from teaching for more than six years, so it shouldn't really matter to us that school started again this morning.

The Teachers' Union is threatening industrial action if all classrooms are not fully staffed. The Education Department says that there will be a teacher in every classroom , even if some of them are relief teachers. Oh, yeah - posturing on both sides.

The schools that are short staffed will be in the country with little incentive for any one to fill the vacancies. They have poor housing, few facilities and usually a local mindset that regards teachers as transients, somewhat akin to gypsies, rogues and vagabonds.

In the past teachers were forced to accept such postings.

Kevin spent a year in one such town. He was forcibly posted there, despite numerous life factors that should have prevented it. His father was dying, our son was in his last year of High School and dabbling in drugs, plus I was in a promotional position. Thus his family could not accompany him to the town, and every Friday he drove to Perth to have some semblance of family life for the weekend.

Of course this bolstered the locals' attitude that teachers didn't become part of the town. I am still angry about the whole situation, even though it was nearly 20 years ago.