Board Of The News: John Marsden's At it Again!

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/authors-new-arts-school-offers-later-start-times-to-reflect-teenagers-sleep-patterns-20160125-gmdlwk.html

I was actually a little confused when I read this piece at first and thought they were talking about Candlebark. Nope, he's actually opening a new school! Wow...

For a bit of context, John Marsden is an Australian author. A very well known Australian author. He is also the founder and principal of a school in Victoria known as Candlebark School. Formerly it was a P-10 school, it is now a P-7 school. The school itself is pretty much what I'd call a "common sense school." In other words, kids still undertake the standard lessons, but students actually get to do things that students in other schools (private and public) don't get to do either because of fear of litigation, governmental policy or some other random rule i.e. religious or cultural beliefs. It's also the only school I've come across that actually has a "Parent Code of Conduct" clearly outlined. A better idea of how Candlebark differs from other schools can be found here. The article I posted up top also points out the fact that the students spend 20 minutes in the afternoon cleaning up. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially given that most classrooms these days encourage (if not require) students to clean up a little bit at the end of the day, but this takes it further by not hiring cleaning staff and winds up being very similar to Japan.

As a result of his school, he's now opened up a new high school, called the Alice Miller School. The methodology is very similar to Candlebark and is also open from Year 7 onwards, giving the students the option of whether they want to stay at Candlebark or move on in Year 7 (Victoria has the primary/secondary split between Years 6 and 7). The students in Years 9 and 10 (and in some cases Year 8) will be encouraged to take on a VCE subject and why shouldn't they be discouraged? If they're smart enough to take those classes on, they should do so! The teachers will be recruited as having life experience or something very fascinating or interesting. This isn't necessarily a reflection of age either-for example, one of the teachers has a PhD, while another teacher spent her childhood years living in Africa, Europe and Australia.

Both schools will be run under the very same methods-all the students will participate in the school life as much as the staff (instead of this ideal that the students are the "future princes or princesses" that some schools seem to run by), children will be given the chance to experience things that other schools don't necessarily do (see my point above-a solid example of this would be using chainsaws and building/starting campfires). The students are still supervised and are shown how to do things safely, but they're allowed to do them!

Most importantly, the fees are actually fairly solid and are very inclusive. That is, the only "extra" costs from the parents are for individual music lessons and optional fencing tutoring. The cost is around 11k-13k per year and that also covers camps, stationery, textbooks, excursions, bus fare you name it (and they pride themselves on undertaking regular camps). This is in comparison to most private schools where the extra costs include uniforms, textbooks, stationery, camps, excursions and other "special" events which can easily turn a $8-$9000 fee up to $12,000.

It'll be interesting to see how this school works out long-term and I hope to see him opening schools interstate soon! Hell, I'd work there! ^_^

Board of the News: When Teachers Get Bullied

http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/bullying-parents-nsw-principals-among-most-threatened-in-australia-20160107-gm0weu.html

While the article in question refers more to NSW principals (then again, it is a NSW-based newspaper), the overall message still seems to be clear: it is apparently OK to abuse teachers and principals over the pettiest crap. I know what you're thinking "Oh no, my child goes to a private school, the teachers don't get abused there!" or "Oh no, those students are out of control!" The article makes a few points clear:

1. It is actually the parents who are engaging in this sort of behaviour, not the students. (Student behaviour is for another article)
2. The reports are coming as part of a study that has been ongoing since 2011 and there is a graph that shows the trends occurring, both at specific years and also as an overall pattern, with conflicts and quarrels (i.e. verbal fights that might get out of hand) being among the most common issue reported. For 2015, there was an increase in all areas apart from conflicts and quarrels (which dropped a bit) and sexual harassment claims, (which stayed roughly the same).
3. There is actually no difference between private and public schools in the survey-over 4000 principals were interviewed and the data found there was very little difference between them.
4. While the article acknowledges that schools in large rural towns tend to be among the worst, this is likely more to do with the "everyone knows everyone" mentality rather than any view that country folks are more "primitive" than city folk. (that and limited resources, but that's for another time) 

This isn't anything new either: a former principal of the Coober Pedy Area School was run out of town in the early 2010's by parents (and eventually the school) after complaints that her methods were "too strict." Those methods? Enforcing the uniform and truancy policies that the school had previously set and updating new ones. Some reports suggest that she should've been a little flexible with those policies (i.e. if a parent was able to prove that there were factors outside of their control that stopped their kid from getting to school on time, then leniency would be needed), but did not receive any support to do so, which arguably made things worse. To further add insult to injury, after the principal was ousted, the truancy rate went up, suspensions almost doubled and student engagement in learning dropped. It eventually came out that there was a Facebook campaign to run her out of town, the principal sued five of the bullies for defamation and settled with four of them out of court (with the fifth being ordered to pay $40,000 to her by the court). 

While there seems to be this view of "parents know best," the fact does remain that the parents do not always see what goes on in schools during the day and that because they are paying for their child to attend a school (even in public schools, there are usually fees attached for materials, excursions and so on), there is this view that they are therefore allowed to whinge if they don't get their way. 

The issue however, is not nearly as simple as the article makes it out to be. There are quite a number of factors that come into play when it comes to both sides and the issues that are raised, including:

• Dealing with children being bullied (and the bullies themselves) on both the parent and school side. 
• Lack of funding for children with disabilities (both mainstreamed and segregated children*)
• Lack of funding and training for children who are diagnosed as gifted and talented (this is referring to those children who have been tested by a psychologist.)
• Government policy on a number of areas (this affects the areas above)
• Lack of training in particular areas (teaching degrees can only cover so much and teacher training doesn't always cover those areas that need looking at)
• Parent attitudes, work ethics and how much support they give their children outside of school.
• Parent attitudes towards their children's behaviour. (i.e. do they also punish their child if their child got into a fight or do they let it slide) 
• Outside beliefs and attitudes that can influence all of the above (i.e. this view that teachers are overpaid and don't work outside the school holidays, or that bad teachers are protected by the system. Both are huge myths)
• Conflict management from the school on issues that are genuine. (i.e the bullying issue, but also things like teachers outright abusing a child with witnesses in the room)
• Outside beliefs and attitudes towards particular students in the classroom (yes, this actually happens-the common ones that are raised are pregnant girls and students from refugee backgrounds) 
• And finally, parents understanding (or lack thereof) of government policies or even the law. (One example cited in the article was of a parent who physically abused a principal when the parent couldn't get a refund for an excursion his child didn't attend due to said child being ill. From the other side, the "my child is ill" excuse does not work for excursions/camps if you are not prepared to back them up with a medical certificate from the GP). 

*-when I say segregated, I am referring to children who are placed in a "special" class, unit or school with other children like them. These classes may or may not be part of a mainstream school.

Let me make one thing clear: it is NEVER OK to abuse school staff. Ever. Aside from the obvious legal issues that surround this (and yes, it is illegal), you do not always know the full story and may not know for reasons that relate to the law or protection of the students involved. Schools do have a right to protect their students from harm and that harm can come from parents just as much as it can come from strangers or other students. If a school is a little "manufactured" on the response to a situation, there is usually a valid reason for it-it is not always a sign of a coverup. As much as you may think otherwise, students who are "in the wrong" do have the same rights as any other child and this rule also extends to teachers. 

If you do have a legitimate complaint or you are sure that there is an issue that needs to be nipped in the bud, consider these points:

1. Do your research on the matter. If the issue relates to a child's behaviour (bullying, being punished or similar), get reports on what has been going on from teachers. Don't just go straight to the classroom teacher or homegroup teacher-get accounts from specialist teachers and any other staff who have regular contact with your child as well. Ask for these in writing. Even if it takes a while, it will at least alert the school that something's up (both parents and schools have been guilty of not noticing things until the other party points it out). 
2. If the school cannot give you an outcome to a certain situation, ask them why they can't. If they give the "legal reasons" disclaimer, follow up on that legal reason by finding the legislation. Do this yourself-the school can't always quote that law offhand, especially if administration staff are speaking on behalf of the student or there are a variety of laws that come into play here. AustLii is an excellent source for this. Other reasons usually relate to student's privacy-this is to protect them from retaliation or by them suddenly becoming the victim (this is in line with whistleblowing law) or alternately avoiding the parent blowing the incident out of proportion (the recent "Roosh V" scandal is a good example of this)
3. If the school makes it clear that certain policies apply outside of school, they apply outside of school. These rules typically are more to do with a student in school uniform committing certain misdemeanours or felonies and is no different to someone in the workplace getting fired because they were snorting cocaine in their work uniform. That said, there is a line between petty offenses (i.e. student not wearing their hat when outside the school grounds and the policy says they need to) and legitimate reasons for punishment (i.e. smoking). If the reason is skewing towards the latter (this can also include students in uniform outright abusing members of the public), then consider yourself lucky that the police weren't involved and your child is escaping with a suspension (or expulsion). 
4. Take the empathic and model-behaviour approach: if your child gets wind of the fact that you are outright abusing staff (and they do end up hearing about it sooner or later), then it's likely they'll get the idea it's OK to do the same down the line. On the empathic end, step into the shoes of the principal or teacher for a moment and consider the information you do have on the issue-is it worth an assault charge? 
5. Sometimes schools and such do make mistakes-they are only human. If this does happen, consider the likely reasons why it occurred (not always human error and sometimes it's outside their control) and what solutions could be taken to rectify these that don't necessarily create further problems or are out of what constitutes "reasonable." There could also be a number of ways the issue could have occurred (Example: your child is allergic to nuts and has a reaction after coming home from their nut-free classroom/school one day. This could be due to the child coming in contact with something that you wouldn't expect would trigger the nut allergy (i.e. a cereal box), a child bringing in something from home that nobody realised had nuts in it (i.e. a museli bar with almonds in it), a child bringing in something you wouldn't expect to have nuts in it (i.e. chocolate), a child bringing in something that had "traces of nuts" (most schools are OK with this since expecting parents to bring in stuff that's guaranteed to be 100% nut-free can fall outside the realm of "reasonable") or a not-quite school aged child bringing in something with a nut product (I have seen this happen far too many times to count) even though they're only there for a few minutes. It could also be teacher negligence.) and indicating that you want to work together to prevent it from reoccurring will go over much smoother than outright blaming them and doing nothing yourself. 
6. Write down the points you do want to raise with the principal or teacher. This includes any incidents you are aware that have occurred, the dates (and if possible the times) when the incident occurred, any witnesses (if there are any) and "reasonable" solutions to the situation (Hint: if the issue relates to bullying, sometimes moving the victim away from the bully is a better solution than it seems). Also ask your child what outcome they would like-far, far too often parents will take the "I know what's best" mentality when it just creates more issues and distress for that same child and the outcome that you want isn't necessarily what they want. (within reason- if a high school child says that they want to drop a subject they're getting bullied in and it's not a subject that relates to their future career/study plans, then that's not necessarily a bad thing, even if that subject is the difference between an ATAR of 70 and an ATAR of 90.) 
7. Schedule a time to speak to the teacher/principal. Take the written points with you. This will also allow you time to cool down beforehand. On that note, come in with the mentality that yes, the school will listen and yes, the school will be willing to work with you. If the issue further relates to the management of a child with disabilities, come in with research on the best practices for a child with the same disability (teaching degrees do not always cover special needs adequately). The more you indicate that you want to work with the school on an outcome, the more likely you are to get a satisfactory response. Coming in with a knee-jerk "I'll show them" response is not going to work. 
8. If you find that the school is not going anywhere with the issue, be prepared to come back again and again on the issue. DON'T start campaigns or petitions or even raise awareness of the issue anywhere outside of your own family, unless you are aware that there are other parents with the exact same issue (and even then, keep it to them only). Keep documentation of the visits. 
9. And if the schools hands are tied for whatever reason, be prepared to take it above their head to the Education Department (public schools), Independent Schools Associations (all private schools) or the national governing body for a particular group of schools (i.e Catholic Ed Australia, Steiner Ed Australia, Montessori Australia). If your child's school is religious, complaining to the church will get you nowhere and depending on the church, may make things worse for everyone. 
10. When you do submit the complaint to the national level, DON'T go to the media or make threats of such (to the school or department), DON'T inform the school you have done so (they will find out soon enough), DON'T inform other parents you have done so and finally, DON'T make threats to the school or government departments-you will get charged for it and it will affect your outcome. 

If all of these fail, then yes, by all means, pull your kid out of that school. But don't rub it in the school's face when you do yank your child out-they are a student like anyone else and while they will miss said student, they also acknowledge that kids leaving is a part of the school system. In other words, they won't suddenly be falling all over themselves and bending backwards to cater to your child at the expense of every other child or teacher.

And if you do yank your child out, DO YOUR RESEARCH ON WHAT TO DO.

A common policy of private schools is that they require a term's notice for your kid to be yanked out otherwise you will be charged full fees for the term after you leave. There are a number of reasons for this, the biggest one being around the tracking of students from school to school-there are a number of legal reasons why students need to be tracked between schools and not all of them relate to funding. Schools need to send paperwork off to the new school and in some states, there is also an identifying number that goes with that student regardless of whether they are private or public. If a student suddenly falls off the radar, it may also be a sign that the child is being abused or in more recent years, the child is being trafficked. By law, students between the ages of 6 and 15 (17 in some states) also need to be at school, so a student who disappears off the radar may also be committing an offence. If you do have a genuine reason for yanking your child out of that school that relates to the student's welfare (i.e. child suddenly becomes gravely ill and it's not viable for them to remain at the school), you can appeal and the school can waive this policy, but it is at their discretion. If you have treated the school like they are responsible for everything your child does at home, then you are far less likely to get a good decision than if you are more supportive of the school's actions. 

Primary/Secondary: End of Year Time!

So it's the end of the year, the exams are over, students are winding down and the Christmas paerphrenalia is coming out left, right and centre. Some schools may have end of year concerts, some schools may even have special celebration events-it all depends!

But if you're unsure about what to do for the end of year (or to expect), read on!

General Tips:

• Typically secondary schools will have a clear timeline set for end of year activities, including exams, winding down, cleaning up and so on. Primary schools may also have this albeit in a simplified form in the form of end of year activities (or excursions) and things such as library books and loaned items being due back around this time. Read these thoroughly-they're either in the newsletter, on the website or on the Skoolbag app (if your child's school uses it). 
• If you do wish to give your child's teacher a gift, keep it small and casual-chocolates are usually good, as are small value gift cards. Large gifts or items that will take up space (such as mugs) are probably not the best option (one teacher I know of admitted to regifting stuff she received from students because she'd run out of space) and could also be construed as courting bribes or favours for end of year reports. 
• Some classes will do a Secret Santa. These are usually small with a limit of $5-$10 (the higher limit is obviously for secondary school students). No matter what your child says, try and keep it neutral for the sake of the recipient-a favourite item (if you know this) or a generic gift such as a teddy bear (if they're female) or stationery is appropriate, personal care/hygiene products (as I recall receiving from one such "gentleman" in primary school) are not. If you are getting food, check with the child's teacher first to ensure that the recipient is not allergic to anything. 
• If you do wish to bring in cupcakes or other gifts for students as an end of year treat, please check with the teacher first if a) this is OK and b) if there are any allergies/dietary restrictions. You may need to provide an alternative for those students (try and keep it in line with the theme so those students aren't being singled out, so for example, if you're bringing in cupcakes, try and bring in some cupcakes for those children with allergies) 
• Unless your child is in Year 10 or above, it is generally not a good idea to keep your child home during the last 2-3 weeks of the school year. While you may think your child is not learning anything and thus it's not important, teachers may use this time to incorporate various areas of learning in context with the holidays (for example, using literacy skills to write holiday stories, using mathematics skills to create geometric Christmas trees, researching different cultural practices around the holidays and so on)

Religious Programs/My family is not religious! 

These programs are common around this time of year and in some states, the school is required to host them. They tend to run the gamut of simply emphasising the non-religious values of the holiday (such as charity) through to full-on recreations of the Nativity complete with a suggestion that EVERYTHING (Christmas trees, tinsel, gift-giving etc.) somehow is connected back to the Nativity (hint: it isn't). Your child is not required to attend these events or even take them seriously (I definitely didn't as a child), but if you are still reluctant to have your child attend the events, you are allowed to pull them out. 

• If you do wish for your child to not attend the event, please ensure that you let the teacher know as soon as possible. You do not need to explain why your child is not attending the event, although if the reason is of a religious nature, please let the teacher know of this as this may carry over into other activities. (i.e. Christmas decorations) Just as a note, if your child attends a religious school, pulling them out may not necessarily be an option. 
• If your child's school cannot guarantee that your child will be supervised during the program running (for example, your child is allowed to sit in another class or in the library), this would be the only time I'd advocate pulling your child out for the period of time that the program is on. While this is not an encouraged practice, it does beat the school not compromising on your beliefs. 
• Take note that schools are not required to ban anything to do with Christmas on the grounds (or of any holiday), but rather they are generally not allowed to emphasise the religious aspect (in theory, in practice this may be difficult). So for example, making Christmas decorations, researching how Christmas is celebrated around the world or learning about holidays that are on during this time (such as St. Nicholas day, Diwali etc.) are all options that can be undertaken without putting the emphasis on the religious aspect (or if it covered, it's generally covered more as a contextual thing i.e. "Germans might go to church on Christmas Eve if they are Christian because they believe...") Therefore, if your family does not celebrate Christmas, please respect the rights of those who do. 
•  If you do not celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, please feel free to discuss this with your child's teacher and work out a viable compromise for end of year activities to ensure that the child is not left out (for example, if children are making decorations with Hama beads, the children who do not celebrate Christmas can instead make a coaster or something else with the hama beads. This way, they're still able to participate without being left out. Another example might be if they're doing colouring-in activities, they can do a colouring-in of their choice) 
• Another open option (provided you and your child are OK with this and your child's teacher is also fine with this), is for your child to do a short presentation to the class about their religion. Note that this would not be a marked presentation. If you want to as well, you could even do an activity around the religious holiday (or that religion itself) with the class (and teachers love this help!) to help them understand. 

I want to go on holiday at this time!

If you are going on holidays and your child is legally required to be in school, nearly all states require you to complete an exemption form and submit it well in advance of the holiday. This also needs to include the days that you will be off (and you are required to stick to this), where you're going and (in secondary school) any events that will occur during this time that your child will miss out on (such as exams, end of year concerts or similar). The decision about whether your child will be exempted or not rests solely with the school, it is not an automatic guarantee that you will receive the exemption (both schools and government departments do have the right to refuse in theory). 

The End of Year Concert.

Most schools will have some form of an end of year concert or presentation night. These are also generally compulsory for your child to attend or participate in (subject to certain rules). By now, you would've pretty much been informed about costumes (if your child needs to wear them), hair, makeup (most schools discourage this), songs, routines and so on. Keep these points in mind though:

• If your child is in secondary school, weekend rehearsals may occur. This allows the school the chance to practice somewhere without disrupting other classes, or for full-day rehearsals without disrupting learning. Make sure your child is prepared for this and try to discourage them from scheduling other important events when this occurs. 
• If your child is in primary school, there may be a few trips to and from the theatre (if they're not performing at the school) or wherever they're performing it. There may be a cost with this-this usually only covers the bus. If it seems excessively high, ask why. 
• Many schools are cracking down on parents filming the events for a variety of reasons (some reasons include copyright restrictions [and yes, there is someone in the audience checking up on this if this is the case-they do have the right to stop the show], child protection laws [especially if there is a foster child performing*], parents getting violent or disrupting the performance to get the best view, or simply that the school wants the parents to actually focus or participate rather than standing there filming the child repeatedly). The school MAY provide a copy of the night on DVD, but is under no obligation to do so. If they do, typically it's done by a professional. The DVDs may sell for between $25-$30, so keep this in mind. 
• For kids up to around Year 10 level, if they're doing several performances during the week (or one performance for younger kiddos), they're likely to be exhausted afterwards. Primary schools do recognise this and will set the concert for a Friday night to allow for recovery over the weekend, but in the event that they can't do this, they do understand if your child won't be attending school the following day (play this by ear though-it is important that your child understands this is a day for them to rest, not a "playing" day and if your child has boundless energy the next morning, they can survive a day at school). While it will be frowned upon, they do nonetheless understand. For secondary schools, there may be several performances or events over the span of a week, particularly if your child is very involved in the performing arts. Make sure your child is well-rested, encourage them to eat right during this time and to avoid consuming stimulants during this time (particularly for older children who may be tempted to skull an energy drink) 

The Formal:

Ah yes, the Year 12 formal (or Year 10 if your school does that). Pretty much all schools will have done this by this time, so I won't cover it here, but I will provide some handy tips on formals in another post separately. 

For parents of children in years 6-9, do your research on your child's potential school thoroughly and try to get a sense of when they schedule their formals. If they schedule them for the middle of the year, they're more likely to take things seriously education-wise than the school who does it at the end of the year. Why? Because many, many Year 12 students around the country will only hang around for the formal and will therefore disrupt the ones who do actually want to finish high school. If the formal is done in the middle of the year, it gets rid of those who are simply hanging around for the formal and thus makes life easier for the remaining Year 12's as they go into exams. 

Hopefully these bits and pieces of advice will make your end of year celebrations go a little less worry-free!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to School Daze, the blog that will cover just about every aspect of schooling from primary to tertiary. This blog is more about providing advice where needed, since as experience suggests, people are more likely to take advice from a blog than they are the newspaper! (Also, blog posts can be saved, liked, commented on etc. by reasonably sane people. Newspapers, not so much)

This blog will have a mix of different articles, bits of advice, my own opinion on various educational matters relating to the articles above and also keeping you up to date with any news regarding various educational sectors.

About Me:
I have worked across the entire educational sector in some shape or form for about the past 3-4 years, from student teaching in primary school, to tutoring in high school, to my current administration role in the tertiary sector. I have a Bachelor of Special Education and have also worked in out of school hours care (OSHC/"After Care") for about 18 months. What this has given me is a fairly nuanced perpsective on things as there are things that go on behind the scenes that parents and the general public aren't aware of.

Blog Posts: 
So what exactly will my blog posts cover? Well, to keep things fun and vaguely engaging, I've opted for the following titles to help you filter out what's unnecessary.

Peaceful Primary: This will cover everything relating to primary school aged children.

Scholastic Secondary: This will cover everything relating to high school aged children.

You may be wondering "but wait, my child's school has a "middle school"/my child attends a middle school!" Unless I otherwise note it, you are invited to read both the primary and secondary blog posts depending on your child's age group.

Also due to the fact that only one state currently recognises Year 7 as primary level schooling, I will be lumping any articles involving Year 7 students into the secondary category, regardless of state. I will cover my views on this in a later post.

Transcendent Tertiary: This will cover anything relating to universities, TAFEs, private colleges or Registered Training Organisations. Take note that apprentices and trainees will also be covered here as they are usually studying. This will also cover Year 10-12 students who are undertaking a school-based apprenticeship or a TVET program.

Board Of The News: This will cover news articles relating to all three sections and my opinions on them. Where this differs from the three categories listed above is that this will cover news articles only, while the other three categories will cover anything that is NOT a media article, in addition to general advice.

Charismatic Childcare: this will cover everything related to childcare, including media articles. Part of the reason behind this (and why I'm not covering it in other sections) is that the childcare sector encompasses both daycare (birth-5/6) and also school-aged childcare (OSHC) and many news articles relate to the cost of fees or places. In addition, while daycare centres will typically communicate things such as fees and regulations to parents, many bits and pieces of information about early childhood are not as easily accessible to parents and may be only found out via Centrelink, GP or similar.

So enjoy, comment, leave suggestions on what you would like me to cover! I will do my best and if I do forget anything, please let me know!