John MacDonald: I'm with the teachers on this one

I’m glad I’m not a teacher today.

If I’m honest, I’m glad I’m not a teacher every day. Couldn’t do it.

But I’m especially glad after this ham-fisted announcement by Associate Education Minister David Seymour that, if schools want to have teacher-only days, they’re going to have to have them outside term time.

Which is essentially telling the teachers that if they want to have any sort of professional development or training, they need to do it during their own time. They have to chew up some of their annual leave or other leave entitlement to do it.

Can you imagine any other employer trying to get away with that? “Oh yeah, looks like a great course, Shona. But you’ll have to do it during your holidays.” As if that would happen.

But that’s what David Seymour wants principals to tell their staff. And what makes this approach by the Government so ham-fisted, is that they’re only doing it for the people screaming on the sidelines.

.css-j9qmi7{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-flex-direction:row;-ms-flex-direction:row;flex-direction:row;font-weight:700;margin-bottom:1rem;margin-top:2.8rem;width:100%;-webkit-box-pack:start;-ms-flex-pack:start;-webkit-justify-content:start;justify-content:start;padding-left:5rem;}@media only screen and (max-width: 599px){.css-j9qmi7{padding-left:0;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;}}.css-j9qmi7 svg{fill:#27292D;}.css-j9qmi7 .eagfbvw0{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;color:#27292D;}

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's Podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Tell you what, I'm glad I'm a lot of teacher
this morning. Actually, if I'm honest, I'm glad I'm not
a teacher every morning. I just couldn't do it. I
know I could not do it, be hopeless, But this
morning I'm especially glad after this ham fisted announcement by
Associate Education Minister David Seymour that of schools who want
to have teacher only days, they're going to have to
do it outside term time, which is essentially telling the

(00:37):
teachers that if they want to have any sort of
professional development or training, if they want that, they've got
to do it during their own time. They've got to
chew up some of their annual leave or other leave
entitlements to do it. Can you imagine Can you imagine
any other employer trying to get away with that, Oh yeah, yeah,

(00:59):
looks like a great course showner, but you'll have to
do it during your holidays, as if that would happen.
That's what David Seymour wants principles to tell their staff
and what makes this approach by the governments so ham fisted.
So ham fisted is that they're only doing it for
the people screaming on the sidelines, the people who like

(01:21):
to bang on about teachers having ten weeks holiday year,
the people who bang on ignorantly about teachers are only
working from nine to three. The government's also doing it
decreese up to all the parents who like to winge
about teacher only days. Look, I've been there, I've been there,

(01:42):
I've done that when it comes to dealing with the
inconvenience that teacher only days can be. And Yep, just
like everybody else, I've been a bit cynical at times
about teacher only days being held on the first day
of term or the last day of term. But deep down,
even though I've made the usual comments, I've known that
they are held for very good reasons. Yep, like everybody else.

(02:06):
Especially when the kids were young, it meant that we
had to juggle things a bit on teacher only days.
And because of been there and done that, I think
I'm qualified to say that sometimes parents can be the
biggest bunch of winges when it comes to school. I
can't remember specific examples, but I bet I bet at times,
I bet I winged with the best of them when

(02:27):
our kids were there. Some parents are more inclined than
others to winge, but I think I think all parents
are pretty good at it. Just whether we're bronze medal,
silver medal or gold medal winges, that's the only variability
or variable. And it's this noise that's what the government's
responding to with as directive to schools do not have

(02:49):
teacher only days during term time. And actually what makes
the government's approach on this even more ham fisted is
that it's doing this at the same time as it's
telling teachers that there are a whole lot of changes
on the way, you're not doing it good enough. We've
got a new math's curriculum, all of that, and at
the same time they're telling teachers to forget about having

(03:10):
teacher only days during term time. I mean, did someone
not tell David Seymour that these teacher only days are
when the teachers are going to get their heads around
all these changes the government wants happening from two to
one next year. Does someone not tell them that, Oh,
it doesn't matter, so the teacher sod the teachers as
long as we're getting Brownie points from voters who, when

(03:31):
it comes down to it, let's a minute, don't know
a thing about teacher only days, but you know, god
damn it if I have to get someone to look
after the kid's up to score because of another blooming
teacher only day. I see that this has been described
as quote, a kick in the guts for under pressure
teaching staff. Peter Thaorn he's the acting principle of Belmont

(03:51):
Primary School on Auckland's north shore, and he's saying today
it's a kick in the guts because teacher only days
are the opportunity for teachers to get together to focus
on their professional needs and focus on the needs of
their students. And what's the problem with that? You see
what this is. It's an assault on teachers, and in

(04:12):
my mind, they have every right to feel that way,
especially especially when the government's dressing this up as part
of the solution to the problem we have with truancy.
I mean, do you really think, come on, even if
you love David Seymour, even if you wish he was
your own son, do you really think that the old
teacher only day now and then is getting kids into

(04:33):
the habit of wagging school that is absolute nonsense and
that acting principle I told you about Peter Thorne he
thinks the same.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
to news talks It'd be christ Church from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.