teaching

New Zealand Teaching Crisis: A Rant by a fed up teacher

So where does New Zealand go from here? In our previous article, we spoke about the dire situation that had fallen upon New Zealand due to the government literally sitting on its ass when it came to improving the educational standards of the country. Educational standards are basically of two types; one is to improve the learning capabilities of children and young adults, while the other is the condition and environment that teachers are offered. The truth of the matter is that the damage has been happening for decades and the ramifications of those damages are finally coming to light. This article; isn’t like other ones because it is actually a rant by a teacher who loved teaching and inspiring children, but had to quit and move on to a different career because with his pay he wasn’t able to support his own family.

teaching
I loved being able to walk into school every day and know that my effort would leave a long-lasting impression on minds that had the capability to change our nation and the world. When I was in school, my teacher inspired me to be like her. She was an astounding woman who got up every morning with the thought of changing someone’s life. Her drive was one of the reasons why I went on to teach after my PhD in Organic Chemistry. But now I am working in a multinational corporation that is paying me big bucks, but I don’t feel complete or whole anymore. I have a young family, and their needs became my priority, in other words maybe I grew up. But the fact of the matter is that I wouldn’t have needed to change my jobs if I had been paid for the work that I did.
Someone once told me that teaching was a thankless job, and I think that they are wrong, every great achiever has always turned back and thanked one of their teachers for inspiring and influencing them the right way. And I wholeheartedly reject the idea that teaching is a thankless job; it is actually a payless job. How can a nation that is striving to reach the top of the world have teaching as a low-income job? The curriculum is stifling, and we are under pressure to stick within the boundaries set by the education board, with little to no room for creativity or adventure. How are we supposed to make a difference, if we can’t even think differently?

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