Why does it take so long to become a teacher in Queensland?

We continue to have a teaching shortage in Queensland – see the stats below… And I’ve got some big suggestions for how the Queensland Department of Education can encourage and enable people to become teachers.

Specifically, people like me, who already have degrees and decades of work experience. These are career-changers who want to become mature-aged student teachers.

So I’m going to talk about how long postgraduate students need to study at university before they get into Queensland classrooms.

picture of TJ Withers teaching a mock lesson at QUT in August 2024
(Teaching a mock lesson at QUT in August 2024.)

For full disclosure, I recently submitted a written piece similar to this as a policy critique for assessment, as part of my Master of Teaching (Secondary). And I got a surprisingly high mark, given that I’m criticising the fundamental structure of the degree!

Continue reading

Why so many acronyms? Acronyms in education and teaching I’ve learned so far

Why are there so many acronyms in every industry?

I thought finance was bad, with an acronym for every product, project, client, and project management technique under the sun.

This year I’ve been studying the Master of Teaching in Queensland, and I’ve discovered that the education industry is no different.

Leaders ❤ acronyms.

Below is the list of acronyms I’ve compiled in just a few months, but please, help me understand what’s going on here! Tell me what other acronyms I need to know to become a teacher. 😉🙏

Continue reading

When the guides for inclusive education are not readable for people with a learning disability

I was diagnosed with combined type ADHD about a year and a half ago, so technically, I am one of the many adult learners with a learning disability.

But even before I knew that, making learning about reading and writing accessible was one of my main passions in life.

So while I’ve been doing my Master of Teaching, I have been dyyyyyyying on the inside while trying to read all these academic texts. Almost none are written accessibly!

Academics are out here talking a great game about how we should make education inclusive and accessible to everyone … but when I read their writing, I experience true mental and physical anguish.

Continue reading