Viewpoints
Bringing you thought-provoking views on current issues in education. Some are written to challenge current thinking. Others are written to prompt action.
Who will be a Principal? Posted on 10 February 2010
By Dr Bryan Cowling
At the beginning of this new school year, 25% of Anglican schools in the Diocese have a different principal to what they had twelve months ago. Selecting a new principal is not an easy task. Though the processes vary from school to school, research and anecdotal data gathered throughout Australia shows that fewer people are applying these days to fill vacant principal positions. This is equally true for Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran and government secondary schools. The reasons are many and varied. The situation is quite concerning. Full Article >>
The Haiti Earthquake - The Challenge for Teachers Posted on 20 January 2010
By Mr George Glanville
How could He do this to us? There is no God! This was the gut-wrenching cry of Remi Polevard, resident of Haiti, as his five children lay dead beneath the rubble of their home. Teachers will be returning to school after the Christmas break to face the real and aching questions of students like - Where is God in all this? In 2004 it was the tsunami; in 2009 it was the Victorian bushfires; now it's Haiti. Full Article >>
Tips 4 Teachers Posted on 9 December 2009
By Mrs Alison Wheldon
Have you been given your tentative class list for 2010? No doubt, there will be names on that list that have caused you to inwardly cheer, and others over which you're feeling some level of anxiety. Yet others may be no more than a name to you. Over the Christmas break, commit to pray for all those names on your list. Pray for each name separately, whether the child is well-known to you or not. Full Article >>
Right Story, Wrong Lessons Posted on 2 December 2009
By Dr Bryan Cowling
It's almost Christmas time and no doubt those of us who teach will be retelling the story of the birth of Jesus. If we follow the text of the gospels and don't go adding myths (like that of three wise men) or mixing it with accumulated traditions, we'll probably tell the right story. But will the lessons learned by our students be the ones most needed. Especially at Christmas time. Full Article >>
Ethics Classes: Much Heat, Less Light Posted on 4 November 2009
By Dr Bryan Cowling
There's been a lot of heat but not too much light in the recent debate within the media about the proposal by the St James Ethics Centre to conduct a pilot project to test the concept of offering an Ethics-based Complement to SRE (Scripture) in Government primary schools. Not surprisingly those who don't think children in primary schools should be taught anything at all about religion have taken the opportunity to voice their opinion. Full Article >>
Could Do Better... Posted on 23 October 2009
By Mrs Jennifer Spies
Term 4 is often fast and furious, and for many, final assessment and reporting adds to the busyness and pressure of the final term. As a teacher of Mathematics, I have taught many students who struggled to achieve in my subject area, and writing final reports created a challenge to fairly and positively sum up their year's performance. Some of the students who lacked in mathematical ability were creative, some were generous and thoughtful, others were compassionate and loyal friends, and others great encouragers of those who were in need. Full Article >>
What is the Next Step? Posted on 23 September 2009
By Mr Ian Keast
(A key question for Year 12 students to think about. Or, if you are reading this and know a Year 12 student, please pass the article on!) The theme of my visits to schools to talk to students is to challenge them to think carefully and prayerfully about how they are going to serve Christ. In my position as Director of Christians in Teaching, I want them to see the value of becoming teachers and serving Christ in our schools: they are strategic places for the gospel of the Lord Jesus to be heard and seen by a new generation. Full Article >>
Tips 4 Teachers Posted on 7 September 2009
By Mrs Alison Wheldon
In my previous article I talked about how difficult it is to love some students, yet how essential! In John 13:35, John exhorts us to demonstrate our faith in Christ by showing our love to others. That's not always easy with a ‘special someone' in your class who just knows how to trip your patience circuit-breaker! Here's an idea that I've found works for me: Print off a class list and mark today's date on it. Using a colour or other code, indicate those students you relate to well. Full Article >>
League Tables Miss the Point Posted on 18 August 2009
By Dr Bryan Cowling
There's been a lot of media hype in recent months about the concerns that some people have about the use of publicly available data derived from national testing to construct school league tables. The Council of Australian Governments representing the Premiers and Chief Ministers of all States and Territories and the Prime Minister (COAG) is keen to make more information available to parents about the performance of all schools throughout Australia. Full Article >>
Tips for Teachers Posted on 5 August 2009
By Mrs Alison Wheldon
What makes your school, or more specifically, your classroom, distinctively Christian? I ask this question as I travel around visiting Anglican schools and invariably one of the responses (along with many others) is "We care about our students here." It would be fair enough to assume that all schools care about their students. In fact, I would challenge you to find a school that doesn't care about its students! We all know about "Duty of Care", which is a legal requirement, and any teacher or school employee who draws breath would know of the possible consequences for not carrying out due care with their students. But we need to think and act beyond the policies and legalities. Full Article >>
Showing 1 - 10 of 28 Viewpoint Articles
Posted 10 Mar 2010
Posted 23 Feb 2010
Posted 12 Feb 2010
Posted 16 Nov 2009
William Clarke College. Posted 8 Mar 2010.
Meriden School. Posted 8 Mar 2010.
Independent Learning Centre (ILC) Teacher’s Aide
St Andrew's Cathedral School. Posted 1 Mar 2010.
St Andrew's Cathedral School. Posted 26 Feb 2010.
