Suicide – the intentional causing of one’s own death – has a profound impact on many lives. Some statistics on suicide in Australia in 2017: · Suicide was the leading cause of death of Australians aged 15-44. · More than 3,100 Australians…
Category: Parenting
Balance or Bias: The Right to Know
In a recent article published by The Guardian, a UK teacher has raised concerns about political bias. Statements of concern include the following: ‘A large majority of staff at our school vote Labour. As a Labour supporter, this thrills me; as a…
Don’t fence the family in!
Fences and gates are physical boundaries. For schools, their value is clear. Physical boundaries fulfill their literal intent – to keep people in or out. Decisions about those boundaries rest with the principal. Outside the school’s gates and fences, though,…
Let’s Get Our (Balancing) Act Together
The term ‘work-life balance’ has been around for decades. A genuine regard for a work-school-family-life balance, however, simply doesn’t exist. With regard to students, families, and teachers, there’s a definite imbalance – before, during and after the school day. Let’s…
Enough is enough
Are you handing over to State governments, via schools, the right to raise your children? The social and political ‘creep and seep into schools’ has reached crisis point. What was once a subtle process that rarely raised alarm is now…
Power Of The Big G
During the 1950s, Victorian schools introduced out of hours ‘Mothers and Daughters’ evenings. Their purpose was to provide health and sexuality education, delivered by those qualified to do so. Today, health and sexuality education is delivered during school hours but,…
The servants of hopes and dreams?
Politicians serve the community. They represent people they don’t usually know personally – faceless, nameless citizens and families – with their hopes and dreams. Public school leaders also serve the community. However, for them, it isn’t a community of the…
Parents: Be Aware, Be Assertive, Be The Voice
Don’t ever apologise for demanding the best for your child. We live in a democratic society that gives us a voice by virtue of our right to elect our government representatives. Schools have a similar representative system. Elections are held…
Schools: Who Needs Them?
‘My children don’t attend primary school’, you might say, ‘so primary schools don’t really matter that much to me’. You could be right. But think about this. Does it really matter that, in 2019, primary schools will receive a minimum…
You Oughta Be Congratulated!
What would you do with a redeemable voucher of, let’s say, $11,000 per year, to be used for your child’s education? Would you stay with the school your child currently attends? Or would you ‘shop around’ to find a more…