Over the weekend of 18-19 November, AEU members from around Australia came to Canberra for the national new educator conference. A huge shout out to Telopea Park School and Birrigai Outdoor School for helping us deliver a national new educator experience that set a new benchmark for these conferences. Telopea Park School generously came to the rescue when our branch suddenly became unable to host the conference due to urgent building maintenance. The unexpected inconvenience of not being able to use our building has set a new precedent. Participants LOVED being in a school and have strongly urged all future conferences to be hosted in schools. Birrigai was always on our conference program to provide a wonderful taster of cultural integrity in the ACT and to experience the magic of Birrigai and what this unique school offers. It didn’t disappoint. Participants said that the walk on country and time at Birrigai was an experience they will treasure.
This annual event is a highlight of the national AEU events calendar. It gives new educators a voice in articulating the issues that matter most to them and to learn from each other. Delegates left inspired to step up their activism and involvement in their union branches.
AEU new educator members from every state and territory attended, and they were joined by international guests from the teachers unions in Vanuatu and New Zealand. The AEU ACT delegation comprised seven members, Tameeka (Harrison P-10), Oscar (Melrose High), Ronica (Amaroo P-10), Ro (Gold Creek School), Brittany (Neville Bonner Primary), MaryClare (Waniassa School) and James (Canberra High).
New educators identified the following themes as the issues on which they wanted more information and advocacy:
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- Workload and burnout
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- Training on navigating workload boundaries – i.e. learning to say ‘no’
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- Occupational violence and aggression in schools
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- Opportunities for organising and campaigning
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- Understanding new educator rights and entitlements.
We asked our new educators to share their thoughts about attending the national new educator conference. Here is some of what they had to say.
What was the best thing about the conference?
The best thing about the conference was having the opportunity to meet like-minded and passionate educators. I think we can sometimes get trapped in the doom and gloom of the current state of the teaching profession. The conference made me feel hopeful about the future of teaching. It was wonderful to hear the perspectives of other teachers from across Australia and neighbouring regions. (Tameeka)
A highlight was meeting other people who share the same concerns about our students, staff, our community. I felt ready to go back to school and have conversations with my colleagues. (MaryClare)
What message would you give to other new educators from your experience at this conference?
I would really recommend for other new educators to attend the conference. You get so much out of the experience, professionally and personally. (T)
A union is only as strong as its members and it is worth the extra effort to connect with others in our profession. We are in a great position in the ACT but we need to feel empowered to access our entitlements, and to do this we must know our entitlements and see others taking them as well. (MC)
How has your participation at the conference shaped the advice you would give to new educators?
I think I am a little more informed of my rights and responsibilities as a new educator. I am more confident in my role. (T)
It’s far easier to have conversations with other new eds now that I better understand our entitlements—hearing about the entitlements new eds get in other states helped to contextualise and understand the entitlements.
I’ve spoken with a few new eds at school this week and I think the main barrier to fully accessing our entitlements is a culture around not wanting to add to anyone’s workload e.g. not asking our mentors to be released from class so they can support us because then the burden falls on someone else, same for taking new ed days. I feel better prepared to convince other new educators to take more action with regard to issues outside of our conditions as well—the living conditions of our students are our working conditions and we should be prepared to discuss and act on the inequalities
that face our community. (MC)
What priorities would you like the branch to focus on in relation to new educators?
I would like the branch to focus on disseminating more information to inform new educators about their entitlements in the new agreement. I think we also need to encourage more new educators to get involved with the union. I might be speaking for own school context, but primary school new educators are not very unionised. (T)
-Supporting us to take up motions either at our site or at Council—if I had a more detailed understanding of the branch and subbranch structure I probably would have been more involved earlier.
-Guidance on organising and changing workplace culture.
-Broader campaigns that address injustice and inequalities in our community and globally. (MC)
Getting to know you activity. Participants find out about the new educator entitlements in other jurisdictions.
Walking on and learning about Ngunnawal country.
Relaxing at Birrigai.
ACT delegates deep in thought.
Taking in the beauty of the landscape at Birrigai.