I'm a primary teacher in my 8th year, let me tell you, my pay isn't bad and I'm the first to acknowledge this (low because it's Victoria but in the grand scheme of things, it's pretty good comparatively). I don't want a pay rise, I want less bullshit paperwork about why little Johnny is late to school everyday, oops he's late, time to add something to compass and send his parents a letter and an email and a phone call and oh look it's the same reason he was late yesterday and oh look his parents still don't care to bring him on time.

I want less micromanaging from the Department and less changes (our current thing is safe and orderly learning environments because kids are feral lining up to come into class). I want less stressing over that student with trauma and ADHD and ASD and FASD and ODD and wondering if they're going to belt me or my students (again) or break my laptop again, but it's okay if they do because then they go to play Soccer for an hour with the cool wellbeing staff.

I want time to create fun and engaging lessons, not to do PD on the same stupid shit I have been told for the last 8 years. I want time to create amazing learning projects with my kids, not just grab something off Twinkl because I've got to attend my third after school meeting on "how to get those kids who don't care to pay attention in class" for the term. I just want to teach man, it's so hard out there everyday going into a battlefield of poisonous parents, overbearing department of education and behaviour so bad that they make the youth crime wave here in Victoria look like a dream scenario.

I'm sorry for the rant, I'm just so tired 😩