ONCE being a teacher was highly attractive to school leavers and others. This has transgressed to a state of alarm where teacher dissatisfaction and resignation has reached such startling levels that schools can't be staffed and casuals nearly outnumber permanent employees in many regions.
Pupil attendance and behavioural issues arise more notably in regions of low socio-economic resources where many senior pupils are averse to school attendance until reaching leaving age at 17. Not all children are university aspirants. The school leaving age and programming could be amended to suit. Much attention has sparked a need for a fundamental school learning review as in the English sector of Reading and Writing, plus Arithmetic with a NAPLAN reflective in some areas, particularly punctuation, sentence structure, grammar et al.
Often it was not unusual for the average graduate to find it easier to relate to the struggler with a learning difficulty. In the past it was not uncommon for the HSC battler to achieve uni success through maturity, intent and workplace interaction. Brilliance does not necessarily create a great teacher, particularly in early learning.
I believe perverse government demands, particularly in the current tenure, have seen huge increases in burdensome compliance needs including expert adviser-support withdrawal, discontent and teaching staff development. A serious evaluation of useful record-clerical data recording and teacher conditions is long overdue.
Bob Allen, Hawks Nest
'Your' spot is there to be shared
TOO often the rights and opinions of individuals and minorities are being lorded over the majority. To those who would claim ownership of a beach because they live near it and use it, go jump! It's the same Pacific Ocean that all other east coast beaches border. Go somewhere else and see if you get harassed and crowded out by the locals. A bit of fin chop might sort you out.
I live on the shore of Lake Macquarie. That makes me a local of the lake, so you're not welcome here either. Newcastle East residents: no, we won't move the border of Newcastle East west to Bank Corner or make Newcastle East a gated community like some seem to want. If you move in next to an airport, do you have the right to complain about noise? No. So why should council allow residents moving in near pubs to complain about the noise? Most of these pubs were there before most of these whingers were born.
I worked in hospitality on and off for 30 years and have seen the financial (and collateral) damage done to publicans by these individuals. Pubs are being forced to take noise abatement measures and often relocate performance spaces at such exorbitant costs that some have been forced to sell and move on. I will swim at "your" beach! I will take walks in "your" suburb and swim in "your" baths! I will support live music in "your" neighbourhood. To all self-entitled hypocrites, shut up or move.
William Hardes, Lakelands
The same old song and dance
DENISE Lindus Trummel, (Short Takes, 11/11), yes, I too feel that I have definitely repeated myself ad nauseam about people who move near pubs and clubs then make noise complaints. However, the only reason I have found myself having to repeat myself ad nauseam on this subject is because said complaints inexplicably keep getting repeated ad nauseam.
As I have stated before, more often than not, my contributions to the Herald are in reply to numerous other correspondents and/or numerous articles written on this subject, hence why so regularly, Herald readers hear from me on this subject "over and over and over again". As for your assertion "Yes, we are sick of it", it sounds like you believe you speak for each and every Herald reader when you say "we". Although I think you'll find that there are many regular correspondents that share my stance. You also stated that "city dwellers are sick of being forced to defend themselves". Well, so are the live music venues that have been present long before the blow-in complainants, as are the thousands of live music loving Novocastrians who enjoy going to gigs right across Newcastle each and every weekend.
Adz Carter, Newcastle
COVID isn't over the horizon yet
GOOD news: Australians have come out from beneath the doona. Christmas is almost here, and we are spending up big on entertainment, eating out and travel. Scott Morrison's hopes have been realised. Lockdowns, masking up and social distancing? Never again.
Now the bad news: COVID has now mutated into a hydra-headed monster with many variants. The virus is blindly looking for chinks in the armour of our vaccinated immune systems. If one new variant doesn't get you, another will. More and more people are going to work sick and spreading the COVID virus. Recently, I have known a number of elderly people whose precious last days were cut short by COVID infections in hospitals. Instead of going home from hospital, they went to a funeral home and a crematorium.
I also know three couples who are about to embark on cruises to Tasmania and the southwest Pacific. As with all such el cheapo local cruises, I believe the ship's turnaround doesn't allow for proper disinfection of cabins, lifts, and other common areas, etc. Crew replacement? In your dreams. We should therefore expect to see many Ruby Princesses over summer.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Ceremony salutes were too much
ANOTHER disappointing Remembrance Day in Civic Park; name, rank and occupation announced by Newcastle RSL for the city, defence force and political top brass including what appeared to be the personal CV from a high-ranking officer. Surely the main purpose of this annual and historic event is to remember, to respect and to honour those men and women who lost their lives in the service of the country. Who attends and lays a wreath is not significant and of no importance.
The time-honoured concept of the "unknown soldier" has been discarded and forgotten.
Michael Carmody, Newcastle West
Hacked data wasn't all crucial
SPOT on comments from Darryl Tuckwell regarding stolen Medibank data going onto the dark web. The password and details of a staff member was all it took, apparently. I'm one of the many ex Medibank customers who has probably been hacked, not that I can confirm it (I've had emails from Medibank). I will never in another 100 years understand why my details are still on Medibank database. I left years ago; what did Medibank still want my details for? As if we don't have enough scammers and hackers around, looks like even closer vigilance and scrutiny from me. I wonder what organisatons are next in the sights of hackers?
Lesley Pritchard. New Lambton
SHORT TAKES
I WOULD like to express my sincere thanks to Greg Cameron, who has been persistent in keeping the Newcastle container terminal in the media for many years. He has explained the details of the situation to us frequently so that readers of the Newcastle Herald might understand the significance of this project and the obstacles it has faced, as well as expressing his strong belief in the benefits a container terminal will bring to the region and to NSW. Best wishes Greg, and I hope you are feeling some satisfaction despite there still being work to do in bringing the terminal to fruition.
Wendy Webb, Warners Bay
TONY Troughear ('Missing friends', Weekender 12/11) was the editor of this page 20 years ago when I was a newbie. He gave me a few helpful tips which I try, with mixed success, to employ today: don't harp on, be concise, and don't take 200 words to say what can be said in half that. Sadly his tale of missing feathered friends struck a chord with me as the need for human housing has seen the tree-lined hills in my area stripped with the loss of the kookaburras' laugh, the butcher birds' uplifting song and the lonesome call of the migratory eastern koel.
Dave McTaggart, Edgeworth
SPOT on Denise Lindus Trummel, (Short Takes, 11/11). While Adz Carter and anyone else is quite entitled to be passionate about live music and this way of life, it doesn't mean everyone else has to agree. People who live near live music venues are entitled to the same peaceful enjoyment of life as others. Let me put it this way: if Mr Carter moved into a house near a motorcyclist enthusiast, would he be happy with riding and revving up the bike in close proximity for hours at a time? I think not.
Ian King, Warners Bay
APPARENTLY if you wear a Melbourne shirt falling over is enough to gain a free kick ('Breaking bad', Newcastle Herald 14/11). Similarly, if your name is Beka, you can be manhandled the entire match and not be recognised by the referee; then get fouled by a player, who has been doing it all day, and receive a yellow card when said player crashes to the ground in a theatrical display.
Stephen Willmott, Maitland
THE NRL is reportedly offering an increase in the average player's salary ('Pay talks explode as starts hit out at NRL', Herald 11/11). At a time when everyday Australians are struggling with costs of living, feeding families, paying rent or mortgages, the average player does not appear to have too much to complain about. Most people would be ecstatic to work (actually play), in most cases, for one hour per week and "train" for another nine hours, all for an average pay cheque of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not bad money for 10 hours' work per week with no academic qualifications or key performance indicators required.
John Cooper, Charlestown
CORRECTION
A REFERENCE in Maureen O'Sullivan Davidson's letter on Friday ('Secular push is independents' play', Herald 11/11) should have referred to a freedom from religion bill. The Herald apologises for the error.
