No educator is surprised by the teacher drought Australia is now in. They’ve been watching the landscape change over the years, observing the weather patterns that don’t bode well. And now they’re leaving. Rivers of teachers drying up and no rain in sight.
Why does a teacher shortage occur? Ultimately, it’s because our education system is operating under a business model which treats students and parents as customers and teachers as expendable workers expected to function as told, rather than as autonomous professionals tasked with the unique and complex responsibility of guiding young people’s learning.
