Principals To Choose

Finally our NSW State School Principal’s will be able to employ the teachers of their choosing under a new proposal from the Minister of Education, John Della Bosca.

All employers should be able to seek out the best possible applicant to their vacant positions. Unfortunately our schools have been held back by a Department of Education bureaucratic system where a principal has to accept the next person on their very long list. The principal is left unknowing whom they are getting and if they will suit the unique requirements of their school.

The Teacher’s Federation opposes such a proposal. This doesn’t overly surprise me, as the Federation seems to oppose everything where the student could be the probable winner.

Here’s why it makes sense to me. A Principal by going through the process will meet the best applicant through an interview. They ultimately find the best applicant who they believe will best serve the school and fulfil their needs. That has to be great for students and for the education system as a whole.

Here’s what the print media have had to say about the proposal:

From the Sydney Morning Herald (5/2/08):

• Principals have embraced the opportunity for greater freedom in hiring
• Teachers will fight the move…..will effectively dismantle the transfer system
• Mr Della Bosca said no employment rights were being removed. “I am also committed to finding even better ways to encourage and reward teachers who move to these schools (hard to staff)”

And from the Daily Telegraph (5/2/08):

• The change will enable schools - under intense pressure to achieve good results in a competitive market - to select their own teachers instead of being forced to take the choice of departmental bureaucrats.
• The federation warned of "imminent industrial action" over three major issues - a demand for at least 1000 more permanent teachers, a fair system of staffing and salary increases up to 16 per cent.

What is the Federation really afraid of? Do they really think the Govt will degrade the Dept of Education any further after the criticism it has copped in recent years. Perhaps they are afraid their non performing members will lose their jobs, or not get them in the first place.

The Case For Christ – Book Review

The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel

My reading of this book originated from boredom during the downtime we were getting at work during our slow period. Especially on our late shift where we might not get a job after 6pm, but still with 3 or 4 hours before we can leave. I’d been meaning to put some books in my lockers for such a time. Lee Strobel’s The Case For Christ just happened to be the first off the bench.

The Case For Christ is Lee Strobel’s own journey from scepticism to believing. His background is in legal journalism for a major newspaper in Chicago so he is familiar with the process of analysing evidence. In fact the method he uses to analyse Christianity is similar to what he would use when reporting in the law courts of Chicago. Anecdotes from actual cases on which he has reported gives the reader greater understanding on the content as well as feeling where the author is coming from.

Strobel travelled across America to interview the most respected Christian scholars. These are people that are in charge of Evangelical Schools, have contributed to numerous journals, have written their own works and most interesting to me, they debate atheists just for fun and win comprehensibly.

There are fourteen chapters, each covering a different topic with a different scholar who is especially adept in subject matter. Strobel asks all the sceptical questions he can think of, yet nothing can make his interviewees flinch. Remember these guys take on Atheists for fun so Strobel is a relative walkover.

I found it interesting to hear the sceptics questions and was amazed at the ridiculous stories some people have concocted and actually believe.

It’s a relatively easy read although probably targeted towards non-believers, as there are questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapter.

It’s also pretty cheap, only $7 at your local Koorong or Word

Time For The Male Ego To Step Aside

Shaun Tait has given up Cricket indefinitely after claiming mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. Team-mates and friends are claiming to be surprised because he showed no sign of being exhausted.

This reaction, however, does not surprise me. Us blokes generally would prefer anything to avoid admitting that we aren’t coping so well with a situation. Doing so admits to being less of a man. Thankfuly organisations such as Beyond Blue this stigma is being broken down. However, by the time the problem does get some acknowledgment it is too far-gone that drastic measures need to be taken, in this case it is quitting a professional sport.

So how far before we should ask for help? Why does the male ego get in the way to the detriment of our health?

I Love My Cricket, But…….

I growing tired of Bill “Doctorate of the Bleeding Obvious” Lawry and his thoughtless, uninciteful commentary. You all know what I am referring to, the batting team needs runs and the fielding team needs a wicket. Wow!! Thanks Bill, I didn’t know that a team chasing a run target actually needs runs, now that I’ve been told that there was actually a purpose to the game I am much more excited.

Unfortunately though I feel that if Channel Nine were to get rid of one of the old school commentators then it will quickly mean the demise of the rest, ie Richie, Chappelli and Tony, whom I quite like. Richie has earnt the right to go out whenever he chooses but I couldn’t care less about Bill.

The new boys on the team are leaving Bill behind and have more to say and more interesting things to say.

Just Got To Help Yourself

Generally speaking I don’t like people whinging at a government department, no matter what side of politics they are on. It has been the Dept of Health for a while then DOCS copped it for a while but for a short period it has been the Dept of Housing. But there must come a time when people start doing something for themselves to help improve their situation instead of relying on the govt for everything

The complaints with the Dept of Housing came thick and fast after a man was found deceased for a year in his government flat. For this to happen there are obviously faults in the system of checks and balances. But when does the blame game stop and people just decide to help themselves. Of the examples pointed out by the Sun Herald (20/1) one in particular stood out.

This elderly lady lives alone in a public housing one-bedroom unit. She has two dogs and requires constant oxygen. She sleeps on a “soiled” mattress and the dogs do their mess inside the unit. Carers refuse to go to her abode because of the mess the dogs create. Now she could do something to help herself but to her getting rid of the dogs is too much of an inconvenience because they are like family. I understand that people get attached to their pets and I am also fond of dogs despite never owning one, but there is one thing standing in the way between her and healthcare and that is the dogs.

She is not owed a living by the taxpayers of NSW and she is proving that by her neglect for her own health and well being.