Tests a turn-off for teachers

So, firstly, before I start on this article, I want to change my opinon on the previous artcle about it being short. Being an article on the interent, space is not an issue, so I guess stories can be as long (or as short) as the writer wants.

So now: this article, published on ABC News on the 2nd of May about the teacher’s reaction to news of a reccomendation made by the government to test new teachers on numeracy and literacy before joining the profession.

Queensland students. Picture from: ABC TV news

The union’s Terry Burke says it is a knee-jerk response.

“It doesn’t encourage anyone to remain a teacher and it also disencourages, I would think, those people who may be contemplating becoming a teacher,” he said.

“If you’re so little regarded as a teacher that you have to do a maths and science test before you can become a teacher then there’s not too much attraction in staying in the profession.”

As this is a fairly recent story, there is heaps of room for follow up stories. Stories could be done on the results that cuased this reccomendation (the poor results by Queensland students). Also, the process that new teachers have to take to get into the proffession.

Conflict is a major element in this article as well as playing on the prospect of not having fresh teachers willing to educate the next generation.