Pentecost

Breathe in me O Holy Spirit Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy. Draw my heart O Holy Spirit that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend what is holy. Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy. St Augustine of Hippo (CE 354–430)

This weekend we have celebrated the great feast of Pentecost. We often refer to Pentecost as the birth of the Church; where the Holy Spirit came down upon the disciples like a wind, often signified as a “breath” or “spirit”. The images of the dove are a metaphor for peace.
Lord only knows that during the feast of Pentecost this year, peace is what is sorely needed for our broken and war-torn world. The breath, or spirit, is an invisible force for good, and a powerful and life-giving force. It is the Church’s gift to us. May we be filled with the same tongues of fire bestowed upon the apostles, that we too might speak the truth about Jesus. In our witnessing of the Gospel message, we might all try to be ambassadors and seekers of peace in our world.

On teaching

Years ago, students in schools were often asked “what you wanted to be when you grow up?” While we perhaps do not phrase it in the same way today, we do encourage students to start thinking about their post-school aspirations during high school, so that they can begin to develop the skills, knowledge, and dispositions that might assist them to get to where they want to be. Senior course selections might pave the way to a particular university or CIT discipline, or a vocational pathway.

I have no doubt that these discussions also take place in your family homes. What I would like to propose is that as part of these discussions the possibility of a career in teaching might just be a consideration as well. Why? Well, we desperately need teachers — and good ones!

You may be aware that we are facing an extreme shortage of teachers in Australia, and internationally. There are many factors that contribute to the shortage, and these need to be addressed by government and systems if we are to reverse the trend. There are good numbers of undergraduate students training to become teachers. The problem is that many of them do not go on to ever teach. Of those who do; we can expect up to 50% of them to quit teaching in their first five years. We also have an ageing teaching workforce, where many baby boomers and even Gen X teachers will retire in the coming five-year period. In the ACT the teacher shortage is particularly acute, we struggle to compete with low unemployment, public service roles with better conditions, higher salaries and the like.

The lack of teachers is a societal concern — not just a concern for the profession. It should concern all of us – parents, grandparents, children, governments, and lawmakers.

Teaching is an extremely rewarding profession. It is a privilege, and an awesome responsibility. We have the opportunity to help shape society, unleash student interest and passion in different subject areas, and observe students grow in their learning. Working with adolescents is a wonderful, daily challenge.

I ask you to consider a conversation with your child about the possibility of becoming a teacher. Perhaps even parents might consider a mid-career change to teaching. There is one thing I guarantee about belonging to the profession – it is never boring, and no two days are ever the same! If you are committed to the betterment of society, and working with parents to shape the future, then teaching might just be for you. As George Benson famously sang, “I believe that children are our future”; then if we do truly believe this, then we should all be invested in the future of the profession of teaching. Without high-quality teaching, we risk our children’s futures!

We can all support the teachers we currently have in the profession by respecting the work they do, affirming their efforts, and remembering that it is a people-centric job, where we are “on” all day. In secondary schools, teachers literally engage with hundreds of other people (mostly adolescents) every day. We not only want to attract new people to the profession, but we also want to retain the teachers we already have. Our collective responsibility is to cherish those we have in the profession and find ways to encourage them to stay in it.

At our College, I am blessed to work with staff (teaching and professional) who are committed, dedicated, and generous with their time and talents. They regularly go above the call of duty and are truly vocational in the work they do with young people. Our job is to partner with families in the faith formation, and academic learning of children and young adults. Without an adequate supply of teachers, we may face a future where schooling might need to look somewhat different. I hope that is not the case.

Start a conversation at home today and plant a seed about the vocation to teach! We have a wonderful model of Christ, the ultimate teacher, to guide us.

Dr Craig Wattam
Principal