Teachers are at the heart of an ecosystem

Teachers plant the seeds for tamariki, organisations and communities to grow. Teaching is all about connecting. Connecting students to knowledge, to aspirations and achievement in many forms. They carry that with them to their homes, their friends and their futures. When teachers are undervalued, it undermines a fragile ecosystem. He waka eke noa.

Teachers value students – will you?

We come into this profession driven by a desire to help young people succeed. Secondary teachers have a critical role to play in the development of students, not only as teachers but as mentors as well. Our workloads have increased, our wellbeing is affected and that directly impacts our students. Our students deserve better. Teachers deserve better. Investing in teachers is investing in our tamariki.

Teachers are vital – and invisible

Teachers are required to do so much more than teach a specialist subject. They are mentors, sports coaches, financial advisers, administrators and on it goes. There is little understanding of this in communities, or acknowledgement from government. Teachers have a significant, but overlooked, positive influence on young people’s lives. It’s time to be properly valued as the professionals they are and for all that they do.

We’re at a tipping point

Teachers are exhausted, anxious and many are leaving. Workloads are increasing, wellbeing is suffering, there is no progress on class sizes and the value of take-home pay is decreasing. Soon there may not be enough teachers for the number of students. It urgently needs to change, or something will break.

Teachers are going backwards

Workloads are growing and pay is shrinking. Inflation, housing issues and cost of living pressures mean teachers are quickly and dramatically losing ground.

It’s time for teachers to be recognised and appreciated for the work they do every day

Schools and teachers are properly resourced

PPTA members want the teaching profession to be highly paid, trained to a high standard, continuously supported, culturally responsive, and properly resourced for both curriculum delivery and pastoral care.

Schools are places of learning and enjoyment for all

Teaching and learning must be more than just surviving the school year for teachers and students. Schools must be places for all students to get ahead, and for teachers to experience the surprise and delight of watching learning unfold. 

Teaching is a first-choice career

Teaching should be secure, permanent, highly respected employment. It should be seen as a first-choice career that can last a lifetime: a career with a future.

Classrooms are diverse in every way

Classrooms should be designed to meet the needs of pedagogy, not the other way around, and classes should be diverse in the broadest meaning of this term. Schools should reflect a commitment to Te Tiriti, in which staff and students are supported to be bilingual and at home in Te Ao Māori.

Teachers have time to learn and grow

Teachers don’t want their jobs to be merely sustainable and manageable, they want them to be rich in experiences, exciting, and fun. Teaching, by its nature, will at times be challenging, but that challenge should not come from excessive workload demands. There must be time, not just time to do the job, but time to enjoy it, and time to learn and grow in teaching practice.

Teachers are valued and rewarded as professionals, giving our young people the best chances in life