By Natasha Fujimoto
SIMPLY, teachers mould the future through the education of our children, and beyond academic instruction, these often-self-less professionals cultivate student wellbeing, inspire creativity and coach physical health through sport.
Despite the great responsibility and attendant rewards of the job, there remains across the state a critical shortage of teachers with less school leavers than ever before, choosing the profession as a career.
To address the shortage, La Trobe Shepparton head of campus, Elizabeth Capp with Notre Dame principal, John Cortese announced on August 11, an expansion of the university’s Bachelor of Education program.
Commencing in 2023, La Trobe Shepparton campus will offer a Bachelor of Secondary Teaching for the first time, while existent Early Years and Primary School Teaching degrees will be carried forward.
Keen to promote the hybrid delivery model of teaching and learning at La Trobe, Ms Capp says, “We are trying to be as flexible as we can in our delivery of teaching and learning. We aim to offer a mixed blend of study options with both online study and small group contact, on campus.”
While acknowledging VCE students’ concerns about long hours, workload and relatively low pay for teachers, Mr Cortese maintains,
“Teaching is the best job in the world, but we also need to do better as a profession talking up the beautiful parts of the job. We have got a magnificent job and I think sometimes people focus on the negative rather than on all the positives.”
