AN EDUCATION ROUNDUP

Three articles below:

Australian teachers oppose more Australian literature teaching

For once I am partially in agreement with a teachers' organization. I think kids should be introduced to the best literature in the language -- regardless of where it came from. Broadening the definition of "literature" to mean anything written or displayed is just a way of evading study of the classics, however. If parents really want their kids to be given lessons in cornflake packaging, let the kids do a separate course in that

ENGLISH teachers oppose moves to strengthen the study of Australian literature in schools, with their professional association arguing it confers a superiority over the literature of other cultures. In a submission to a review of the New South Wales syllabus, the English Teachers Association of NSW says its members also object to giving privilege to print literature above other forms, including film, television and websites.

"A definition of literature with a restriction to the print medium is imprudent, reductive, short-sighted and, most importantly, undermines the integrity of current English syllabuses," the submission says. "The ETA opposes the selective nomination of some types of text as this implies hierarchies in generic form and medium rather than in the quality of the texts themselves."

The ETA's submission, sent to the board late last month, is in response to proposed changes to the English syllabus for all years of school requested by former state education minister John Della Bosca in May. Mr Della Bosca asked the board to explore ways to improve the presence of Australian literature in school English courses and ensure the study of more Australian books, poems and plays.

The ETA says schools are committed to the "notion and practice of diversity and do not want to see a narrow or exclusive interpretation of 'Australian' and Australian concerns". "Any definition of 'Australian' needs to see Australia in a global context, and to take account of indigenous and multicultural perspectives," the association says.

In particular, it opposes the introduction of a mandatory module on Australian literature in the extension English course for Year 11. It argues that most students do not take extension English so the module is a limited response to moves to strengthen the study of Australian literature.

The main criticism was that by narrowing the study to print literature, it reduced the syllabus's focus on comparing different types of texts, effectively "dumbing down" the curriculum. "It also signals an insularity and lack of confidence about the place of Australian achievement in world literature reminiscent of the 'cultural cringe' that we thought had been laid to rest," the ETA says.

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Many school drop-outs enjoy life at the top

REPORTS of the death of the self-made man or woman have been greatly exaggerated. Research to be published today shows that despite the widespread perception that a good education is a prerequisite to a good income, many Australians with relatively modest levels of education still push their way into the top bracket of the nation's money earners.

The study, in the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research's third annual report on its longitudinal HILDA survey, finds personality traits, such as a willingness to take risks, and social networks also play a significant role in determining financial success. "Without wishing to cast doubt on the value of education ... it is still worth pointing out that many people who lack much formal education still make good money," the report says. Among men who were working in 2005, 24.8 per cent of those with less than a Year 12 education were in the top half of the male earnings distribution. Among women the figures were even more remarkable; 29.2 per cent of those with less than Year 12 education were in the top half of the distribution."

The numbers were slightly skewed, the study admits, in that those with low levels of education were more likely not to be working at all, and therefore not included in the above figures. The report says factors outside education can influence earnings, in particular personalities that take risks. "For both men and women, not being financially risk-averse was quite a strong determinant of high earnings," it finds.

Also choosing particular industries could help those with lower levels of education earn more money. "Men working in the mining industry were paid well above what is usual for people with their level of education," the report says.

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Smutty teacher: Another regulatory failure

A TEACHER who sent smutty messages to students and propositioned one to a skinny dip in a school pool has had his registration suspended. Sean David Grady, 27, has admitted his sex chats with young girls "scarred" a small Victorian country town.

But questions have been raised over why a Victorian watchdog took two years to formally punish him - and how he secured a teaching job interstate despite concerns about his character. A Victorian Institute of Teaching inquiry has heard Mr Grady had graphic phone or computer conversations with four pupils while working as a rookie at the college. The wayward government school teacher admitted he:

SENT messages to a year 10 girl, including words to the effect, "I want to get you into bed", called her and said he was "horny", and asked her to sneak out of her home.

PROPOSITIONED a year 11 student to a naked swim in the school pool and suggested he climb in her window.

BOUGHT a year 12 girl a glass of wine for her 18th birthday and kissed her in a hotel foyer.

INVITED a year 11 student to his flat and pushed her on to his bed.

USED a school computer to email sexual material to another teacher.

Mr Grady told a hearing earlier this year he was suffering personal problems and was drawn into a culture of heavy drinking when he landed in the isolated town as a young graduate. He argued he was now a changed man who had learned from his actions and would keep getting help through counselling.

Mr Grady was found guilty of serious misconduct. He cannot reapply to teach in Victoria until January 2010 and will require a mentor if returned to the classroom.

Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon attacked the time taken to investigate the teacher. The Education Department advised the teaching watchdog in July 2006 that Mr Grady had been blocked from working in state schools. Despite this and the VIT's separate inquiry, it emerged Mr Grady worked as a teacher interstate this year. His interstate registration was frozen when the Victorian hearing came to light. VIT president Andrew Ius partly blamed workload pressures for the disciplinary hearing delay.

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The notorious DOCS fails a child yet again

They are paid to protect children at risk but it is only when a kid dies that the public gets to hear how badly they do that. Sadly, deaths are frequent

From the day he was born, jaundiced and needing a blood transfusion, his parents opposed medical treatment. They believed God would heal him. When he died four-and-a-half years later, the boy was blind, intellectually disabled and slithered around like a snake because he could not walk. Yesterday his mother, 34, pleaded guilty to his manslaughter, having denied him the medical care prosecutors said he so obviously needed.

The boy died in August 2003 from a kidney infection and pneumonia. He was malnourished and weighed under 7kg - less than half the average weight for a child his age. The pathologist who examined his body said neglect directly contributed to his death. The boy's father was minister of a congregation based on the Methodist teachings of the Wesley Church. He and his wife, who cannot be named, had put their faith in God rather than doctors, the Supreme Court heard. Court documents revealed that the mother listed "Jesus Christ" as the contact in hospital forms, while a copy of The Lord's Prayer sat beside toys in the boy's cot. His mother told police she "always believed in God as the healer for her children" and the family would "say a little prayer" for sick members.

But prayers weren't enough to save the boy. Doctors notified DOCS the day he was born in February, 1999, worried his parents risked his health with "inappropriate faith in their religious beliefs". The newborn was given a blood transfusion after DOCs intervened. DOCS staff also ensured that, at six months, he had surgery for cataracts. But the boy had no more medical treatment after September, 1999, and, just before his first birthday, DOCS closed his case file.

On August 29, 2003, the mother found him dead in his cot. She and her husband were charged with manslaughter. The father suffered a fatal heart attack in January before facing trial.

The court was told the boy had arm and leg fractures and almost every rib broken, suggesting a possible genetic bone disorder or weak bones due to malnutrition. One medical expert said he apparently suffered from starvation.

Dr Paul Tait, head of Westmead Children's Hospital's child protection unit, said the couple's decision to trust God led to the boy being "severely neglected medically and ultimately resulted in his death".

The mother told police her son - the fifth of her seven children - was "always a sick little boy". She did not know if she would seek medical attention for her other children, saying: "I'd have to make that decision in that time."

DOCS did not respond yesterday to questions about whether the couple's remaining children were left in their care after the boy's death. Opposition spokeswoman for community services, Katrina Hodgkinson, asked why DOCS would close the file of a child who had been at risk. "All too often the department gets it wrong and it's the kids at risk who end up suffering," she said.

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Global cooling hits Sydney

After the coldest winter in a decade, weather experts are warning Sydney to expect an erratic summer....

Bureau of Meteorology climate officer Mike de Salis said the mercury plunged most in August. The average maximum temperature was 17.3 degrees, more than half a degree lower than the average and the coldest monthly average since 1989. The average maximum temperature throughout the three winter months was the lowest since 1998.

"That was due to a blocking system. [It was] a low pressure operating in the Tasman Sea for half the month [of August], dragging a whole lot of cold southerly air over NSW," Mr de Salis said. "It kept the temperatures down, day time and night time." ....

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