9 minute read

UNION & PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Professional Development

TEACHERS LEARNING NETWORK (online courses)

OPEN TO: AEU members. COST: $33.00.

Combatting Toxic Masculinity in Secondary School

Tuesday 3 August 4.00pm – 5.00pm

Schools are essential community hubs that bring people together from a wide range of demographics. Interactions often reflect the issues that are occurring in the wider community. There has been an increase in the scrutiny of examples of toxic masculinity throughout society and still remains an issue that underlies some behaviours that teachers have to face.

Identifying and Supporting Students with Anxiety

Tuesday 3 August 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Increasing numbers of students are suffering from anxiety and depression in today’s classrooms, particularly during the COVID-19 restrictions. These issues often create a barrier for students to learn or achieve their full potential, and can often lead to the student further isolating from the school community.

Managing Complex Workloads

Tuesday 31 August 4.00pm – 5.00pm

Developing boundaries for your professional workload is an essential skill to become an effective tea cher whilst still enjoying a social and family life. This session will encourage you to be active in managing workload expectations at an industry level by working.

From Teacher to Principal – Mapping a Pathway

Tuesday 28 September 12.30pm – 3.30pm

There are many different ways to progress in a career in education. In this session the presenter will encourage you to identify your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and to set yourself a professional development plan to build upon your leadership skills and knowledge.

Song and Music That I Use In My Programs

Tuesday 31 August 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Songs are a great way to engage students in group time and teach students a range of concepts. In this session, the presenter will share 20 songs that can be used to teach students literacy, numeracy and other concepts, and look at what materials can be used to engage students, such as books, puppets, colouring or craft activities and other props.

Leader’s Spotlight (online)

Thursday 26 August 4.30pm – 6.00pm

Join us to discuss courage, decisiveness, timing and tough decisions as a leader through the eyes of John Bell (founder of the Bell Shakespeare theatre group), his leadership lessons and reflections on Shakespeare’s leadership lessons! So often we are caught in the day-to-day work of our leadership journey – these sessions allow us to stop, reflect, hear alternative opinions and form our own. OPEN TO: AEU members in Band A and Band B.

AEU Women’s Conference See Ad below5

Saturday 28 August 8.45pm – 3.00pm

OUR TRUTHS: Our way forward in Work and Life

A not to be missed live event with a thought provoking line up of guest speakers, activities, entertainment and networking to inform and guide you through “our way forward”. Preceding the conference on the Friday evening 27 August from 7.00pm – 10.00pm empower yourselves with the film viewing of “I am Woman” – includes supper.

For further info or to register go to: www.aeusa.asn.au>events&courses

or email Tish Champion on: tchampion@aeusa.asn.au

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AEU WOMEN’S CONFERENCE 2021

OUR TRUTHS Guest Speakers: Abbey Kendall, Director Working Womens Centre. Darcel Russell, Federal AEU Aboriginal Education Officer. Lara Watson, Indigenous Officer ACTU. Correna Haythorpe, Federal AEU President. Lara Golding AEU SA President.

Our way forward in Work and Life Saturday 28 August

8.45am – 3.00pm

Friday 27 August

7.00pm – 10.00pm

Film viewing + supper “I Am Woman”

The empowering story of 1970s musician and activist Helen Reddy, starring South Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey.

Authorised by Leah York, AEU Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union | SA Branch, 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063

Australian Education Union | SA Branch

For further info or to register8: www.aeusa.asn.au>events&courses

or email Tish Champion on: tchampion@aeusa.asn.au

TRT Professional Learning Series (online)

FREE TO: AEU TRT members. Designed specifically for members who are working as relief teachers in South Australia.

TERM 3:Tuesday 31 August 4.30pm – 6.00pm

Working in High Schools as a TRT (part of the Year 7 to High School transition series).

TERM 4:Tuesday 23 November 4.30pm – 6.00pm Hot Curriculum Topics for TRTs.

Union Training

Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect (RRHAN-EC) has now launched

Wednesday 28 July 9.00am – 1.30pm (in-person)

Monday 9 August 9.00am – 1.30pm (in-person)

Monday 20 September 9.00am – 1.30pm (online)

Wednesday 13 October 9.00am – 1.30pm (online)

Monday 13 December 9.00am – 1.30pm (in-person)

There are 2 elements to the new training, which replaces Responding to Abuse and Neglect (RAN): • Foundation (online only via PLINK) • Masterclass (online or in-person). The AEU is an approved provider for the Masterclass. AEU Student members can attend one class as part of their student membership fee. Financial full members can register for $55, and non-members are charged $166. Registrations for RRHAN-EC will be taken through PLINK. NonDepartment staff will be able to make a guest account on the Department for Education website.

Merit Selection Retraining (online)

Wednesday 28 July 4.00pm – 6.00pm

Monday 16 August

Monday 20 September

Thursday 7 October 4.00pm – 6.00pm

4.00pm – 6.00pm

11.00am – 1.00pm

If you completed Merit Selection training in 2016 you must attend a retraining session before the end of January 2022 when your training will expire.

New Workplace Reps Training (Level 1) (in person)

Thursday 29 & Friday 30 July 9.15am – 3.30pm

Participants are expected to attend both days. This course aims to develop the knowledge and skills of union representatives, in terms of industrial and practical information, consultation methods and processes. OPEN TO: sub-branch secretaries and workplace reps who have not attended any AEU Union education courses.

Merit Selection Supplementary Training (online)

Thursday 5 August Wednesday 8 September 4.00pm – 5.00pm

4.00pm – 5.00pm Wednesday 6 October 11.00am – 12.00pm

In order to be an AEU representative on DfE Merit Selection panel processes, AEU members must complete both the DfE online training and a supplementary one-hour session with the AEU. Once both sessions have been completed, you will be added to our database of trained members. The AEU training covers your role and responsibility as the AEU representative on a panel and the requirement to uphold fairness and equity through ethical practices.

Sub-Branch Secretary and Workplace Representative Huddle (online)

TERM 3:Thursday 5 August 4.30pm – 5.30pm

TERM 4:Thursday 28 October 4.30pm – 5.30pm

A short interactive session to update AEU Reps on important Union information for elected representatives. OPEN TO: All AEU sub-branch secretaries and workplace reps.

TAFE Workplace Reps Training (in-person)

Friday 6 August 9.15am – 4.00pm

This day will orient TAFE members as sub branch secretaries within our campaigning union. OPEN TO: TAFE sub-branch secretaries.

PAC Chat LIVE (online)

Thursday 2 September 5.00pm – 6.00pm

On PAC Chat, PAC reps post questions and members of the group share their experiences, answer each other’s questions and share the challenges and excitements that come with being a PAC rep. OPEN TO: AEU members on PAC.

PAC Information Session (online)

Thursday 16 September 5.00pm – 6.00pm

AEU members who hold positions on PAC have up to date information regarding the Enterprise Agreement and PAC consultative processes. This session explores the fundamentals of the PAC and critical work that the PAC achieves, including consultation, decisionmaking and examples of effective PACs. OPEN TO: AEU members on PAC.

*SAVE THE DATES! Preschool members event Monday 27 September Kaurna Cultural Centre: AEU members events

Wednesday 6 October

Aboriginal Members Conference Friday 8 October

Vale Jan Lee

David Tonkin recalls the life of his friend Jan Lee, former SAIT General Secretary, who passed away earlier this year.

Jan Lee was a teacher, unionist and comrade of great courage, commitment and competence.

After returning to Australia in the midseventies after a stint in the UK, she took on the special class at Mawson High School. In that role, she was both firm and compassionate. She set high expectations of attitude, behaviour and learning. She was adamant that her students could and would learn successfully, and must have access to the same range of experiences and opportunities as other students – a rather revolutionary attitude at that time.

She became actively involved in the Mawson Staff Association, a sub-branch of the SA Institute of Teachers (SAIT), as the AEU was called at the time. She was elected to the SAIT Executive, and in 1982 was appointed as the SAIT General Secretary.

She immediately marked herself out not only as a very capable administrator of staff and resources, but also as a strong contributor to the collective political leadership of the union. She loved a challenge, and involved herself in the creative and proactive thinking, planning and action of the heady days of the 1980s – several rounds of massive campaigns and strike action for better conditions for teachers and SSOs, and improved resources for public education.

Her effectiveness as a progressive voice and activist can be measured by the action of a new Executive of the union in dismissing her on completely spurious, factional grounds in 1985. She had the overwhelming support of the staff and the SAIT Council, and was ultimately successful in winning reinstatement after a court decision.

And while all this was going on, during her time as General Secretary, she completed a law degree. Later she worked at Thebarton Senior College, where she became Assistant Principal, and then, after retirement, a highly successful Latin student at the University of Adelaide. She did love a challenge.

She lived her life on a broad canvas. She was cricketer and hockey player. She loved opera, music, art and literature. She was bushwalker, camper and inveterate Kombi owner. She loved children and they enjoyed playing (especially cricket) with her.

Jan was always considered, industrious, conscientious, fair and insightful. She possessed great moral courage and intellectual honesty.

She was loyal, and a valuable critical friend. She certainly pulled me up a few times when she thought I was wrong or about to do something stupid. Thankfully. And she was great fun.

She rounded out her life with a loving relationship with her partner, Jane, and capped it all off as a mother to a wonderful daughter, Phoebe. n

David Tonkin served as Vice-President and President of SAIT during the “heady” 1980s.

WiLD turns 10!

In early July, the AEU ran our Women in Leadership Development (WiLD) program for members for the tenth year.

This year’s was special as it was our first “WiLD & Deadly” program specifically for Aboriginal women. 12 members (note: Karen, Natalie and Sheryl are missing from this photo) took part in the 3-day training and networking course.

With a focus on developing your own leadership style through conditions of uncertainty, exploring the Department for Education’s Merit based system for leadership jobs and visiting other unions to see their work for Aboriginal and women members we worked together to learn from one another and to support one another as leaders. n