ABC Compass Program 'The Staffroom'

3-part series screening from Saturday 12 August at 6pm on ABC & ABC iview

Five days a week, 40 weeks a year, nearly 4 million young Australians go to school.

For six hours a day, teachers not only teach our sons and daughters, they also cajole, comfort, and celebrate the students in their care.

In this three-part documentary series, three high schools give Compass unfettered access to their classrooms and staffrooms to find out what makes teachers tick. Presented by Jane Caro, well known for her interest in education, The Staffroom goes behind the scenes, into the teachers "sacred spaces" and reveals a reality far more complex than the media headlines suggest.

Focussing on the experience of six teachers, Jane explores what drives them, what defeats them and what inspires them.  We observe them as they teach, wrestle with student demands, and cope with the constant deluge of marking and admin!  

Along the way Jane busts some myths about life as a teacher –that they work short hours, that teaching is a ‘plan-b' career, and that they get 12 weeks of holidays a year. Instead, Jane uncovers that teachers truly are the lifeblood of our schools.

Jane Caro is an author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and social commentator.

She has published several books, including "The Stupid Country: How Australia is Dismantling Public Education" and "What Makes a Good School?", both co-authored with Chris Bonnor. She appears in the media regularly including Q&A, The Drum and Sunrise.

Two of our very own incredible science teachers represented Canley Vale High School in the production of this documentary.  

Ms H Arfanis is a trained clinical research assistant who earned a Diploma of Education in her forties. She started teaching science in 2005 and has "never looked back". In front of the class Helen feels like she is a performer on   stage and gives her all to creating "informed citizens."

"I said to them ‘one day you will vote, you'll vote on issues like climate change, you'll vote on issues of stem cell therapy, you will vote on issues on a lot of subjects, renewable energy and what not and you need to be informed'."

Mr K Swinfield has been a Science teacher for 43 years. He retired for a brief three months, then returned to the profession because "there is only so much golf you can play!" He started as a casual teacher at Canley Vale six years ago and was so impressed by the work ethic of the students, most of whom are from a migrant background, that he hasn't left. "I thought my God this is heaven, every teacher should be able to come to a school like this and see what it should be like."

"As you go into that classroom you have the ability to be able to make that child's day lousy, disinterested, boring or make it exciting, creative and coming out wanting to learn more.  You've got to be really resilient, you've got to take the knocks… the kids will take you apart and you've got to be able to live with those sort of things".

Two other schools and their teachers contributed to the program also and they are - Jwan Hamama and Rachael Bakhos from Mary Mackillop Catholic College and Chris Shiels and Luke McKee from Concord high School

Episode Synopsis : 

Episode 1, Saturday 12 August at 6pm on ABC & ABC iview

In the first episode, we meet 6 teachers from three high schools and take a crash course in life as a teacher. Jane interviews teachers in the staff room, in the classroom, at home, and doing their hobbies to paint a complete portrait of their day to day challenges and joys. 

Episode 2, Saturday 19 August at 6pm on ABC & ABC iview

In this episode Jane busts some myths about life as a teacher and reveals the pressure most teachers are under. This includes an overwhelming amount of marking and paperwork and the challenges of managing student behaviour.  Teachers reflect on how mentoring would help stop new teachers from giving up early on in their careers.

Episode 3, Saturday 26 August at 6pm on ABC & ABC iview

In our final episode Jane digs deeper into the personal toll that life in the classroom has taken on our six teachers. We see how handling difficult students can erode the periodic satisfaction gained by making a difference in a child's life. The importance of self-care is highlighted as teaching becomes an around the clock, all-demanding vocation.

Production Team:

Presenter:  Jane Caro, Producer: Deborah Boerne, Editor: Philippa Byers, Researchers: Francoise Fombertaux and Colleen Diamantis, Series Producer: Jessica Douglas-Henry & Commissioning Editor: Julie Hanna

http://www.abc.net.au/compass/