The ongoing debacle surrounding teacher pay is nothing short of disgraceful.
As professionals, teachers have shown a large degree of tolerance over what is simply not acceptable. How likely is it that any other industry would respond in such a tempered manner and continue to work despite the ongoing issues?
It's hard to imagine wharfies, meat workers, health workers or police putting up with the level of disrespect our teaching staff have.
Any other workforce would have downed tools some time ago and it says a lot about the commitment of the teachers, teacher aides and other support staff that they have hung in there so long. Maybe that's why they have been treated with such disdain over National Standards, league tables, class sizes and performance pay.
So often we hear about how important the formative years are in setting the right path of development for intellectual achievement and to develop productive members of society.
Time and again the disregard shown for those on the frontline makes a lie of all the posturing about the importance of the work that goes into those early years.
