A Tale of Two Schools

The difference that leadership can make

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Photo by Jørgen Larsen on Unsplash

This year I worked across two high schools in Queensland as a teacher aide:

• School A: ICSEA value over 1000, well-resourced, good facilities; 37% students speak a language other than English; approximately 10 students per staff member (~1800 students).

• School B: ICSEA below 1000, dated facilities; 44% students speak a language other than English; approximately 10 students per staff member (~1500 students).

On the face of it, pretty similar schools apart from the difference in socio-economic advantage of students.

Which school would you guess had worse behaviour?

If you guessed School B, you would be wrong. In fact, School A was the worst — outright defiance, sexual harassment of staff and students, inability to be corrected, grudge-holding, near-constant computer game playing, lack of empathy for anyone.¹

So digging deeper, what differences did I notice from the back of the classroom in School B?

1. Leadership support

   1. My HOSES (and supervisor) has stated explicitly, “My staff do not come to work to be abused” and leads from the front; teaching the classes with the most challenging students.²

2. Teacher aides valued

   1. I’m asked for my: opinion on how to work with students; suggestions for strategies; potential motivations; comparisons for how students work in other classes;

   2. Teacher aides are trusted to work autonomously, there is little micro-managing;

   3. I pitched a substantial teacher aide project which was ignored at School A, and yet has been picked up enthusiastically at School B.

3. Greater connectivity and communication between inclusion teachers and support staff

   1. Inclusion teachers and teacher aides share a staff room and office space, so are regularly able to liaise with one another regarding concerns and strategies; as well as receive collegial support.

4. Student-centered

   1. All staff have a shared vision for centering the learning and dignity of students;

   2. The quality of student notes is privileged over quantity, and communication is constant throughout the day;

   3. Students know all the support staff and, for the most part, are happy to see them.

5. More flexible teaching

   1. Teachers regularly team teach classes with multiple teachers and teacher aides;

   2. Teachers seem more willing to support student needs - I’ve had multiple students lying at the back of the classroom, while still answering class questions and engaged in learning; other students seemed nonplussed.

6. Diversity of support staff

   1. There is greater diversity of support staff in terms of cultural background, languages spoken, age, neurodiversity, experience and previous employment which adds richness and value to a school with such a diverse population;

7. High expectations

   1. Students are held to a higher standard; staff are not precious with students who, as a consequence, are a little bit more adaptable, resilient, and confident.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one major difference between both schools: there is a difference of 500 disciplinary school absences between School A and School B (2023 data).

Some may celebrate this as a sign of a school willing to follow-through on consequences; but a school with approximately 800 suspensions/exclusions is unacceptable and points towards more work needing to be done to refine behaviour policy and processes; despite some of the aforementioned successes highlighted in the inclusion team/support staff.

Overall, the differences I noticed in School B amount to:

1. strong, supportive and strategic leadership;

2. clear communication; and

3. putting people first.

Despite the differences, it has been a privilege and a pleasure to serve students at both schools — who were equally as funny, insightful and completely absurd (in the best way possible).

As always, subscribers can comment below; or you can email me at teacheraideqld@gmail.com.

1. Admittedly the classes I work in are highly select, which is definitely skewing my perception of the schools more broadly.

2. A teacher in School A, previously worked for this boss in School B; and reiterated to me what an amazing leader they were - my experiences so far affirm this statement.