Principals Doctors or Destroyers ?

I believe VIT and DEECD in my case, have been used as personal instruments for a teacher and a principal to bully another. VIT, in a sense has become an instrument of workplace bullying.

You will be bullied and exterminated as a contract teacher if you just "do your job" and outshine permanent/ongoing teachers. This is the normal culture of schools. Principals will support the permanent teachers, because this is their power base. As such schools perpetuate "group think," blocking true evolution or continual improvement.

The kids are the ones that suffer ! Schools are often a disease destroying the potential of Australian citizens. No one can claim that I don't put in for the kids and care for their individual pathways. The case of DEECD and VIT against me magnifies the disease of schools as well. What are the principals and other leaders doing ?

Some Experiences of School Principals

• At Brunswick South West Primary, a teacher in grade one locked me in a room overnight. I miraculously climbed out of a 3.5m high window with a windy opener, in the middle of the night and walked home by myself. The teacher was not censured by the principal or Department of Education, to my knowledge.
• At Holy Eucharist School in St Albans, I was caned for having water fights in the hot summer, (remember about 20 students were doing the same and were not pulled up). At the same time, I was bashed at least once a week, for being a "black Indian," I was named "Coco Pops," yet I was actually more "Australian" than many of these "FOB" Europeans, Croats, Maltese, Yugoslavians and Serbs. These kids weren't disciplined for this warped racial abuse.
• Dad has a long history in Melbourne, Ballarat and Australia, related to Arthur Phillip, to being the leader of the paper boys in Melbourne as a kid, to a duce at Uni High. Being an orphan, he embodies the classic Aussie battler wins, underdog story. It is sad, he has to put up with this "hoon behavior" from the teachers, media and DEECD, against his son, by these corrupt principals in his old age.
• Mum has been a teacher for 30 years and can tell you about the corruption of many principals and the many problem issues of teachers in Victoria, yet she wont speak because teachers fear for their jobs. She went to uni with Simon and Justin Madden at Mercy College- yes we're all Essendon supporters. Mum can account for my hard work and knowing my stuff. She says that what the principals did, is madness and definitely bullying.
• One wise principal said, that when Jeff Kennett made education predominantly contract work, he destroyed Victorian education. I often think, he created much of the depression in the state, that his big baby Beyond Blue is not fixing. I was basketball club secretary, when Ed Kennett was at RMIT, he had a habit of breaking perspex backboards at Carlton Baths, when he dunked, they were good days though.
• It was funny, we asked people to fish for sponsorship back then, and he comes back securing sponsorship for Rmit Basketball club from Crown Casino. When the media picked up on this, it made national news and was cool, because one of my first logo designs was on national TV. But instead of honoring the initiative, we were sort of censured by the university at this time, because of public pressure.
• After reporting a racist bullying issue of a teacher against a refugee kid at St Albans Secondary in 2006, nothing was done about this. What I have discovered generally is that if a teacher has a permanent position, they can get away with just about anything. If they are in the union, they can get away with a few things.
• Otherwise you will be bullied and exterminated if you outshine these permanent teachers. This is why Australian Education dies not work. The principals are primarily responsible for this pattern with their politicking within schools and their general cover ups for compliance.

The latest strategy of organisations like schools, is to hide their incompetence and negligence using quality management terms like continuous improvement. What they do is they set a new standard when things are bad, goals and aims, at a point when they are failing to do their job, expressing this as the start base level with a view to improving, when what they should be asking is WHY ARE THEY SO RUBBISH NOW ?

While this is important and valid, and seems humble and realistic or measurable, it should not be used as an excuse for the unreasonably poor performance of principals, as a way to divert blame or responsibility. If a principal has not done their job, they have not done their job. Case in point is the poor performance and development culture (despite their accreditation) at vermont Secondary College. There was no true performance management in place there regarding me. My work was neither monitored or recorded. Yet because I saved a very little documentation from the school, but what is there is actually quite powerful in showing my claims, I believe.

• At Vermont, a principal actually told me, that it is ok to transport kids in my car to McDonalds, for dinner on open night at the school. I specifically asked for permission. He then used this act on camp, when I transported a student, as an allegation against me, when I saw nothing wrong with this from his precedent. In fact at several schools teachers did this.
• I then love how, as a graduate teacher, new to Vermont, VIT says, you are expected to know the very big thick manual of school procedures. Well actually no Terry, NO. It is the principal's responsibility by the ETR ACT 2006, for the running of a school. This passed down through policy and procedures/guidelines, show that the principal is actually responsible for effective induction, communication and effective mandatory mentoring. VIT exposes its ignorance of school operations here, quite strongly, If I might say so !
• The principals from Vermont perjured themselves, about this on the stand and their objective witness statements at VIT, in his sophisticated demure- objective lying ! I asked for the policy from regional office, the situation, is not like the principals make out. Also insurance is still covered by parents, unlike Terry Haye's claim in the VIT determination. Terry Hayes assessment of him as a competent administrator is rubbish.
• This is made more serious when my timetable of 70+ hours barely gives me the chance to do anything else, because the school allocated too many students for prac classes and provided no technician, such that we did this work.
• Despite refusing to support me at VCAT, after previously saying they would back me up, Principal Kerrie Dowsley and Ian Crocker have (not on paper) said the allegations were never issues at their school. Kerrie loaned me her car, several times to do certain duties for the school as a coordinator. She had a lot of faith in me.
• One just needs to look at Principal Tony Jacob's last minute plan for semester one 2007 reporting, and the pathetic allegation, blaming me for not putting reports in, when the school knew very well, that I was on extended leave and all the grades were there at the school. I mean how obvious is it, that he stuffed up and left it too late- there's plenty of evidence for this. It was not my responsibility. I was acknowledged as being suicidal at one point, as I took time to protect my health from the bullying of the principals and the negative culture they created, in those last weeks at the school.

By the way suicidal ideation, is a NORMAL effect Causal with bullying. This is well known.

• I have been kicked out of schools as a student for: lighting a firecracker at Woodstock, where I was arguably their top athlete. (This despite being on the principal's committee, House Captain, winning the Inter-school Olympics Individual Champion, being active as a Christian leader, having lead roles in drama and musicals and hiking office leader) I believe I was kicked out because I rebuked James Le Barton, for trying to force kids to speak in tongues, there were witnesses to what he was doing. It happened conveniently, when the true principal was away from the school. Was kicked out of Carey for throwing waterballoons [where I have a life membership : ) ] and fighting at Essendon Grammar, when a senior kid was bullying me.
• As far as I am concerned, principals are often very stupid people. Especially when I get threatened with violence from students, as I did at Vermont Secondary and the principals and coordinators do nothing about it. This is actually a breach of duty of care by law. My taking leave was actually the responsible thing to do, in such an adverse environment against basic policy standards and health requirements.

It shows some insanity in education, when I am censured for trivial things, and unclear things, when clear serious things in schools, are just overlooked. Its funny how my experience as a teacher, matches that of when I was a student. As a teacher my suspicions about principals and schools were confirmed. When starting my complaint about serious safety breaches and issues at Vermont Secondary College, the principal chose to hide these, by bullying me and discrediting me using DEECD and VIT, as a tool for the principal's personal workplace bullying. I was used as a scape goat. The allegations are an attempt to discredit me when I complained.

• At the same time, the experience of so many schools has helped me form the universal picture that education is super stuffed. I think I have expertise in this, from the width of my experiences. I can outline the great flaws of some very big names.
• Even ex-premiere Steve Bracks, fails in committees (the one who quit as premiere, because his kid had an accident hooning), while he has statesman value, he's not the smartest cookie on the tray, as a high level auditor recently explained to me. Just because he's part of some yuppie Williamstown network, with people like Lynne Kosky, doesn't mean these guys are above scrutiny. A teacher at St Albans Secondary, who was actively "insubordinate" to me, when I was a coordinator, at one point threatened me, saying they knew Steve Bracks and one of his sons. Wow Naomi- wow ! When I left the school she tried a similar thing, she said, "I know people at that school too you know !"

I bet you, he regretted letting Lynne Kosky reinforce hooning, until it became a hate category, especially when he discovered his own kid was enjoying hooning. While I am not a hoon, I think hooning was every Westy's and country boy's right. What are the poor "Muzzas," (Musteks) going to do now with their time ? Maybe pull out knives and stab vulnerable Indian international students, to fund their drug habits and hairstyles ? Lynne Kosky proved that she was out of touch with Victorian culture.

• At St Albans Secondary, when the IT head, trashed all my student's incredible multimedia work off the computers, I realised there was something fishy going on. My kids were irate. She was a close friend of my incumbent, who then turned up a few weeks later at the school and basically told me, he wanted his job back. This is how schools really work, jobs for the boys and girls.
• Because some principals and other blue ribbon right wing folk, have moved up into other beaurocratic rolls in DEECD and Government, there's a tendency for these patterns of misused public funds, for corruption to follow all the way to the top. Brumby was once a school teacher too remember. Every time I have rung his office, he's done nothing to help me. This from the outset. Labor used to look out for the underdog. Now it seems Labor is just a parapet for Mr.Big to squat upon !
• At a school in the the UK, a teacher trashed all my student's art work, saying, "this is not art." I was tempted to pull out a picture of David Ryan's "artometer." The kids were angry, for some, it represented their first successful creative expression at the school (year 7).
• At Pascoe Vale Girls College a principal ordered, that all my student's work be thrown out 3/4 of the way through term. Why do they do it ? I think its because they want to suppress you, after outshining their political supporters in the school, who were on maternity leave or on long term stress leave.
• At another school in the UK, a group of students got wind, that I was being mistreated by the principal (not by me). They staged a strike, locking themselves in a classroom. I was accused of being subversive, but they did it all themselves. I thought it was rather cool, I felt validated, despite the naughtiness of the kids.
• These students were extremely talented. I was sad that I left them. While I took up a position as head of my area, in another school, after I left the school, the principal held an assembly and lied that I had been fired. What a dill !
• I was head of a department in the UK, where a principal, who advised government and came to Australia recently too, was found to be swindling school funds. She moved to France, to avoid police action, from what I am told by staff at the school.
• This same principal lowered student performance to acquire government funds, for underachieving schools, from my experience of what went on.
• At another school in the UK, a principal was guilty of drink driving. I found this sort of unfair. From what I witnessed in different regions, I'd say about 70% of teachers in the UK, drink drive from the pub after work, its almost an accepted part of the culture.
• At one school in the UK, after I left, I was accused of stealing laptops and throwing chairs. This was probably a little hard with my Scottish conservative Arbroathian, girlfriend always looking over my shoulder at the school. Fortunately she wrote a letter confirming that I returned the only laptop, that I borrowed from her school.
• The person I think behind the troble was a Welsh guy called Gethin Waters, who was known for his intense fits of rage, he was known to be a druggie, there were a group of teachers at the school- I had been invited before.
• My incumbent at the school was known for throwing tools at kids. And Gethin himself had picked up a table once in class in a fit of anger, well according to a number of student's reports. None of these teachers were ever censured, despite wide knowledge of the acts. In fact He is head of department at another school. I remember being in a curriculum meeting, from which he was absent, he barged in and started accusing me of leaving a door open, after he was smoking outside. Was bizarre, but he did this at the top of his lungs, red in the face at my head and myself.
• At the previous school, despite the school rules saying there is no smoking at the school, a South African teacher smoked, right outside my door, which was glass and let students see this, during my classes. This was frequent, the students would say, "cool." Was annoying at times. He used to boast, how if a kid mucked up in South Africa, he would belt them or cane them, till they couldn't move.

So What's Going On with Alf Hickey ?

So why was this athletic, academic kiddo, who works hard, gets great results from students, thrown on the street. As I have shown, the facts are not reflected in the allegations, they are a false joke at best.

I argue that these stories are common for contract workers. Ever wondered, why there is such high teacher attrition ? People use contract teachers as scape goats, the butt of the system, to cover up the problems in schools and a patch up, so they can take extended holidays. Nevermind that guy who took sick leave to compete in sport, up for disciplinary action to VIT. This phenomena has been institutionalised and widely accepted- (what is stress leave for a whole year) ?

Like me, contract workers are often the most highly qualified, and experienced, and really care for kids. They are trained to be change agents, as I was. Unfortunately schools treat them badly. they are used and abused as fill ins, for maternity leave positions and long term stress leave positions and are often, not given permanency, especially when they achieve results. It actually seems when they don't achieve results because of low expectations, they are kept as ongoing teachers. This is just poor teaching.

I have been continually destabilized, cannot get married or have kids or financial stability. When the contract worker succeeds, their work is often suppressed or undermined, because it outshines permanent teachers. Many, who might be described as the "dead wood" in our schools.

As for the performance salary raises of Julia Gillard, the deputy PM. this money will go to the principal's political bum chums in schools and will not improve education. Principals are expert in fudging such criteria. Look ate the expert teachers on super salaries who don't know basic fact knowledge in their curriculum area like that teacher at Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary.

What these corrupt principals have done to me, sinks to new lows for Victoria.

In hindsight, if I had done engineering, and taught maths and science. I would have a safe job somewhere. This despite me having more skills than your average engineer, such that I sometimes teach them things like operations management and production optimization, which they somehow missed at university.

Its just that principals are generally not educated enough to discern a teacher's skills and value. Maybe they are more interested in their position, the politics and their income. There might be a predominance of left brain, managerial administrator's, making for a very imbalanced society. They generally, just do not have the depth, of other more holistic types of personalities.

We wonder why, we are still a dumb country that depends on its ores not its brains transforming those ores, adding value (forgive me anti-Descartesians) to survive. We all talk of being a clever country rather than just the lucky country. We even think we avoided the recession. But private vs public infrastructure works are almost dead, as an Access Economics article showed recently. I suppose its a good argument for Australia's socialist-interventionist core. Yet the current "Keynesianism" is so Capitalist at the same time. Why are we so stupid ? Instead of supporting our potential we destroy it and oppress it. We claim to be a smart country, when in essence we depend on the ground, not the mind.

I have qualifications and experience in one of the more difficult degrees at university, in Industrial Design. I have designed robots and furniture and have so many expert skills. Yet I can't find work. Why do we waste our intellectual capital ? Why is it that, people like me are oppressed and suppressed in schools ?

Many people, like me are oppressed in the education system. While we teach students to be self directed autonomous learners. When one is produced, like myself, we get kicked in the head. Education is the antithesis of its own claims and aims. This is a symptom maybe of a bigger problem, where society society itself, does not support its own claims and aims.

I was identified as a child prodigy in my philosophical thinking in year 10, by a PhD in philosophy. I was also a very capable athlete (The late Alan Barlow OAM of Box Hill Athletics Club-Olympic Coach- who sadly died this year- a real legend- the greatest encourager), said If I was nurtured, that I would one day run for my country. So why didn't I ? Mr.Bentleigh from Carey, can confirm, that I equalled the state record in the triple jump in 1989 for my category. Why haven't I fulfilled my ability, as identified by so many. SCHOOLS ARE RESPONSIBLE. Students are entrusted to schools, principals, teachers as substitute parents.

There is a word for a thing that stops a person fulfilling their potential.

Its called a disease.

When schools inhibit potential, being the default "incubators" of the potential. Schools become a disease and the cause of this, the people in charge of them. Those who are responsible, the school principals and leaders.

I blame the dodo principals ! Why is it, that when encouragers like Michael Griffiths of Essendon Grammar (architect/teacher), who encouraged my interest in Visionary Architecture, who said that I had the gift, couldn't follow through to nurture me further. It was my dislike for Maths, (maths to me is a lower form of cognition), that meant that I couldn't get into architecture at uni. Its actually probably because of a pathetic course counsellor at Strathmore Secondary College.

And while we're on Strathmore, while I designed the year 12 logo for our graduation top. The highly esteemed coordinator, Connie Clarke, married since- proves that she is "The Greek Welsher of the North," she still hasn't coughed up the prize after 18 years ! Well, at least we had fun in our VCE. We had water fights with shopping bag water bombs, before all these current water restrictions- good times. The coordinators tried to oppress the fun, they failed. I don't remember if the teachers were water bombed. I do remember that in this year, a teacher pulled out a fire extinguisher and squirted it at some misbehaving students in my class, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen. I think this "behavior management" actually worked too, the kids were laughing too hard to misbehave.

I noticed he was still working as a teacher recently.