COVID has impacted everyone’s life. For teachers, it’s been a particularly tough 18 months, with empty classrooms and a shift to remote learning being the new norm throughout much of the country.
International Teachers Day is a chance to say thank you. It takes place 5 October every year and allows us to acknowledge the hard-working teachers throughout Australia, and the unique challenges they’ve faced.
To help shine a light on this vital profession, we went straight to the source. Martin Ogle is a Catholic Super member and a teacher with over 30 years’ experience. He was kind enough to share his views on teaching in challenging times and preparing for the future.
Education, sports and travel
“I have been a teacher for over 30 years, having taught in Tasmania, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the Philippines,” explains Martin. “I was initially studying to become a PE teacher due to my love of sport, but then had a teaching prac in a primary school and loved it. So, I combined teaching and playing Aussie Rules to travel around Australia.”
“My wife and I taught on Bathurst Island, 80 kms off the coast from Darwin,” continues Martin. “It opened our eyes to a culture that we knew very little about. I was also a member of the inaugural Tasmanian Reconciliation team, and continue to be amazed at the creativity, determination and pride of Australia’s first people.”
“I have been writing, for a number of years, a musical about the effect white settlement has had on Tasmanian Aboriginals, as I feel music is a wonderful way to pass on the message and lessons from this distressing time.”
Education in a time of COVID
Teaching has always evolved to meet the changing needs of students. But the last 18 months have been unique, with a seismic shift in how teachers and students interact.
“I am very lucky as I work with students from kinder to year 12, so I see some of the most outstanding, enthusiastic students who are keen to fix a world that we are leaving to them,” says Martin.
But like many other educators, he’s seen the impact on students as lockdowns and home schooling have continued. “Teaching is all about [a personal] relationship, remote learning makes that difficult. I have a daughter who is studying at university, and she is expected to do up to 7 hours of Zoom calls a day. That’s definitely having an impact.”
It’s also impacting the broader education sector. As Martin notes, “I am encountering high levels of anxieties from the earliest year levels to the finishing years, and teachers are having great difficulties understanding how to cope with this.”
Planning for tomorrow
The world may be full of uncertainty, but at least Martin is set-up for the future. He joined Catholic Super several years ago after being unsatisfied with his previous fund. As he explains, “I swapped funds after my wife and I were involved with a major super fund that had many issues including transparency and integrity issues. We shopped around and finally settled on Catholic Super – we just wished we had done it earlier.”
That being said, Martin isn’t quite ready to retire just yet. As he notes, “Even though I am eligible for retirement soon, I have no plans to do so as I love my job and the people I work with in Tasmania and all across Australia.”
Martin’s latest project is a book he’s co-authored, MJR 24/7 – A book for Life. “I am very lucky that I get to help students deal with issues like anxiety, loneliness, coping with mental health issues and believing in themselves. I love this work and feel privileged to be able to help in this much needed area of pastoral care that is often neglected due to time pressures.”
As he summarises, “I know my current teaching role affects and impacts many students and staff and I am grateful to be in a position to be able to help those in my care.”
