Justice for teachers

A Guest Post by Year 8 Student Eli Symon

Introduction

Shortly after I started school at Balmoral my parents took me to a teachers’ strike. I stood by the Balmoral KFC crossing cheering the teachers on. That was 7 years ago. Sadly, things haven’t gotten much better for teachers. Now, nearing the end of my time at Balmoral, I have learned how to have my own opinions. I got to express how I felt by participating in the most recent strike action in town.

The strike was, to sum it up, gruelling. The sun was scorching. My legs felt like cinder blocks from having to stand for hours holding my massive sign. The crowd kept jostling us. I was waiting and waiting for the speeches to finish and the march to actually start. It was not a good time, but I stayed because I knew what I was doing was important.

Why are teachers important?

I should explain why I consider teachers are so important. Teachers give us the skills and knowledge to become good students. As good students, we can go on to learn different professions. And yes, at times school is boring, but I would rather survive thirteen years of school, so I don’t end up becoming a jobless bumbling dolt.

The teachers at Balmoral have been particularly important to me, because they have always found a way to support me. I want to help them, so they can continue to help more people too.

What are the teachers asking for currently?

What the teachers are asking for is pretty clear:

• They want better pay- because, like so many others, their power bills and grocery bills keep going up, and their pay doesn’t go far enough to cover it.

• They want better working conditions- because they have overwhelming workloads preparing classes, which is made worse by the government frequently changing the curriculum.

• They want smaller class sizes- so they can have more direct connection with the students.

There are more demands but those are the big ones. Because of these conditions, more and more teachers are leaving the profession or moving to Australia for better pay. That creates more vacancies, which puts even greater pressure on the remaining teachers, and is the reason why we have relievers.

What is the government’s position on these demands?

The government’s position is that they think they have made enough strong offers which includes investment in learning support and teacher learning registration. They say that their latest offers would see a large percentage of high school teachers earn over a hundred thousand dollars a year. I note that is only for high school teachers, not primary or intermediate teachers.

Conclusion

I have had awesome teachers at Balmoral. And I want future students to also have awesome teachers to help them navigate through their time at school. So, if you agree with me, I encourage you to be kind to the teachers in class, and support them and help them outside of class, through protests and other actions.

---

About the Guest Author

Eli Symon is a Year 8 student from Balmoral School, Auckland who has recently discovered the power of advocacy through his Rich Challenge project — Balmoral School’s version of home learning that invites students to explore issues that matter to them. His interest in justice for teachers began years ago, when he attended his first strike as a young child, and has grown into a thoughtful, articulate voice for fairness in education. The piece he has written reflects both his developing understanding of civic engagement and his deep appreciation for the teachers who have shaped his learning journey. The accompanying photo shows Eli at the recent Queen Street protest, standing proudly for the people who have stood for him.