THE well-being of Australian teachers & school leaders.

PROJECT TITLE: “Workplace effort and work/life conflict as factors in the well-being of Australian teachers and school leaders.” REQUEST:

I recognise that as a professional educator you may receive many requests for participation in research but trust that this project may be of particular interest to many school teachers and school leaders.
I am seeking your assistance in two ways:
1. Taking up the invitation to participate by completing the online questionnaire;
2. Passing on the invitation, through social software (e.g. LinkedIn or Facebook) or via email, to any colleagues who are school teachers or school leaders. 

I am seeking participants from Primary and Secondary school leaders and teachers, full-time, part-time and casual teachers, in all sectors. I am also seeking participants from all Australian States and Territories. 

This project invites teachers and school leaders to report on a range of workplace factors as well as the connection between work life and life outside work. With the exception of some Government commissioned workforce data collection, most previous research with Australian teachers and school leaders focuses on one group or the other and has generally not sought participants from all school sectors across Australia. This research is also being undertaken at a time when school teachers and school leaders are expected to play a key role in the delivery of the Australian Government’s reform agenda for education.

In passing on this invitation to others can you please include the preceding information as well as the following statements:
"You have received this invitation through email or social software networks either directly from the researcher or from a teacher or school leader colleague. Your name or personal details have not nor will not be recorded in connection with the collection of data. For ease of use and anonymity, participants are invited to complete an online questionnaire that should take approximately 12 to 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire can be accessed at the following website:http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1561139/AustSchoolTeacherWell-beingSurvey2014.
For further details regarding the conduct of the study, please refer to the Information Sheet on the SurveyGizmo site. The study is being conducted by Geoffrey Bowser and will contribute to the Masters degree project in Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) at James Cook University.

If you have any questions about the study, please contact – Geoffrey Bowser or Dr Connar McShane.

Principal Investigator:
Geoffrey Bowser
School of Arts and Social Sciences
James Cook University
Phone: 4781 6879
Email: geoffrey.bowser@my.jcu.edu.au

Supervisor:
Name: Dr Connar McShane
School of Arts and Social Sciences
James Cook University
Phone: 4781 6879
Email: connar.mcshane@jcu.edu.au

If you have any concerns regarding the ethical conduct of the study, please contact:
Human Ethics, Research Office
James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, 4811
Phone: (07) 4781 5011 (ethics@jcu.edu.au)".

Thank you for considering participation and if possible please invite teacher or school leader colleagues to participate.

Geoff Bowser

WORLD Autism Awareness Day 2 April 2014 Thank you for sharing our “autism life”

What is autism?


Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disability that affects, among other things, the way an individual relates to his or her environment and their interaction with other people.

The main areas of difficulty are in social communication, social interaction and restricted or repetitive behaviours and interests.



Help spread the awareness!! 

The factors which are likely to contribute to a successful school placement for a child with ASD are:

• Individualised support
• Environmental and curricular modifications
• A structured learning environment
• Systematic Instruction
• A functional approach to problem behaviours   

               http://www.autismawareness.com.au/information/schools

Website resources to support AUTISM

Terrific book resources to support AUTISM

I am sharing this post from:

Inspiring Others

Dear teachers: Thank you for sharing our “autism life”

By Amy Price Azano on April 1st, 2014

April is National Autism Awareness Month. April 2nd marksWorld Autism Awareness Day. Light it up blue tomorrow for World Autism Day. Today’s blog post is in honor of these celebrations.

First doctor’s visit. First haircut. First wave. First “Momma.” Autism is measured by these missed developmental milestones, and I have long since misplaced those typically developing checklists and corresponding stickers for my son’s baby book. His first doctor’s visit was for colic and every appointment that followed had its own nightmarish retelling. His first haircut had a similar story: fearful screams as if the barber would slice off a leg rather than a soft shaft of hair. We had no diagnosis, only a sinking feeling that something was wrong. He was a year old. He wanted no part of his birthday party or the birthday cake or the presents or the noise or the company. He got a “first birthday” sticker in his book, but not the stickers that would follow: first wave hello, say bye-bye. He did not say “momma” or “dada” or “milk” or “water” or “bed” or “hi” or “I love you.” We were left with an empty book and too many sticky reminders of those unreached milestones.

This was the autism life as we knew it — managing the daily challenges, triumphs, the revolving door of speech and occupational therapists in and out of our home, the unimaginable patience we drummed up each day, the enthusiasm for small requests, the attempts at eye contact and sounds that resembled words. Autism didn’t just isolate my son from the world; it isolated and insulated all of our worlds. There were no family vacations and too often our best laid plans were force abandoned by meltdowns or overwhelming anxiety.

That’s until I met you: the teacher in his first self-contained special-education classroom. My son was my first exposure to autism, but you were experienced with students on the spectrum. As I tried to explain the nuances of his anxieties, you reassured me and said: I will keep him safe. I cried knowing he would be afraid and confused, and you replied: He will have fun and learn how to be more independent. And each time, you were right. That’s until you kicked him out. You argued that the self-contained classroom was no longer his least restrictive environment, so you helped me find a hybrid, inclusive (reverse mainstream) preschool classroom where he would have typically-developing peers who could help with his speech and social interactions.

So then I met you: the dual-endorsed elementary and special-education teacher who invited my son to the classroom on a quiet evening after a long day of teaching other students. You sat on the floor with him while he looked at trucks and trains. You didn’t ask him any questions. You just sat quietly while he explored, and you joined him. He grabbed a car so you grabbed a car. He put down a block. You put one on top. Then you pulled out a basket and started cleaning up, and he followed in unison without either of you saying a word. Weeks later, you asked your bus driver friend to park outside your classroom during the middle of the school day. I told you he was scared of the big bus, despite his love for anything with wheels. You said: Let me try and led all the students outside, rolled pennies onto the floor, and created a scavenger hunt. All of a sudden, my son was climbing onto a bus looking for pennies — just like the rest of his new friends. You emailed me nearly every day of the entire school year to tell me about his meltdowns, his accomplishments, his response to the fire drill, the student assembly, and you brainstormed with me how we might get him potty trained before kindergarten. You graduated him with honors.

Now onto the big school with the big bus and the big kids. And there you were again: the teacher. This time an inclusive, general-education kindergarten teacher with a huge smile and a high voice and bright running shoes. You taught him to love school, to read, to make friends. You coached him into taking turns on the tricycle. You made him star of the week and came to his first ever friend birthday party because he invited you. You hugged him every day (and still do when he sees you in the hall).

Now we get to track educational milestones — and they’re sticky, too, with glue and finger paint and your silly smiley faces at the top of his first grade work. My son has a favorite author, greets his bus driver every morning, has play dates with his neighborhood friend, enjoys school and told me twice today that he loves me — and it’s largely because of you, teacher. Doctors visits are still challenging, meltdowns happen, haircuts are out of the question, but now I have someone from the “outside” who understands, who will brainstorm interventions and offer objective advice. You have asked me to trust you and, in return, you love my son. You keep him safe, teach him independence, and instill a love for learning. You honor his way of being in the world. You are a part of our autism life and make us all feel less isolated. Never underestimate your role or question whether or not you make a difference. Trust me: You do.

Amy Price Azano is a professor of adolescent literacy at Virginia Tech. Follow her on Twitter@ruralprof.