The public education community took to social media last week, enthusiastic about the launch of the union’s More Than Thanks campaign.
Federation members, parents and other supporters of public education in NSW are campaigning for decent salary increases for teachers and improvements to their working conditions.
Education writer Maralyn Parker challenged Premier Gladys Berejiklian to pay teachers wages commensurate with their responsibilities: “Yes, pay teachers more! (They so deserve it.) And better pay might help attract more people to the profession. Do it Gladys. #PayTeachersMore #IStandWithTeachers #TeachersRock.”
Ahead of the special member broadcast to launch the campaign, members of the public education community shared through social media the importance of the campaign.
“Teaching is high stakes. If we want the best for our children then we should treat teachers with respect, recognise the complexity of the profession and pay teachers better,” wrote Michelle Hostrup.
Members expressed a sense of comradery, no matter their location.
“I’m in my kitchen watching. Unity and coffee. #morethanthanks,” tweeted Sarah.
Alice Leung wrote: “Joining the @TeachersFed statewide meeting from my garage. We can still show our collective strength even in a pandemic.”
Positive responses to broadcast included:
“If we were there in person @AGavrielatos and @TeachersFed you would have heard an amazing and outstanding applause for our cause! #morethanthanks #teachersmatter #solidarity,” from Cherine Spirou.
Briona Gill: “Thank you @TeachersFed for brilliantly articulating what exhausted teachers are feeling ATM #morethanthanks.”
Members voiced their feelings about the nature of their workload and the support they need.
Kristin shared with followers: “#morethanthanks as a teacher I need: my classes covered when I’m sick; a competitive salary; a break from the cascade of policies and needless administration; extra release time to do my complex job.”
Alicia Stephens’ posts included: “We shouldn’t spend more time documenting a lesson than we do deliviering it. Teachers need more time to be able to do their job properly. #morethanthanks,” and, “I have 20 years of teaching experience, and 5 degrees. I deserve #morethanthanks – I deserve to be able to do my job well and still have time and energy to spend with my family.”
“Teachers spend on average 14.9 hours of administration work! Finland between 1-2 hours. This needs to change. @TeachersFed #morethanthanks,” wrote Cherine Spirou.
The More than Thanks commercial, shown during the broadcast, got the following reaction from Annelise Dixon: “That new advertisement is profoundly moving, it moved a colleague to teas. These statistics are shocking!”
Members were keen to amplify knowledge about why teachers need improvements in their salaries and conditions.
“Teachers need #morethanthanks. We need more time to plan and program, time and space to collaborate with colleagues and competitive salaries that will attract and retain the teachers needed to meet the growing enrolments in our schools,” tweeted Natalie Hudson.
From Claire Morgan: “Teachers deserve #morethanthanks. They deserve wages that recognise and reward the incredible work they do. They deserve working conditions that make them want to stay in the profession.”
Twitter users encouraged their social media followers to learn more about the problems NSW public education faces and how the government can solve it, including media commentator Mike Carlton, with 154,000 followers.
They also encouraged them to support the campaign.
Deb Hogg: “Without teachers there is no school, no education. Sign the petition: Show your support morethanthanks.com.au/show_your_support via @TeachersFed.”
From Carla Beattie: “Show your support for Teachers and Students across NSW. This campaign is about ensuring that our schools are staffed, our teachers retained, and our professional workload allows us to be the best teacher we can be for all students #morethanthanks.”
“This is about way more than a payrise: it’s about making sure there are enough teachers, with enough time to properly educate our kids,” wrote Sarina Wilson, “@TeachersFed’s new campaign launched today – to show your support, please sign the petition.”
Ray Wilton: “Long overdue, recognition for teaching staffi & their quest for better pay and conditions. Please, everyone who respects the amazing contributions they make, give a shout out in support of their campaign #morethanthanks.”
Members also supported the campaign by sharing our Instagram story and creating their own.
Other support from outside of the profession included TV journalist Tracey Spicer, with more than 58,000 followers. She reacted with “Boom!” and applause to a tweet by Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos, which included the line: “If we don’t pay teachers what they are worth, we won’t get the teachers we need.”
Writer Jane Caro shared several supportive tweets with her more than 137,000 followers, including: “The best thing a society can do for its children is support – and pay properly, and give appropriate working conditions, and reasonable workings hours, and respect – their teachers. #MoreThanThanks.”
Here’s an example of a tweet from a parent, Alicia Pearce: “I, a parent, support this campaign wholeheartedly and have signed up at morethanthanks.com.au as a supporter and volunteer. Teachers deserve a safe workplace and pay that reflects their updated work value claim #MoreThanThanks.”
The union movement is behind our campaign. The ACTU and Unions NSW retweeted some of our #MoreThanThanks posts and the National Tertiary Education Union posted: “NTEU members understand and share the struggle of @TeachersFEd members across the state — Teachers deserve #morethanthanks from this state government.”
The State Member for Prospect, Hugh McDermott, is engaged in the campaign, tweeting: “Our #teachers have worked tirelessly day-in day-out to educate our children during the pandemic. Teachers deserve a pay rise. I support calls by the @TeachersFed for pay rises up to 7.5 per cent a year and two extra hours per week of planning time.”
There’s a sense of determination and readiness to achieve significant improvements for teachers in salaries negotiations, which begin next term.
Story time with Mr Skene (John Skene) posted: “We deserve #MoreThanThanks for the work we do! CoVid hasn’t stopped us from turning up and doing our bit (above and beyond) as ‘frontline workers’ for the students we teach. Let’s come together with @TeachersFed in unity and get what we deserve.”
Cherine Spirou: “Thank you @TeachersFed and @AGavrielatos for supporting the teachers of NSW. We work hard, we are stressed, we spend hours upon hours online for the betterment of no one but the students we teach. Let’s start this campaign and move forward with it in #solidarity @morethanthanks.”
Keep spreading the word about our campaign on social media
Please join supporters of the More Than Thanks campaign and share information about the campaign with your followers on social media, using the hashtag #MoreThanThanks.
Here’s some links to share:
- More Than Thanks website
- Animation explaining our campaign More Than Thanks
- Commercial