Standing together, at a safe distance.
Welcome to our Term 3 issue for 2020. It’s not exactly the magazine we were hoping to write. When we began planning this issue, the AEU hoped to be celebrating a return to face-to-face teaching after the disruption of Term 2. Of course, the pandemic had other plans, plunging most of Victoria into an even more intense lockdown than our first.
While we can’t celebrate being back in the same room together, this issue is full of stories of educators who have found different ways
to support each other and build a crucial sense of community. We speak to graduates and principals who have developed strategies to connect with mentors and staff even when staffrooms are closed. We hear from teachers who are experimenting with outdoor education or managing the impossible art of teaching remotely while parenting.
We also take a broader look at other urgent issues, from the risks of edu-business, to the dismantling of public education in America, to how Australian schools could better teach Indigenous history.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that the work of educators is essential. In the news section of this magazine, you’ll find details of the way the AEU has been advocating for educators in every sector throughout this crisis – and how the essential business of negotiating new agreements continues. We hope this issue reminds you that we all continue to stand together – even if circumstances keep us apart.
Feel free to browse through our new issue online or read all the latest stories here.
