"Naturally there will be room for local learning and teacher initiatives."

Oh, that we could afford to be as complacent as Sniggid...

Talk to teachers in America and they will tell you of neo-conservatives over there seeking to dismantle the teaching profession. Of the proliferation of teacher-proof lessons. Of teachers being forced to teach more and more scripted lessons. Of inspectors visiting schools to ensure that teachers are actually sticking to the script.

How can we be so confident that such things will never happen in Australia?

A teacher colleague of mine offers the following comment:

A civilized, diverse and harmonious society will always need teachers, learners and thinkers. And so, with this noble philosophy, I entered the teaching profession. But I sense a subtle change and now is the time for teachers to be proactive.

I need resilience because of restrictions and constraints imposed on me by politicians with conflicting agendas for maintaining the perpetuation of the status quo. I need passion because I want my students to ‘dream the impossible dream’, not to be paralysed by tradition and entrenched paradigms. And I need energy to constantly advocate for keen minds and dreamers who engage in lateral thought, now re-invented as ‘leftist ideology.’

What I do not need are yet more blueprints for conformity. I want frameworks for creative thinking and doing. Therefore, I encourage teachers to actively engage in this debate. Our kids should not inherit a future that is not of their own making.

No one person is THE ultimate expert, be they a teacher, a principal, an academic, a strategic planner or Julie Bishop. There should not be a monopoly on the wisdom required to create the optimum future for our kids, teachers and schools.

Danfrow, I've met many teachers in my 40 years, some of them would have a similar perspective to that expressed by your friend in your post. Levitators I call them; wouldn't wear out a pair of shoes over a lifetime.

I'm not the slightest bit worried by teachers bringing their passions with them and providing direction and inspiration to their students. That is what I tried to do as a maths teacher and as a principal. But I never forgot about the basics of numbers, science, written and spoken English and the relevance of history, geography and economics. It is alright to dream, but only after one takes care of the basic knowledge, skills and understandings.

Having not worked in the US I can't comment on the current thrust of their arrangements with inspectors, etc. We had these things in my early years of teaching. Quite frankly it wasn't all that bad if you "knew your stuff" and "learnt how to play the game". You could still inspire the students and bring your character, passion and humour with you. One doesn't have to come from a "liberal" perspective to do a top job with kids.

There is a top article in today's Australian by Janet Albrechtsen in the Opinion section. Well worth a read.