Getting to know your vice presidents

AEU Vice Presidents, Jan and Matthew, reflect on their careers in public education and their hopes for the future.

JAN  Working with young people is exciting, it’s creative and it’s different every day. It can be super challenging but just as rewarding. Being a teacher means you work hard, you get to laugh and cry, you lose sleep but can have lots of fun too.

What’s your favourite thing about education?

MATTHEW  I love working with my students to help them develop knowledge and skills that will help them improve their lives. The most rewarding aspect of the profession has always been seeing my students take the knowledge and skills we’ve worked on together and apply them to their own lives and contexts.

Which teacher from your childhood made the strongest impression on you?

MATTHEW  It’s hard for me to identify one teacher, though I vividly remember Mr. Hood’s kindness and patience when teaching trigonometry, calculus, and statistics. He had a manner that never demonstrated any feelings of frustration, even when the class struggled to understand concepts. Mrs. Zika was a fantastic English teacher who showed us that you can laugh and joke around while learning. Without either, I wouldn’t be the teacher I am today.

JAN  My mum was a teacher, so I’ve always been surrounded by educators. She had a huge impact on me and my choice to become a teacher. But there were others, too. Wonderful people who I felt I connected with, and I knew they cared. Many of my favourites made learning fun and obviously enjoyed their work.

What do you wish someone had told you when you were a new educator?

JAN  Thankfully, they did. Living in Adelaide and with very little experience, I was offered a permanent job in a country school. Luckily, those I found around me were incredibly supportive and become lifelong friends. At times when I thought I was done with education, they convinced me I’d be OK and to keep going. I am forever grateful to them.

What was your first involvement in union activism?

MATTHEW  I started my career as a quiet union member. I’d attend sub-branch meetings and participate in ballots when they were called but wasn’t significantly active until my site began experiencing significant pressures that required collective support and action. I started by serving as the AEU PAC Representative and then the Sub-Branch Secretary. Eventually, I was leading rallies in Mount Gambier during the last round of enterprise bargaining.

MATTHEW  Our profession’s fixation on always being ‘professional’ strips away much of the humanity and personality that educators can bring to the classroom. Your ‘professionalism’ will be held up to ever-changing standards that often make you feel ashamed. You’re better off finding your own path to a positive, constructive, and fun learning environment, which allows your students to thrive.

JAN  I joined the AEU as soon as I finished studying. I remember my first rallies and marches and the excitement of being part of something important and BIG. In Port Pirie for early action in support of SSOs and around Partnerships 21. Adelaide Oval and a few on the steps of Parliament House for enterprise bargaining. That collectivism always feels amazing.

Get involved! Coming along to your first union meeting can be intimidating, but joining our network of over XX educators is one of the best things you can do for your career and the future of public education. Reach out to your sites sub-branch secretary to find out more.

AEU Committee nominations are now open aeusa.asn.au/elections

What do you think the future of public education in SA looks like?

JAN  Amazing educators, potential for positive change when we achieve funding agreements that respect public education, rebuilding in the TAFE sector – I’d say it looks bright. It will take genuine political and systemic intent, but what could be more important for our future than having fair funding and an equitable and creative public education system?

MATTHEW  There’s a lot of potential within our public education system. We have so many amazing educators pouring their hearts and souls into improving the lives of the young people with whom they work. If the Department and Government commit to listening to the educators in sites, then there’s a good chance that the future is bright.

What are you most looking forward to achieving with members in 2023?

MATTHEW  Obviously, we’ll be negotiating a new enterprise agreement and will need the help of members to ensure we get the outcomes they want. However, I want to continue working with members in other ways to achieve change - bringing them into meetings with the Department to discuss important issues and policies and organising more events like the IESP Roundtable.

JAN  Working with amazing people. The big rallies. The courageous members. The difference our union makes. It’s hard to pick one but I often think of members who we’ve supported to gain permanency and how that can change a life. They stick with me for sure. As do those we haven’t won... yet.

What are your tips for starting the year off right?

MATTHEW  It’s vital that each week, you find the time to look after yourself. Try to settle into a routine that incorporates a focus on you throughout the week - not just the weekend. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you’re going to run out of energy, which will negatively affect your colleagues and students.

And work collectively to support each other and effect change when you’re dissatisfied with what you see.

JAN  Working with a fabulous team to empower members and sub-branches and develop union leaders in sites. Being part of a bigger more active union to achieve positive change through enterprise bargaining. Working with our member committees in whatever direction members know we need to go.

What’s your favourite AEU memory?

MATTHEW  I was immensely proud to see several of my students and their families attending one of the stop work rallies in Mount Gambier during the last round of enterprise bargaining. I was flanked by one of those students at the front of the group while marching to the local Education Office. It showed that the students cared about us.

JAN  Take a real break and do what you need to re-charge. Listen to others and to your own advice. Trust yourself. If you’re not OK with the way things are, speak up and work with others to bring about change. I hope 2023 is a positive and rewarding year for members and brings happy times.

We’ve come a long way since our beginnings, but our core principles have remained the same: a ommitment to our members, to public educators, and the quality public education every child deserves.

In this issue of the Journal we celebrate our proud history, and our bright future with a fresh look and an ambitious plan.

As the nature of public education changes, we must change with it. Our transformation to 'a new union' is our first step in a new direction with members at the centre.

This year, we’re inviting those who have left us to join us again. For those we are yet to meet, to see who we are. And for those who have stuck by us, to be part of a strong and exciting union.

This starts with our members. We’ll continue to fight together for improved working conditions, for professional respect, and for the public education every child deserves.

Because no matter how we look, that’s never going to change.