Hi Mark
I wonder why they are cutting down on teachers, did they give a reason? I hope it's not the teacher's side. Years ago I spent a couple of days (I wish I'd had more!) helping out at a school for special needs kids in Canberra and the teacher's aides were indispensable.
The class teacher was so busy with assessments and the aides not only helped the teacher but kept the kids occupied and happy. Some of them were like a second mum to some of the kids & gave them heaps of love.
At that school they took a minibus full of kids from the local women's refuge. Those poor kids had been in homes with terrible violence and what shocked me was not only how many of these poor kids there were, but how angry at life they were. They broke my heart! They were so terribly unhappy and older than their years. So sad.
I had a little girl there who had some kind of severe learning disorder. I had to assess her ability to catch a ball, which she missed every single time no matter how carefully I tried to pass it to her, but she thought it was marvellous fun and giggled and laughed with delight every time. I kept wishing I could take her home with me! What a gorgeous little girl.
Good luck with centrelink tomorrow! Let us know how you go. 🙂👍
