Morning Tea In The Gardens

I work in a division of people who love to bake, which means we will find any legitimate excuse to hold a morning tea.  Over the past year this has included many staff goodbyes and welcomes as our tiny division of 12 people has had 5 pregnancies (and six babies in total as one was pregnant with twins).  This morning we had a bit of a mother's group going on as four of our five new mothers came in to have morning tea with us along with their babies.  As the weather was nice we also decided to have it outside in Treasury Gardens.  There was our usual assortment of delicious food: pumpkin tarts, mushroom tarts, seven layer dip and tortilla chips, assorted pastries and caramel slice.  It was great to meet the babies and catch up with everyone as they will all gradually start to return to work next year.  This of course means we will have another series of welcome and goodbye morning teas!

New Directions for School Leadership and the Teaching Profession

This morning I was privileged to attend the launch of the discussion paper I've been working on New directions for school leadership and the teaching profession by the Premier, Minister responsible for the Teaching Profession, and Minister for Education at Parliament House.  The paper outlines the Government's strategy for moving the Victorian education system into the global top tier by improving the teaching profession.  The three key reform areas focus on attracting great people into teaching, creating a high performing profession, and leaders providing strong direction and support.  Consultation on the paper will now occur over the next few months, and should lead to a longer term strategy.

Quietly Living Life

I have been a bit neglectful of the blog lately since I haven't been doing too much outside of my normal routine.  April has been full of its usual holidays (Easter, ANZAC Day) so it's been nice to have shorter work weeks and some days off.  I have been good about getting myself to the gym at least three times a week for one to two hours of classes (depending on the day).

At the end of March the Department moved into its new structure, so I am now working in a new division, but under my old general manager.  My main focus is still on school workforce reform, and hopefully at some point the paper I have been working on will see the light of day.  We are also awaiting the announcement of the state budget on Tuesday to see if there will be further cuts to the public service (currently 10% will be cut over the next two years). 

The AFL 2012 season began in March and Essendon has had a great start to the year.  We are currently 4-1, having lost the ANZAC Day match to Collingwood on Wednesday by only one point in a heart stopping finish.  The boys are playing better with each round, and hopefully this momentum will continue to build throughout the season.  I also hope to actually make it to at least one game this year!

Tamales at Mamasita

Although I haven't been to any gigs for the last couple months (never fear, there are some shows coming up in May) I have been catching up with friends, including Will and Helen who have been out visiting from the UK with their little ones.  I have also been getting out for lunch and dinner at some old favorite restaurants (Mamasita, China Red, Shuji Sushi) as well as trying some new places such as The Hardware Societe, The Mess Hall, Miss Marmalade, and burgers at Hoboken and Phoenix Public House.  I am also completely obsessed at the moment with the delicious macarons at La Belle Miette.  Kat and I have been escaping work to go there on an almost weekly basis.  They made special hot cross bun and Easter egg ones for Easter, and the salted caramel macaron is one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted.  Check them out if you are in Melbourne.

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 29

Today was day two of the AARE Conference.  I attended sessions on NAPLAN exams, the Radford Lecture by Lyn Yates from The University of Melbourne, and a social justice panel discussion on equity and education research, policy and practice.  Oh, and I also presented as part of a symposium with Deakin University on learning space redesign and pedagogy (the reason for this trip).  I really dislike public speaking, but the session went well.  I gave the Victorian Department perspective on our learning spaces research agenda, and Deakin talked about a few of the projects they have done for us.  I am glad it is over and now I can relax a bit.  Tonight I have a special interest group dinner to attend to meet others who are interested in politics and policy in education.

Today's outfit:
Floral top (Banana Republic)
Black skirt (Ann Taylor Loft)
Black tights
Black heels (Steve Madden)

Photo by Elizabeth

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 24

Today was a day of industrial action in the city.  The Community and Public Sector Union held a stop work rally at 11am around our campaign for Fair Pay For Fair Work from the Victorian government because 2.5% is not enough.  Considering our department executives have been receiving yearly bonuses of around 14%, I think the government can at least give the public sector workforce something that meets the current CPI level of around 3.6%.  After gathering for the rally we marched to the steps of Parliament House.  We also joined the big Australian Nursing Federation community rally at lunch time where they marched from Bourke Street mall to Parliament House.  It was a sea of red along Bourke Street as the nurses fight to maintain and improve nurse patient ratios and ensure a high quality public health sector.

Today's outfit:
Black shirt (Now)
Grey striped pants (Old Navy)
Black flats (Tony Bianco)

Photo by Onagh

Wear My Wardrobe- Day 14

Tonight after work a group of us went to see economist and Federal Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh speak about The Economics and Politics of Teacher Merit Pay at an event run by the Grattan Institute.  It was an interesting discussion and Q&A session in addition to being very relevant for my current work.  Afterwards we headed to Seamstress on Lonsdale Street (site of today's photo) for drinks and a bite to eat.

Today's outfit:
Dress (odille)
Black cardigan (Charter Club)

Photo by Elvira

Middle Management, Here I Come

In exciting news I got the secondment to the manager position I interviewed for!  Starting on Thursday I will be the acting manager until February 2011.  The other good news is that Chantal has come back to the branch and will be working with me.  It's just like old times.

Hopefully, however, this doesn't happen to me:

Job Interviews

The one great thing about getting an ongoing job earlier this year was that I did not have to do job interviews anymore.  They are definitely my least favorite part of the application process, especially when I've had these horribly long hour and half ones with an activity (usually writing a briefing).  I'm just not that good at interviewing, especially when the panel is all people you know or work with.  It's a bit hard to sell yourself and your accomplishments when they see what you do on a daily basis.

I have, however, dressed up nicely today to interview for a two month secondment to a manager position in my Branch, which is covering for my manager who is going on holidays over December and January.  The interview process this time was a little less stressful as it was an informal conversation for 20 minutes.  I felt that I did well answering their questions and emphasizing my strengths.  Hopefully I'll be given the opportunity to do the role- will hear a result sometime next week.

Visiting Schools

Over the last week and a half I have been able to escape the office and visit schools to do some filming. We are putting together a short DVD to show what a wider workforce in schools looks like and try to get away from the image of one teacher in front of 25 students in a classroom. We went to schools in the eastern and northern suburbs, as well as Ballarat. All these schools are using a variety of staff with different expertise to work in teams with students. Some of the schools also have built brand new open learning spaces using state and federal funding. It was good to get back into a school environment, and one school in particular with open learning spaces and teams of teachers made me even consider wanting to return to teaching. Now the fun will be editing down the massive amount of footage we have into 10 minutes. We probably have enough material to make several clips on different topics.

A Week Of Win

This has been a very good week for me personally as I have made progress on two big goals for the year. The first is that I finally have permanent employment as a Senior Research and Policy Officer in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. I thought this day would never come as I have been applying for ongoing jobs for quite a while and just missing out. It has been a frustrating and stressful time as my latest fixed term contract was due to finish in September. Thankfully I no longer have to worry and can relax. I will be working in the same research and policy area I have been in for the last two years doing work focused on school workforce reform, pre-service teacher education, and open learning spaces in schools.

The other thing I have had to deal with is applying for Australian citizenship. My permanent residency visa needed to been renewed this year if I ever wanted to leave and get back into the country. Since I was going to have to pay the government either way, I decided it was time to finally put in my application for citizenship. My citizenship appointment was originally scheduled for early August, but in a strangely proactive move for a bureaucracy, I got a call last week asking if I would like to move up my appointment. "Yes please" I said, so today was the new day. I had spent this week getting certified copies of documents done and studying for the citizenship test by reading Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond. The whole appointment took about 20 minutes from start to finish. First they went through my application and checked all my original documents to verify my identity. Next I was brought into the testing room to take the test, which I passed with a 100% score! I now need to wait 4-6 weeks for a decision, and then anywhere from 3-6 months to attend a citizenship ceremony, which is the final stage of the process. I am hoping it won't take too long because I would really like to be able to vote in the upcoming state and federal elections. It will be fun to have dual citizenship.

Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development: One Year On

Today I attended the Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development: One Year On Forum at the MCG. The first year of the Blueprint has seen the development and implementation of 42 actions across three reform strategies: system improvement, partnerships with parents and communities, and workforce reform. The Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development: One Year On report highlights the achievements made in the first year of Blueprint implementation and describes the actions that the Government commits to in 2010.

Both Ministers were there to present on achievements in the early childhood and education portfolios over the past year. Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard was going to attend, but couldn't make it at the last minute due to the crazy politics currently taking place in the opposition party in Canberra. We had two workshop sessions to explore themes around the new actions for 2010. I attended sessions on workforce reform and school education where each table discussed some of the specific actions and provided feedback and ideas. The day ended with a plenary session with the Secretary of the Department.

Job Interview

This morning I had a job interview for an ongoing position in my current Branch. The process consisted of a twenty minute reading and writing exercise around a research proposal, and then a thirty minute interview. I thought things went well, but I also know they were interviewing people for most of the day. Who knows how I will measure up against the other candidates.

The interview panel consisted of people I know and/or work with (3 of whom are management in my Branch), which I always find to be a challenge because a)it's hard to talk yourself up to people you work with and b) you have to face them after the interview is over. I have interviewed so many times for jobs in this Department that I should be used to it by now. My current role is a fixed-term position until September 2010, so it's not like I am in trouble if I don't get this. However, policy and research is what I am interested in and there aren't that many ongoing positions in my Division unless people leave. We'll see what happens.

Unfortunately I didn't get the job as my Group Manager wanted someone with lots of research experience and a Ph.D. That is not me.

Rewarding Teaching Excellence

One of my big projects at work over the past year has been the development of teacher performance pay models for the Victorian context. The culmination of this work was the release of the Rewarding Teaching Excellence Blueprint Implementation Paper by the Minister of Education in August. The paper explores the purpose for rewarding teaching excellence, the national and international evidence, the two models developed for Victoria, and the trials in Victorian schools. Starting next year two models will be trialled in schools- individual teacher rewards and whole school rewards. The evaluation of the trials will determine whether or not there is a broader roll out of one or both of the models throughout the state.

Awkward Conversations with Management

This afternoon my Group Manager (female) came up to me and said the following:

G.M.: Would you like to go speed dating on Monday?

Me: What?

G.M.: You heard me. Speed dating.

Me: Ummm, I already have plans on Monday night, so..

G.M.: I mean for the Division meeting. We are going to have people talk about their projects while others rotate around the tables.

Me: Oh, I guess that's okay then.

I was horrified for a good minute there. Context is very important in conversations.

Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development

This week the Victorian government launched the new Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development. This document sets the agenda for education and early childhood services for the next five years. Yesterday both Ministers gave a briefing on the Blueprint to Department staff, which was one of the better presentations I've seen them both do. My work at the moment falls under the workforce reform strategies.

Here's an article from The Age about some of the actions in the Blueprint: School shake-up, with fries.

Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform

It is my second week working in the Research Branch and today I got the opportunity to attend the final consultation forum for the Blueprint for Early Childhood Development and School Reform at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Both Ministers addressed the audience about the Blueprint discussion papers and the government's reform agenda. Then we broke up into three different workshops. I was a scribe at one of the tables for the Early Childhood Development discussion. It was interesting to hear what the various professionals from different parts of the sector had to say. After the workshops everyone reconvened for a plenary session to finish up the afternoon's proceedings.

Farewell

Today at work I got to have a morning tea in my honor not only because I am going on leave back to the States for two weeks, but also since this was my last day in my current role for the next six months. After a good month and a half of waiting for the paperwork to be signed off, I have now officially secured my secondment as a project officer to the Research Branch of the Education Policy and Research Division in the Department. It should be exciting as I'll get to do new things and this is the area I really want to work in. So I'm looking forward to that, but my immediate concern is getting my packing done and surviving the long flight across the Pacific on a United Airlines plane (which I am really hoping has had a major interior upgrade since I last flew with them).

The Party Season

It's that time of year when you can't escape attending a bunch of parties. On Friday we had our Department Christmas party at work. By 2:30 pm most people were outside in the Printer's Court vying for shade and a cool drink. It was a very hot day so I only lasted an hour and a half before heading home.

On Saturday Michelle held her 30th birthday party at the Fitzroy Victoria Bowling and Sports Club. After eating a barbeque dinner we headed out to the greens to commence lawn bowling. By the end of the night my bowling had improved significantly. Michelle had four flavors of cupcakes for us to eat for dessert. It was a fun night and good to catch up with everyone.

Today I headed up to Kalorama for Peter and Mark's Christmas party. Rosemaree was kind enough to give me a ride. The boys have purchased more art since I was last up there, so we had a bit of an art walk around the house. Lunch was good but we had so much food to eat I was bursting by the end of it. I got a nice picture frame from Rosemaree and this beautiful bronze statuette with mirror from Peter and Mark. Overall it was a very busy weekend but nice to spend time with people I haven't seen in a while.

Advancement- Finally!

Before I went on leave to the States I had applied for a secondment to the School Leadership Unit in our department. While I was away they tried to contact me, so I figured by the time I returned they probably had filled the position. However, I was wrong and on Friday I was offered the position. Since time has passed it has gone from 3 months to about 7 weeks, but I am still excited to have the opportunity to do something different. I will also be getting paid on the next level of the pay scale, so that's even better.

In other Melbourne news, it is bloody hot at the moment- 36/97 degrees today and it's only spring! We have one more hot day before a change comes through tomorrow afternoon, but I am really dreading summer. Oh, and the blow flies are back. I hate them so much- annoying and they won't leave you alone.

End of Another Trip

Well, it is almost time to head off across the Pacific again. It has been great to be at home and catch up with all my friends and family. Over the past few days I have been to both of my former schools- Wilson Elementary for Halloween and their Harvest Festival and Rancho Elementary for lunch on Friday. It was nice to see all the staff that are still there from my days as well as some of my ex-students (my last class are now 5th graders, and my first class is in high school).

I had an adventure out in nature on Thursday as Lynne and I hiked around Phoenix Lake in Ross. Of course I had to go and ruin the health benefits by having the creme brulee French toast at Bubba's Diner, but it was worth it. I also spent some time with Angie and Katie, who is now 2 1/2 and a bundle of energy. Overall I have had a fabulous time, did way too much clothes shopping (I do have a new suitcase to bring stuff back in), eaten lots of Mexican food and sourdough bread, and enjoyed driving again. Guess I better start packing...