00:00A new generation of teacher not much older than her students.
00:07Can anyone tell me what we have learnt in Animal Farm so far?
00:12Olivia Parisi is on the way to living her dream.
00:15I feel like it's a commitment to inspiring others, watching people grow.
00:20After graduating from the same Cairns school she now works in,
00:24the 21-year-old took up a university scholarship
00:27that covers her four-year teaching degree.
00:30What do you think is going to happen next in the novel?
00:33It's paid by the Catholic Education Diocese in Cairns
00:36to address a critical teacher shortage across its schools.
00:40It absolutely is making a difference for us,
00:43partly because they feel that they've been supported, they're mentored,
00:48they've already got some connections and relationships with schools here in our diocese.
00:52It's not a cheap fix.
00:54The program has cost more than $200,000 since it started in 2022.
01:00But with dozens of scholarship recipients committing to at least two years
01:04with the diocese after graduating, it's worth it.
01:07We've got more people retiring than we've got people coming into the profession.
01:12So we just have to be more proactive.
01:16In the public system, Education Queensland also runs university scholarship programs for career changes
01:23and provides one-off university grants for some aspiring teachers graduating Year 12.
01:29It also has specific initiatives to attract and retain teachers.
01:34Its online interactive calculator estimates a teacher relocating to a remote school in North Queensland,
01:40where staff shortages are worst, could receive more than $10,000 in benefits and allowances.
01:47But critics want the state to do more to keep the teachers it already has.
01:52Teachers are feeling undervalued.
01:55It's not about the pay.
01:58That's just a nice way to be shown appreciation.
02:02But I think teachers are feeling a lack of trust in them as professionals.
02:07When Olivia Parisi takes the reins of her own classroom next year,
02:11she knows her workload will increase, but she's confident she has the support for long-term success.
02:18I've really been fortunate enough to have a network of people that I can go to
02:23with all my endless questions and my doubts that help guide me.
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