We live in a time of immediate gratification, and at election time, political parties love to pander to what we want, right now.

A recent 3 News Reid Research poll asked voters what they prefer for education. Would they like Labour’s policy of 2,000 more teachers to schools in an effort to reduce class sizes, or National’s super teacher policy to pay skilled teachers more to collaborate and share their knowledge with other teachers? 

The issue has been framed as one of quantity versus quality. But it can also be framed as immediate gratification versus long-term growth. It’s unsurprising then that there is more support for Labour’s class size policy. Just over half of those polled (52%) preferred Labour’s small class sizes, while 40% preferred National’s super teachers (with 8% don’t knows).

It’s not surprising because for parents, the class size policy is concrete and immediate. Their children will have more time with teachers. The super teacher policy on the other hand will likely take years to develop, and more time still to see results. It will have growing pains.

It’s not surprising that primary school teachers prefer smaller classes too. The NZEI announced yesterday that 93% of their members voted ‘no confidence’ in the Investing in Educational Success (IES) policy. Anecdotally from primary teachers I’ve talked to, they actually seem to like the collaboration aspect of the policy, but the part they struggle with is the idea of paying a select few a massive wad of cash.

In many ways, this is completely understandable. There are hundreds of schools networking together informally despite the fact they are in competition with one another for students. Collaboration happens when teachers have a collective moral purpose, so it is no wonder they fear super teachers coming in and telling them how to run the show. It has the potential to unravel the work already done to build trust and a sense of shared purpose across communities of schools that have developed organically.

But there is a longer-term bigger picture here that requires a culture shift.

It is about the people who will go into teaching in the future. My mum, who was a wonderful teacher, went into teaching at a time when there weren’t that many options. Nowadays, there are plenty of options for bright, inquisitive young people who want to make a difference, have a meaningful and rewarding career that enables them to grow as people, and be fairly paid for their skills. 

It is understandable that parents want small class sizes now, and it is understandable that for teachers, smaller classes is the path of least resistance. But the longer term picture requires people to think beyond their short term interest. It will be interesting to see how the government paves the way forward.