From live gigs to teaching music: Vic teacher speaks about the benefits, challenges of educating during the age of COVID – Podcast

The devastating impacts of the pandemic have not only altered our lives, but they have also forced many Australians to re-evaluate the security of their current jobs, their long-term viability, and even the sense of purpose they provide us.

In Victoria, for instance, a recent survey concluded that nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) of individuals surveyed have considered switching careers in the past year. And the good news for Victorian education minister James Merlino is that education and training tops the list of career options, with many individuals drawn to its stability, flexibility and the opportunity to make a positive impact in a world that has seen better days, and will hopefully return to them soon. Research also found that more than two-fifths of Victorians have considered a career in teaching (43 per cent).

One of those individuals who changed careers before the pandemic is former musician Jake Muir, now a Music and Philosophy teacher at Preston High School in Victoria. While Muir made the decision to switch careers before the pandemic hit, he's grateful he did, with many of his professional music mates now suffering from the cancellation of live shows and becoming interested in a teaching career.

In this wide-ranging interview, Jake discusses his past as a musician, his teaching beliefs, and his dreams for the future. At the same time, however, he addresses serious challenges the pandemic has thrown up, such as ensuring equity in education for all children, gaps in student learning, and having to alter some teachers' in-class practice that has been refined for decades since the switch to remote learning first began en masse.