Y this Generation is ready to teach our children

Additionally, contrary to the notion that Generation Y is uninterested in the wellbeing of others, over two-thirds of students indicated a desire to teach in a public school. These results bode well for the future recruitment of high-quality graduates to the public school system.

Given the low importance student teachers place on salary, their high degree of community-mindedness and support for the public system, could there then be some truth to the accusation that we have a bunch of left-leaning revolutionaries on our hands, ready to storm our classrooms and brainwash our kids?

The data from our surveys does not support the portrayal of those in the teacher education system as leftist, activist or bent on political indoctrination of the young. Most of these students are 18 to 21 years of age (therefore recent products of the current school system) yet there is no evidence they have emerged from their secondary schooling with a proclivity for leftist political views.

Among the many reasons cited for wanting to teach, the desire for “social justice” was rated towards the bottom of the scale, along with salary and working conditions. The low importance for such a characteristically leftist term, and the high importance ascribed to politically-neutral labels such as “desire to help others” and “to make a difference”, indicates these student teachers are no more leftist as a group than the general population.

Also noteworthy is that less than 2 per cent cited “character/morals/values” or “authority/discipline/control” as being the most important attributes they would seek to bring to the profession. This should not be read as a signal that they expect to teach classes free of values or without discipline, since the question merely asked about the most important quality they would bring to the profession. Rather, it suggests they do not perceive their main mission as teachers to be one of indoctrinating their students into a particular set of values.

Our studies reveal that those who are preparing to enter the teaching profession are outstanding individuals with a love of their subject and a desire to help others. As one student teacher who achieved a UAI of 99.5 said: "it has always been my dream to teach".

For those who are ready to write off incoming teachers as bubble-headed ne'er-do-wells or ideologically-driven social activists, the evidence of these studies should give pause. We need to re-consider the negative and unfair portrayal of Generation Y's qualities. Any parent would be pleased to know their children will be taught by such outstanding young people.