Top Catholic principal tells parents ‘trust us’

A LEADING Catholic principal has taken to national TV to assure anxious parents that teachers are working hard to master remote learning.

With families concerned their children will be setback with their education, Merici College principal Loretta Wholley sent a strong message to parents saying “Trust us.”

Speaking on Channel Ten’s “The Project” earlier this week, Loretta said: “What we have is a nation of teachers who have worked so hard to make sure that remote learning is working well.

“Know that those teachers are working hard.  We want you (parents) to look after your children’s well-being and keep them motivated and engaged.

“Leave the teaching to the teachers.  We’ll pick up the gaps if there are gaps, when they come back to school.  Trust us.”

Loretta, who also heads the Catholic Secondary Principals Association, said the government had consulted unions and education bodies in shifting to remote learning but was disappointed that principals were not more involved.

“We haven’t been involved in the process and that is pretty frustrating,” she said.

“We (teachers) are control freaks deep down.  To be out of control in this way is very frustrating for me.”

The dynamic principal contrasted the current approach with the way schools were involved with planning and decisions earlier this year during the bushfires.

“We want to get our young people learning and continue their learning,” Loretta said.

“Every school knows how they work.  Principals and the teachers are experts here.  If we have a national goal that says by a certain date we want everyone back and this is the date, talk to us and we can work out how to do this together.”