If you can read the following, bear in mind those who cannot and the consequences.
At least one in five people in NSW cannot read or write properly. [1]
This figure, released by the O.E.C.D., is one that has remained steady over the past quarter of a century, during various administrations.
Figures from the Federal Government point to a particularly low level of achievement in this area by farmers and farm workers.[2]
The directorate of Army recruiting has expressed concern about the failure rate of potential recruits in tests of their literacy and comprehension skills.[3]
A high level of NSW Police Academy students fail their exams.[4]
A study commissioned by the Bureau of Immigration found that illiteracy cost many millions of dollars a years in lost productivity.[5]
The Industry Skills Councils released a report calling for urgent action to remedy literacy and numeracy problems. "No More Excuses" shows almost half of Australia's working age population does not have the literacy or numeracy skills required to study a trade.As well it might after so much chopping and changing between pursuit of narrowly defined vocational objectives and a fuller rounded education has created much uncertainty in the system. As a result, between seven and eight million Australians are in danger of being confined to low-wage jobs with little prospect of improvement. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive said business was having to pick up the load. "We shouldn't be the primary provider of basic literacy and numeracy education in Australia," he said. ‘Australia's education system is structurally flawed when it comes to literacy and numeracy. As a result, between seven and eight million Australians are in danger of being confined to low-wage jobs with little prospect of improvement.’ [6]
International studies have shown that over the past two decades Australia's literacy and numeracy skill levels have stagnated compared to those of other countries. According to the Australian Bureau
of Statistics in 2012, 46 per cent of Australians over the age of 15 lack the minimum literacy skills for everyday life, struggling to read newspapers, recipes and instruction manuals. [7]
Up to 65 per cent of Aboriginal people are "functionally illiterate" in English[SMH Good Weekend July 19,2014.]
It all checks out.This outcome is the result of deliberate decisions beyond any possibility of legitimate mistakes.
Unfortunately, the social and moral consequences of this shameful paralysis go just as deep. Universal literacy has to be just that-nothing less.We can’t allow half measures. Literacy is far more than being able to read a comic book while unable to understand the vocabulary of a poem or follow in prose literature the meaningful variations of syntax, the use of words in ways that open up new depths of self- comprehension.Our cohesion as a people, our togetherness in fending off disasters, depends on our ability to communicate with each other.
To further this ability, I work in a voluntary capacity at Metro Assist,a major migrant services provider. It is located in Campsie,in the heartland of new arrivals to Australia. I operate the Between The Lines Education Consultancy in conjunction with it.
My professional work involved communicating the nature of the structural flaws in the public education system in N.S.W. and one way to deal with these. A democratic,inclusivist, resource based approach.
Working through education material stored at the Centre enables both new arrivals to our country and old hands to immerse themselves deeply in our language and culture.It helps them to move forward in their reading and writing skills quickly,enjoyably and without cost.It guides them in passing on this knowledge to others.It trains them to maintain and develop these educational resources.
The Consultancy welcomes the participation of those who have difficulty reading and writing, and those who would like to help them-and themselves.
If you would like to take part, ring Allan on 98183052 or e-mail me at allanwdavis@hotmail.com
You could assist by passing this message on to interested individuals,organisations and businesses.’
I set out the Consultancy’s far reaching scope and methodology as follows:
‘The Between The Lines Education Consultancy’
The Consultancy offers all members of the family access to a professional service providing systematic and imaginative education material. The material covers knowledge essential for daily life in NSW and the wider world. Filling in the gaps in the education system- not an alternative but a complement to it. It fosters a sense of belonging, cutting across social divisiveness. It is geared to providing a key to lifelong learning. It shows concretely what teachers in the public sphere are capable of producing.It avoids information overload. In the encyclopedic material the text is minimal. Knowledge is broken down into it’s component units.It is presented in the form of self contained abecedarian units which are illustrated. The student can arrange these as desired to build on a
structure of knowledge, satisfying both his or her interests, and falling within the context of the New South Wales syllabus, an all embracing one. Everything is linked and teacher intervention is minimal. This way the student cannot but learn.
Each unit of knowledge forms part of an emerging jigsaw puzzle, producing an increasingly more complete picture of the state in which we live and the world beyond.
The reading and writing material is based on black and white comic book material which is edited. I recruited the talents of the leading writers from Mad magazine.I set about doctoring the captions and illustrations.I liquid papered out the text and drawings to create stories that preserve the best of the originals,doing away with the silliness, vulgarity and stereotypes that spoil them. This is determined by the dictates of the market more than any shortcomings of the artist.I have done so on the understanding that these cultural works,used for educational purposes, will have the respect of the artists and will earn a wider appreciation for their talents.
In all the material the aim is to have the text coincide with the image. The material is universal in appeal. It takes into account the cultural shift towards the moving image over the written word and aims to keep them in balance.It bridges the gap between what is onshelf and what is online.
One technology doesn't replace another, it complements. Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators.
Mission Statement:The vision of the founding father of Australian Federation was that all children, regardless of religion or social status “sit side by side”[8] in free, compulsory and secular schools.
The Education Act (NSW) underpins public schools with these principles.Henry Parkes’ vision was of “a new society based on equality, fairness and justice for ordinary people”. A first rate, universally accessible public education system is fundamental to this dream. “It has the potential to give equal opportunity to all. If life’s chances are seen as fair and open, there is hope. Without hope, anger and violence breed from despair”[9].
The aim of the Between the Lines Education Consultancy is to keep this vision alive. It identifies those elements that cloud this vision.
The ‘Between the Lines’ Education Consultancy
assists you to:
• Improve your research skills rapidly.
• Observe and identify surrounding phenomena.
• Read and write thereof.
• Work at your own pace with programmed assignment material.
• Gain access to the best popular encyclopedic material about all areas of knowledge.
• Store the knowledge you garner for later reference.
• Build on a structure of knowledge.
To guide your research, you are posed a number of questions and problems. You are told where to look (location) for things (phenomena), and what area of knowledge (category) these fall into.
The areas of knowledge are indicated by capital letters in the statement:
“in nature MATTER is formed from changes in ENERGY. In society PEOPLE form IDEAS about these things. Through WORK they change things. They make things both TECHNICAL and CULTURAL. These things all change over TIME”.
Arrangment of Knowledge.
1. Knowledge is broken down into its constituent parts and presented in the form of self-contained units.
2. The phenomena are arranged alphabetically and cross-referenced. In order to get more information, you are told how to go from one unit to another. It makes it easy to start anywhere with a minimum knowledge of specialized terms.
3. The names of things are entered first. Then comes what we know about them. You may, for example, want to explain the formation which four congruent right triangles make when they line their sides up. You are told to look in “Knowledge” for “Triangle, Congruent, Right”. Background information can be found by looking up “Triangle, Angle” etc.
4. As far as possible, both words and images to do with things coincide.
5. Maps are arranged alphabetically and show where things can be or could have been seen.
6. To find out more how English works, you encounter it through language situations of your choice or through studying the forms and structures of language. It is not necessary to know the terms for these forms and structures. For example, to find information on “the articles” you could look up a, the, zero article or articles, or for information on conditionals you could look up conditionals, if or unless. You could look up the ending –ed to find information on the past tense and the past participle.
7. If your English is at an early stage it is suggested that you begin by reading the entries for sentence and clause and the entries for word classes (parts of speech): noun, verb, adjective, preposition, conjunction, pronoun, determiner.
8. An inventory of items of knowledge studied by the student is made available.
9. Fictionalised images are distinguished from actual ones. They appear against a coloured background.
The Between the Lines Education Consultancy offers you a systematic listing of things about New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
• The kinds of people, what they have made, and their gathering places.
• Animals, plants and natural features.
• It covers what has gone on this area,
And what is going on now. It gives a good
insight into this area of Australia.
It gives a good overview.
Vignettes.
The Consultancy offers you a series of character sketches, descriptions and short stories-vignettes-which you can read and write about if you want to sharpen your language skills.There are three kinds of vignettes from which to choose:
1. ‘Staying Alive.’ A series of adventures in which characters confront death defying situations.
2. ‘Routine Matters.’A series of events in everyday life.
3. ‘Full House.’A celebration of life.
You are provided with model answers with which to compare your own. Discrepancies which arise lead to self-diagnosis.
The Consultant:
• Studied in all areas of NSW universities.
The University of New England described his post-graduate study as a ‘pioneering work in a very difficult area.’
• Was awarded the Teacher’s Certificate by the NSW Department of Education.
• Worked in all areas of NSW public schools.
• The heads described his practice as follows:
- “prepares his material well. Works extensively with specially prepared sheets”
- “is conscientious in assisting students”
- “is respectful in assisting students”
- “is sympathetic to students”
- “has interacted well with students and staff”
- “has presented himself as punctual, reliable and cooperative”
- “has a definite commitment to teaching”
Client Comments.
The general public expressed great appreciation of his work, as attested to in client statements.
Like everyone who read my ideas and saw my rare and exceptional material material, Professor Harry Messel found it interesting.I managed to rope him him in for comment..Baby boomers will all remember the “Blue Book” – the high school science bible of the 60s and 70s. Harry, was determined to inspire young people to love science. Arriving in Sydney from Canada, he discovered there wasn't a girls school in the city that offered physics. Unpersuaded by the excuse that ''girls don't like physics'', he battled for the country's first compulsory, integrated science syllabus to be introduced in 1963, which also gave many boys the opportunity to study biology for the first time.
‘As a keen photographer I can see the quality of your material. It must have taken an enormous amount of work to prepare.What is the purpose behind your campaign ?’he asked.
‘To make learning easier for children and involve them in the learning process.’
‘You know all knowledge consists of hard work. People think everything is supposed to be easy. You have to make things easy for the children, poor kids, how could you make things difficult for them.You can’t spoon feed children. You have to make things difficult for them and put some fibre up their back.’
'I agree with you about this aim.You know there's a problem with the education system when you realize that out of the 3 R's only one begins with an R.But I’m talking about the boy and girls in the street,who don’t go to school much.They’ve never been challenged intellectually.I make it easy for them to begin with.To get them hooked.Then the schools can reel them in and get them going.How was your schooling,Professor?’’
‘To me, learning was beautiful, learning was exciting, it made me feel good and I felt I could conquer the world. I read every book in the library. I'd read three books in one day. I hated holidays, because it meant I had to give learning a rest.’
‘My aim is for all children to share this enjoyment. Some might say that this is to raise nerds.That children need to get out more in the open’.
Never let it be said I’m a geek.I spent my childhood years in Canada running. I never walked, I ran. I ran all the time from the time I got up to the time I turned flukes at night. I ran continuously. And the Indians used to do the same.’
'The Indians?’
‘ The Sioux.We were thick as thieves. I learnt to speak their language when I was a youngster there and they became lifelong friends until the deaths of some of them. They were very gentle people, very knowledgeable, they had great understanding of nature which they passed on to me.’
He chose to look at my sections on crocodiles-he is a leading authority on these-and on the countryside. ‘I used to water-ski there on the Hawkesbury. I water-skied for 45 years and taught dozens of kids.I enjoy the outback,I was a born fisherman and hunter I've been fishing and hunting since I was 5.’
‘Well there you are,What restless child wouldn’t be interested in these things?’
' What hyperactive child like me,’he laughed. ‘I'm having fun, keeping moving. I don't know how I ever had time to work,'' he said,stopping to quickly write his comment.
Back and Forwards To The Basics’.
I set out now sections of my work in progress covering both ‘The Back To The Basics’ and the ‘Forward To The Basics’ education policies in N.S.W. They are embedded in the unpublished account of my life and times titled ‘In Letter and in Spirit.’ This ongoing story can be followed in inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com
Desiderata.
Oscar Wilde once said that the only real tragedy in life is getting what you want. I was living proof of that adage.Everything mapped out, I pretty much had it all so far: a gorgeous wife, two bright bouncing boys, a big inner suburban home fronted by a big verandah-the white picket fence and our third son would come later- and was getting regular gainful work. How about that! One way and another I had scored the trifecta.Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I'd found thee.It does not get better than this.
My life was arranged,where I wanted it, the centrepiece falling into place. In the first years of the nineteen eighties I returned to NSW public high schools,back in harness as a relief schoolteacher,trekking to the outer western suburbs of Sydney, staging posts for a bigger deal somewhere closer.So far so good.
It was only a matter of time before my pre-ordained moment arrived. I finally received the letter offering me the long-coveted permanent employment. My name was written all over it. Promising me professional ballast, this had to be the harbinger of the success I had been holding out hope for. Touch wood. Having slaked my unquenchable thirst for travel and my exceeding curiosity about knowledge, fed up with doing stop start, this,that and the other ,wound up like a spring, I jumped at this one-off chance , all-out rarin’ to go.To do my own professional thing.Off to a flying start, my slate clean,in from the cold, in top form and no end in sight, it was my turn to shine, scaling the professional heights. On my part, beyond reproach.A citizen above suspicion. No blotted copybook. No bumbling,fumbling or stumbling,no hitches, glitches or botches. From others no stuff and
nonsense.Famous last words.
Having a good grounding in all areas of knowledge, this steady, up and coming man of many parts was roped into and had a stab at them all.They had me coming and going.From Arabic to Zoology-You name it.Moved from one way station to another,I was shuffled around like a pack of cards.I was up for anything.I’d have taught anything if they’d asked me.If they’d ask me to jump,I’d have answered, ‘How high would you like this white man to jump ?’ In fine form,I saw myself as a hot shot all round troubleshooter,one with a
wide scope of versatility,bringing together all the protean fruits of my studies and experience,tying them together in a knot.
Over a period of three and a half years this pedagogic Jack of all trades never repeated the same lessons. Nonetheless my students performed on a par with others and then some.They couldn’t have done otherwise if there’d been any high jinks or slovenliness.I felt myself and my profession indivisible.Never more myself than in my worthwhile metier, I got stuck into it, riding high,on the up and up, leaping gladly from bed, knowing that before me stretched a day full of promise, in which I was doing what I loved. Aiming to form young people’s lives and views,lend wisdom and knowledge,equip them for life outside in the big wide world,command dignity and respect, to become a name who will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Having found my own level, well suited to this blend of skills - instigating, facilitating and delegating- I was in my moment, a man on the come,enjoying it immensely and the energy that children pass on.Nice work if you can get it. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. I perfectly sensed the very nature of the universe and my oneness with it.
My first appointment,no plum assignment, was to Bass Hill High ,a western Sydney school,graffitied from top to bottom.The bold statement about one girl student being a ‘mole’ greeted me when I arrived and reminded me when I left the last time. This raised a very big question.Was it a case of Art trumping Spelling- or was the latter
just not held in high regard.
While exchanging pleasantries I got right down to business.Greeting others as they arrived,I was last to leave the building.
For most others the last three minutes of the school day sitting there was like a slow fuse burning.
I could’ve been out the gate before the bell stopped ringing,but that wasn’t me.
While exchanging pleasantries I got right down to business.Greeting others as they arrived,I was last to leave the building.
For most others the last three minutes of the school day sitting there was like a slow fuse burning.
I could’ve been out the gate before the bell stopped ringing,but that wasn’t me.
I was called by some students ‘the Joker’ referring to my sense of humour which I took as a compliment. It’s also defined as an unexpected resource which I would like to think I was. Classified as a social science teacher,I taught economics and commerce.The head of department took exception
to me having no background teaching geography. This was a moot point as far as I was concerned,this subject being admirably hybrid in nature.And not well understood as I gathered from
one student in an English class I was assigned to.
‘Name the four seasons,’I asked.
The answer: ‘Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.’
I wasn’t at all surprised.The same student thought irony came from elephants.
‘Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?’
‘Why are there five syllables in the word ‘monosyllabic’?’ ‘Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?’
‘Why is it 'I before E except after C?' How come Einstein. got it wrong twice in his name?’
I worked to convey ideas through film taking advantage of the exciting possibilities of the video medium and the ready availability of cassettes. ‘Norma Rae’ the drama about a factory worker who becomes involved in the labour union activities at the textile factory where she works proved an excellent vehicle for bringing the topic of trade unions to life. The most common employment areas in the mainstream i.e. American films these children watched, are law enforcement,crime,medicine,the law,prostitution and bartending. Most, having no curiosity about people who drag themselves up every day for hard work, are hardly ever about factory work.
to me having no background teaching geography. This was a moot point as far as I was concerned,this subject being admirably hybrid in nature.And not well understood as I gathered from
one student in an English class I was assigned to.
‘Name the four seasons,’I asked.
The answer: ‘Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.’
I wasn’t at all surprised.The same student thought irony came from elephants.
‘Let me tell you a little about myself.’I
said introducing myself to my English class. ‘ It's a reflexive pronoun that
means 'me'.’
Whereupon I was called on to answer some
of the puzzling questions about our language.
‘Why is abbreviation such a long word? ‘Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?’
‘Why are there five syllables in the word ‘monosyllabic’?’ ‘Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?’
‘Why is it 'I before E except after C?' How come Einstein. got it wrong twice in his name?’
I worked to convey ideas through film taking advantage of the exciting possibilities of the video medium and the ready availability of cassettes. ‘Norma Rae’ the drama about a factory worker who becomes involved in the labour union activities at the textile factory where she works proved an excellent vehicle for bringing the topic of trade unions to life. The most common employment areas in the mainstream i.e. American films these children watched, are law enforcement,crime,medicine,the law,prostitution and bartending. Most, having no curiosity about people who drag themselves up every day for hard work, are hardly ever about factory work.
Showing ‘Norma Rae’,which does, didn’t come easily.I had to apply several weeks in advance to get clearance and counter the argument it was just entertainment.
I happily accepted English classes and those in Personal Development which covered the ‘birds and bees’.
I suspected the head of department was warier than most of this area.
The classes were very rewarding with the senior students.Plenty of raised hands, these soon- to- be plumbers, electricians, beauticians, carpenters, mechanics, typists, machinists,burger flippers
crying ‘Me,Sir,me!’Not that they needed to be told much about the mechanics.I happily accepted English classes and those in Personal Development which covered the ‘birds and bees’.
I suspected the head of department was warier than most of this area.
The classes were very rewarding with the senior students.Plenty of raised hands, these soon- to- be plumbers, electricians, beauticians, carpenters, mechanics, typists, machinists,burger flippers
It was the only subject in which they believed they should be given homework.One of the girls saved me the trouble of raising the matter of family planning.Tracy was aware how important it is to assist women at birth. With regard to population statistics,I told her class of a simple way to comprehend the rapid growth of newly born: ‘Somewhere on this globe, every ten seconds, there is a woman giving birth to a child.’
Tracy’s comment: ‘We must get to her beforehand and give her every support.’
After telling them everything I thought they always wanted to know about sex but were afraid to ask,
I said: ‘Well, boys and girls, you heed what I told you. Now what do you say?
One student called out: ‘Not bad, Sir. You got most of it right.’
‘Where do you get what you know about such matters?’I asked him.
‘We pick up what we can off telly and videos.Sex is everywhere on the airwaves.You can't turn on your telly without seeing it,although sometimes you have to hunt around.'
‘Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us when it’s on; we'll find it,’said another.
After the predictable giggling, they realised that sexuality is as much about the emotions surrounding it as the anatomy,physiology and mechanics.As much about relationships and the consequences of
‘Lead us not into temptation. Just tell us when it’s on; we'll find it,’said another.
After the predictable giggling, they realised that sexuality is as much about the emotions surrounding it as the anatomy,physiology and mechanics.As much about relationships and the consequences of
actions,prudent or otherwise.Being free to talk about it, a kind of alchemy kicked in between us.We arrived at something close to extrasensory perception where we could feel in our bones what we were going to say next .Some kids always had their hand up, even before they knew what my next question would be.
Then I had a very nasty incident handling related matters with a junior class.A child asked me what AIDS was.Not knowing too much about this emerging scourge,I reported in a matter of fact way what was being written on the front page of the newspapers.The aforesaid head muggle put it to me bluntly that I had been ‘teaching buggery’.O fie!There was no telepathy with him.
My ship had finally came in, only to find pirates waiting at the docks.
It was then I realised what Oscar had meant. When you reach your target,you have to fight hard to hold onto it while some prig tries to strip you of it.In a Commerce class, the fly in the ointment had been misbehaviour from a sassy girl which seemed a closed book.It took a talk with her and her parents on teacher parent night for her to divulge that the head had told her behind my back I wasn’t qualified to teach the subject,my double major.This spelled trouble. Game on.Having been around the block enough times,I knew of the rough and tumble climbing this greasy pole, but I didn’t expect
anything so down and dirty. Things settled down with her after that but not my stomach,churned by this malicious discourteous head shyster,totally innocent of common courtesy, getting at me all the time.
‘ He has to learn what manners are,’I said to the Principal. ‘A way of dealing with people you don't agree with or like.'
‘You’ve just got to take the rough with the smooth’,the principal said. Being lowest in the pecking order, I was forcibly transferred to the next,Concord High School,to teach-wait for it-geography.Give me strength.Plus “slow learners’,science and a large load of mathematics.Back to square one. When would there be plain sailing for this factotum?On the surface,there seemed no rhyme nor reason to this staffing system,merely bureaucratic tyre kicking.In the larger scheme of things, it did of course,but it had little to do with the requirements of the public,those who foot the bill. At Bass Hill I had put down some of the heat that had been put on me to my writing my own notes, purged of the pervasive propaganda in the commerce and economics textbooks-the main being that every owner of resources in the ‘free enterprise’ system,whether they own a factory,cattle station or just their own labour is free to sell these equally.I saw the opportunity to teach less sugar-coated schlock in a more open-minded niche, closer to home, as a chance to get some latitude in what I could do,to get such footling undermining minds off my back.
When Mr Chips is Down.
(Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes)
I'm telling you beware, beware of the handshake that hides the snake
Listen to me now beware, beware of that pat on the back
It just might hold you back.
Your enemy won't do you no harm
'Cause you know where he's coming from
Don't let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice I'm only tryin' to school ya.
[Whitfield and Strong:’Smiling Faces Sometimes’]
The authorities had thrown down the gauntlet in the tasks they set me and the man for the job rose to the challenge,jumping through all the hoops. In rare form, extremely directed, poised for success, I was going great guns, doing the heavy lifting with elan, high-minded commitment, maturity,self-possession, and the sense of purpose that comes with being a father.This was my strong suit. When I was originally broken in as a fresh-faced novice in country town high schools,not a patch on what I would be capable of, I was deemed up to scratch,no sweat . But the gauntlet the authorities had in mind for me this time was the other kind – the one you are tripped up running through. Upbraiding
reprimanding reports.Niggling ones. There were ‘incidents’ and ‘accidents’ There were hints and
allegations.
One battle axe took me to task for being five minutes late to sport duty. ‘You should have been here at 1:30!’
‘Why? What happened ?’
‘What kept you,Mr.Davis? You must set a better example to the children.’
‘I had to stop a fight between two boys on the way here.I’m a mere mortal,not Apollo.The beneficent deity gave me two hands,not two wings.’
‘What an oversight,’she replied tartly.
Called on the carpet,driven up the wall,fair game, I had to attend constantly special cavilling sessions with some officials that would do any stalinist hacks proud, where they kept going on at me, stiltedly carping at my ‘inability to cope’.They couldn’t tell me to shape up or ship out as they couldn’t justify what they were doing professionally. These sessions proved a waste of time.
One asked me to see him after school one day. ‘Can you think of any reason you can’t come?’
‘I can’t right now,but I’m sure I will.’ There were plenty of reasons of course. We both had better things to do and this was a waste of public resources.I wanted to get home and correct homework.'
He came up to me once and caught me in mid-sentence, saying, ‘---been making things difficult for
some heads’.
‘Are you asking me,or telling me?’
He said, ‘Would you come and see me in my office in an hour’s time.?’
‘Do you look any different there? Just want a little chat? Some grown up company?’
‘Your next class will be supervised by the casual teacher.I see you don’t approve of that.’
‘How did you guess?’
‘Well do your job properly so we don’t have to get someone to do it for you.’
What he had the last casual teacher filling in for me while I spoke to him was to get the students to copy from the blackboard pages copied from a textbook.In silence of course.’Please be prompt.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of leaving you alone for a minute longer. I imagine while
you can eat better it can be lonely at the top.’
‘May I ask you a personal question?’
‘I can hardly wait.Go ahead.’He said, ‘How long have you been teaching,Mr.Davis?’
‘You’ve got all my vital statistics in your staff records.Get to the point,’I replied, fed up with this absurd pretence.
‘Don’t you start on me’,I thought. ‘Just don’t start on me.’‘Do you know what your problem is,Mr.Davis?’
‘Certainly.I have to waste my time and yours here rather than teaching.'
‘A friendly word of advice.Don’t try too hard’,he said. ‘What do you say?’
He dropped in the room after the class assigned to me bracketed as ‘general activities’ .
‘Wet enough for you? Not good for it,eh.Won’t do the geraniums a bit of good. They say we’re in for more heavy rain tomorrow.'
‘Well you can’t argue with ‘they’,can you. ‘They’ seem to know everything.But you didn’t come
here to tell me about the weather,did you.’
'Mr.Davis,from what I know,you’re a man who looks at the situation,acts accordingly and asks’What’s best for me?’
‘You’ve got something there.That’s why I aim my best to bring out the best in all my students.’
He proceeded to advise me the kind of donkey work to give the class assigned to me bracketed as
‘general activities’ .
'Keep it simple’,he said.‘They don’t have much upstairs.It’s in one ear and out with them.I’d wish them good luck on their career path but they wouldn’t know what to do if they got it.None will
ever be invited to join Mensa.Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but they have abused the privilege.You might think I’m a back number but you’re wasting your time trying to boost their intelligence.Our inheritance,our genetic endowment is overwhelmingly innate.’
‘I agree that genetics plays the significant part in our intelligence. At least half our intelligence is inherited. I don’t think any combination of determinacy and randomness can easily explain intelligence.However a rigid insistence on it’s innateness acts as a developmental straitjacket or a prison cell. If you don’t get the right nurturing and access to health and education,you’re unlikely to
develop your full potential.We each have the same cortex as every genius who ever lived-every great
villain too. Every child has a greater potential to develop. As for the environment we can enrich it as
we like.'
‘I know your ideas about this and I have my own.You might like to drop into my office to discuss them further.That’s what I’m here for.’
‘Just say the word.Now where was I? Ah yes,enrichment.The earlier the exposure to an environment rich in intellectual stimulation the better. We have to halt the widening of the the IQ gap that accompanies adolescence. Racism,poverty and the teen culture of sexual conquest, hanging out at shopping malls, dressing sharply all significantly affect it. This subculture is less cognitively demanding. A high level of IQ can be a source of embarrassment for these kids.Yet they can be anything they want. The problem for them is getting them to believe it.IQ scores are not set in stone. Judging people using the analytic and verbal skills that IQ tests
measure is way too narrow. There are children with ADHD who have high IQ’s.’
‘I don’t like the look of that sky,’he said,looking anxiously out the window. ‘I'm not sure if the weather's going to hold.
‘Don't tell me you're taking refuge in the weather,’I thought.…
'There is more than one kind of intelligence,'I went on. 'In real life there’s no one who gives you a problem and says the answers are a,b,c or d.In real life you have to figure out what the problem is and then you have to figure out some of the alternative ways you can go about solving it.Then you have to figure out whether any of these solutions are any good.The best way to increase intelligence is to use it in everday life.Intelligence is a lot like muscles.If you use your muscles,if you exercise them,you improve them.if you let it go,so too do your muscles.So too is it with our intelligence. We
have to cultivate their talents much greater.’
‘ ‘I’m afraid it’s a bit late in the day with this lot. Just keep them happy and quiet.Monkey see,monkey do. They don’t need to think for themselves here .It’s all laid on for them.’
have to cultivate their talents much greater.’
‘ ‘I’m afraid it’s a bit late in the day with this lot. Just keep them happy and quiet.Monkey see,monkey do. They don’t need to think for themselves here .It’s all laid on for them.’
‘I’ll make a note of that.’
'Easy does it.I’m looking to you to keep things in order.Take your cue from your colleagues,'he said,his hand on his cheek.
‘Don’t worry,’I replied. ‘I’ve been around long enough to pick up a few tricks of the trade.I know what’s what.’
‘I would thank you not to give them anything too complicated.It only messes with their heads. You won’t do it again,will you.'
‘Don’t worry.I’ve got it covered.’
'They can’t think for themselves. A good teacher needs to know this.’
‘A good teacher’s got to know his limitations,hasn’t he.’’I had approached such children as would Mr.McKenzie,the English teacher in the British TV series ‘Hearts and Minds’.You can see him in action in episode two. With limited resources but limitless enthusiasm and imagination. In one scene he subjects his pupils to a frenzied interrogation. He wants them to describe a visit to a chip shop but he isn't satisfied with the bland responses he's getting. What noises can they hear, he asks? Exactly what noises? What do the chips feel like in their hands? Who else is in the shop?
Slowly the children grasp what's required of them and oblige with growing excitement, a chorus of
suggestions which creates a chip shop as you listen, from the babble of the wall-mounted telly to the
frizzle of wet chips going into the fryer.
‘Don’t get me wrong,’this official told me during another of our sessions, ‘Would it be that hard for
you to get other kind of work.Surely someone like you could think of such a move as a re-birth,as self-renewal.And please don’t misunderstand me,I’m only trying to help you.’
‘I’ve heard that one before.’
‘I’m trying my best to do you a favour.’
‘Well do me a favour.Don’t do me any favours.’
‘Is all this trouble worth it,Mr.Davis?’
‘What do you think? That I’m a masochist.That I can suffer fools gladly? What do you want to know? If I have endured all this hassling enough to want to keep going? ‘Mr.Davis,I’m given a policy.I’m paid to marshal my staff.I do what I’m paid to do.You might do the same.I’m not
responsible for what head office decides.’
‘It’s not you,it’s not your predecessors.I wonder who the hell I’m talking to sometimes.’
‘I contemplated the sign on the road near the school. It read,’ Slow-- Children.’
‘That can't be good for their self esteem.’I said to another teacher.
‘You have to look at it on the positive side. Some can't read it.’
I felt sorry for another official at Concord.It stood out a mile she was feeling a right proper charlie at the cringeworthy hatchet job she was put up to. 'We need to talk,Mr.Davis,’she told me one day.
We need to talk actually means, 'I need to talk, You’d better listen.'
‘We’ve got to stop meeting like this,’I greeted her to no avail. ‘People are going to start talking.’
I grew accustomed to her face.There were awkward moments of silence as she tugged at her lower lip with the thumb and forefinger of her hand.“I try to encourage students to think for themselves, to question standard positions,to question what they read,to question everything,” I said when she asked about my goals. “Don’t take assumptions for granted,’ I tell them.’Both in nature and in society,there’s more than meets the eye. Begin by taking a sceptical attitude toward anything that is conventional wisdom. Make it justify itself. It usually can’t. Question everything including what is taken for granted. Why should we take it to be obvious that if I let go of a ball, it goes down and not
up? Learning comes from asking, "Why do things work like that? Why not some other way? Believe nothing without reliable proof and evidence.Try to think things through for yourself,putting two and two together.Look for more findings that tie in with what you already know.You’ve got plenty at hand to get a line on more. You’ve got to learn how to appraise, get the measure of , and compare it with other things.At the same time you’ve to take some things on trust or you can’t get by.When a physicist tells you that there are over a billion stars in the universe, you can believe them.If someone tells you there is wet paint somewhere, you don’t have to touch it to make sure.
But if there is something significant and important don’t take it on trust. The world is a very puzzling place. If you’re not willing to be puzzled, you just become a replica of someone else’s mind.’
'Do you really think you can get children to understand that?
‘ It’s not so much children who I have difficulty with.’
‘Why don’t you try teaching in a denominational or private school?’
'I'd feel as out of place there as a left-handed violinist in a crowded string section. I have no desire to teach overprivileged children or lie about my lack of religious commitment.’
‘ If you can’t cut it, if you want to cultivate your emotions, maybe you should try something
else.We’re not the keepers of some sacred flame. There’s no heroics involved in teaching here.Just pick and shovel work.Check through the ‘Wanted’ ads.If you’ve got a strong itch you can’t scratch,press on to pastures new.You should go far.’
‘Yes,and the sooner the better as far as you’re concerned’,I thought,replying, ‘I do what I have to do.And this doesn’t include handing in my notice if that’s what you’re after.’Judging by her furrowed brow,I was flying in the face of the done thing. To churn out obedient,docile workers, people just smart enough to run the machines and just dumb enough to passively, apathetically accept jobs with lower pay, longer hours, reduced benefits and the end of overtime. To indoctrinate them with Corporate Stockholm Syndrome on behalf of the owners. If I couldn’t oblige, I was expected to roll over and chuck it in. I stood my ground.
‘Look,let me put it another way. I do what I am.’‘You mean you are what you do.’
‘That too.But really I mean I do what I am.It’s what we’re put on earth to do. We're born with a gift. If not that, then we get good at something along the way. And what we're good at, we can't take for granted. We can't betray it.If we do,we betray ourselves.’
‘ All right,all right,all right,have it your own way’,she said, clearing her throat, ‘but get real.We’vebeen over this again and again. The Department is well disposed to the idea of tradition.It likes things to stay the way they are.It works for us.Get me.Be more pragmatic.Know your place.Yours is an entry level position. Let it’s officials think you're on their side, be noncommittal.Do you think you could do that? It doesn’t do to act otherwise.Play along with them.
‘Are you talking to me?’I asked,looking around the office, ‘or is there someone else in here?
‘What do you mean?’
‘What do you take me for? I mean do you honestly expect me to compromise my principles about this?'
‘To be a man of principle is one thing.But a man doesn’t cut his throat on principle.I’m just asking
you to co-operate. In return the Department takes care of everything.It looks after it’s
own. And all it asks of anyone, all it's ever asked of anyone ever, is not to interfere with management decisions. This is how things work.Take it from someone who knows . There’s a way we do things hallowed by usage,consecrated by time.’
‘Trapped in amber. How do you know it’s not time for a change? There’s a first time for everything surely.’‘Why now of all times? Why here of all places?’
‘Times have changed.We need to move with the times,not be in variance with them. How we work is outmoded.'‘And your suggestion is plain out.‘We don’t need anybody to tell us the time.’
'Surely this choice location is an obvious place to start.And a great opportunity.And doesn’t any
request for some flexibility have to go through you.Surely the Department could get off my case and accord approval for all the children to enjoy school?’
'And what do you want for your next two wishes?’
'Don’t you think a principal would be able to press successfully for this?
Isn’t that your call?’
‘Fiddle-de-dee.Do you know what my fellow principals would call putting forward such a demand ?
‘No,what’s that?’
‘Early retirement. You know how it is.’‘No I don’t know how it is.Here and now would be a great
opportunity’
‘Or it’s opposite.You understand me. I haven’t been with the Department all these years for nothing.
Let well enough alone.Be your age.'
‘Then I shouldn’t be treated like a child.. No one tucks me in at night. I blow my own nose and even go to the bathroom by myself.I can eat peas with a fork. I haven't had a pimple in years. I shave every morning.I’m no longer Mummy’s little boy.’
'You’re looking at forty,I see.You’d do well to think of tomorrow.Do I need to draw you a picture? You’re starting on the ground floor.If you want a big tick on
your CV,if you don’t want to be up for the high jump, it’s best you keep to your
allotted place. There’s no second slot for you to be pushed back to.You don’t want to be like some poor old actor and be dragged literally off the stage,do you? You keep insisting you want to further develop the concept of the comprehensive school. I’m not expecting you want to throw it all away.’
‘Nor am I. Once you break the tradition of the common desegregated school you create classes in society - the elite who are clever and the rest who are taught to shut up and do what they're told.'
‘No disrespect intended but you just don’t get it.You can’t expect to waltz in from cloud cuckoo land and the system to adapt to your fancy ideas. Things won’t change on your say-so. It will go hard
with you otherwise.Needs must,you know. I’ll tell you what you’ve got to face up to.You won’t just get passed over for promotion.. Don’t spit in the face of your future. It’s as well to be forewarned.'
‘I’ll take my chances.’
'On your own head be it.There are plenty of Chinese teachers who’d love to work here. Do I have tospell it out ? I’d advise you to tread lightly-and that’s flat.I urge you see sense over this. Anyway,suit yourself.If that’s the way you want it.’
‘That’s the way I want it.Now have a nice day.'
‘I have other plans.’
’She would just have to like it or lump ‘it’. Whatever this nebulous ineffable ‘problem’ of excess was that that they didn’t want to go into,that couldn’t be openly addressed. That could only be sidetracked.What more did they want me to say?
Utterly engrossed in my work, blinded by natural contrarian optimism, refusing to be worn down, I
was deaf to the increasingly persistent ugly rumblings of the edcons, the educational conservatives: ‘The user pays- Cut the fat! The user pays-Cut the fat!’ Never letting up, the only scope they had in mind was that guiding their aim.The firing line.
The problem with trouble shooting is that trouble shoots back. I was being issued with a verbal cease and desist order. For all my trouble, you might have expected them to cut me some slack. No siree! Just as things were looking up and I was on a roll, picking up steam, getting into full stride, fast tracking it to the top, I was lumped and rolled. Land sakes these pikers shot me down.
‘That’s the way I want it.Now have a nice day.'
‘I have other plans.’
’She would just have to like it or lump ‘it’. Whatever this nebulous ineffable ‘problem’ of excess was that that they didn’t want to go into,that couldn’t be openly addressed. That could only be sidetracked.What more did they want me to say?
Utterly engrossed in my work, blinded by natural contrarian optimism, refusing to be worn down, I
was deaf to the increasingly persistent ugly rumblings of the edcons, the educational conservatives: ‘The user pays- Cut the fat! The user pays-Cut the fat!’ Never letting up, the only scope they had in mind was that guiding their aim.The firing line.
The problem with trouble shooting is that trouble shoots back. I was being issued with a verbal cease and desist order. For all my trouble, you might have expected them to cut me some slack. No siree! Just as things were looking up and I was on a roll, picking up steam, getting into full stride, fast tracking it to the top, I was lumped and rolled. Land sakes these pikers shot me down.
‘ If you can’t cut it, if you want to cultivate your emotions, maybe you should try something else.You should go far.’
To help their aim in this open season,, they had the tailwind at their back. I knew then which way it was blowing.
In my brochure I draw attention to comments made about my teaching practice by the principals of the schools where I worked in Sydney. These comments reflect the image of the exemplary yeoman, top of his game, I aimed to be, or at least that of a competent professional, who’s applied himself to his craft, dotted his i’s and crossed his t’s,gone by the book.These bona fides conferred a certain cachet on me that no one can take away.I thought they would have spoken for themselves.
However as well as a good word put in for me, other negative nitpicking potshots were taken after an inspector’s visitation .This was brief, superficial and a mere formality. The inspector had spent all the time at the back of the class with a clipboard making notes which were never shown to me. There
was no follow-up action of the quibbling inspection reports with the result that the very purpose of the inspection seemed to have been defeated. Not so.It was never discussed with me but it led to me being declared unsatisfactory. A whole year after waiting anxiously for a reply to my
response to this evaluation, the
principal approached me hesitatingly with a letter. I hoped expected it would be one of approval setting out how my recommended ideas
could best put into operation. 'Come on,don’t be shy,’,I said to her. ‘Put me out of my misery.’
Instead the letter put me deep into it,informing me of my new status. Not suspended,not benched,not held in abeyance, assigned to other duties,placed on administrative leave.No rap over the knuckles like Detective Harry Callahan,told to take a vacation until things ‘cooled down’,whatever ‘things’ were in my case. What I was being effectively told was ‘Take the rest of your life off! Go to hell,don’t pass Go,don’t collect superannuation,don’t bloody well come back! ’
Instead the letter put me deep into it,informing me of my new status. Not suspended,not benched,not held in abeyance, assigned to other duties,placed on administrative leave.No rap over the knuckles like Detective Harry Callahan,told to take a vacation until things ‘cooled down’,whatever ‘things’ were in my case. What I was being effectively told was ‘Take the rest of your life off! Go to hell,don’t pass Go,don’t collect superannuation,don’t bloody well come back! ’
The Dismissal.
"School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam. What I hated most was the competitive system there, and especially sports. Because of this, I wasn't worth anything, and several times they suggested I leave."
Albert Einstein.
Standing on the shoulders of this giant,my head above the parapet,I felt the floor open under me. I had been issued a summary dismissal.
To the General, I had not the slightest value,not worth the candle, a misfitting cog in their machine designed to obliterate individuality and free will. Just a bit of grit ,something to be chewed up and spat out.Someone to take the fall.To be made an example of.
Receiving short shrift,cutting the niceties,without so much as a thank you, I was allowed just enough time to clear out my desk.
‘There must be some mistake,’I told the principal. ‘Someone has a lot of explaining to do.’
'The Director-General is no mistake,’she said. ‘He’s the consequences.If he thinks he has just cause, he doesn’t have to explain anything.
‘Just how democratic is that? Isn’t any organisation dependent on all the numbers that make it up? Aren’t we all numbers of equal value?’
‘He’s only a number here too.But he’s Number One.His word is law. Unless you know something I don’t, what he says goes.I don’t like it any more than you. It's not what I wanted.But it's what it has to be. I'm sorry.’
‘Just how democratic is that? Isn’t any organisation dependent on all the numbers that make it up? Aren’t we all numbers of equal value?’
‘He’s only a number here too.But he’s Number One.His word is law. Unless you know something I don’t, what he says goes.I don’t like it any more than you. It's not what I wanted.But it's what it has to be. I'm sorry.’
‘Sorry?’
'Sorry.'
‘Try putting that in a sentence.’
‘I’m sorry it had to turn out this way.I’m a teacher too.It goes against the grain.I’ve got my principles.’
‘Yes,and if people don’t like them, you’ve got others.’
‘Well there it is.I can only say I’m sorry.’
' What about this kind of sorry ? Sorry the whole school knows what a big lie has been told about the staff and students?'‘It’s not like that.’‘No ,how is it then?’
‘You don’t have to take it this way. Listen.I’m just doing my job.You lost your’s because of your
ego.You had to be cock of the walk.You put your belief in your intelligence and your vanity project
above everything else.That’s what this is about.'‘Listen,if I want to be analysed,I’ll pay for it.’
‘You’ve no one to blame but yourself.It’s out of my hands now.My contract to advise you has run out.I’ve got no room to manoeuvre on your behalf.It’s not up to me.The most I can do for you is offer you a short term subscription to the ‘Herald’.They have the best ‘Classifieds.’’
‘‘Don’t bother palming me off.The Federation,my local member and the whole community shall hear of this.They’ll have something to say about it.’ Having studiously avoided courting controversy or rocking any boat, I had become a lightning rod for negative reactions,ones that distracted attention away from my detractors.If it wasn’t one thing,it was another.I was under fire. It was alleged that the students in my classes were violent and unruly.Well fancy that! I had used every trick in the book to occupy any restless minds.Most conversation was pitched low.I emphasized self-control.
‘Read my ellipse, Tracy.I desire average solutions by means and extremes.So leave your ‘Boy George’ magazine at home.You might think him sharp,that his angle is acute one.You might think you have his number. You might think that like parallel lines, you and him have a lot in common . However I assure you that like these lines you and him will never come together. There are sines that he’s an odd number.And stop drawing hearts around pictures of boys you fancy. Draw a circle around the one you love because a heart can break but a circle goes on forever.’
My standard introduction to any class with reputedly difficult children went along the following lines: ‘Good morning,girls and boys [or ‘ladies and gentlemen’ depending on their age],my name is Mr.Davis.You may call me that or ‘Sir’if you so wish.This is my first session with you and I don’t intend it to be my last.If any of you wish to challenge me,I suggest you do it now.’
Then after the pause for this to this sink in, ‘Good,that settles it.I’m a fair man but don’t be under any illusions.I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.I see everything.I hear everything.My main concern is that when you’re in this room,you learn what you’re supposed to.You may ask me any questions you like.I will try and answer them.If I can’t I will say so.Is that clear?’
No one in the corridor peering through the classroom’s door windows had ever come in to read any Riot Act. Those observing the ‘mayhem’ either chose to let it go, or through their charismatic powers claimed they could halt it simply through their surprise look-in followed by a smug ‘I should think so!’ Not surprisingly any group of hormonally charged fidgety scamps are going to mind their ps and qs and hold back from mucking around when an authority figure is briefly in their presence
Authorities pinned the cause of the ‘disturbances’ – of which I was said to be ‘oblivious’ – on my ‘vague’ questioning technique. As if roughhouse hellions would be riled by vague questions! As the slings,arrows and slugs rained fast and thick,I sat tight, keeping my head down decorously, unphased,wrapped up in my work,on the back foot, sticking to the business at hand, dodging the bullets, riding out the battery. Cutting to the chase, I answered at great length, admittedly in a candidly dismissive tone with thinly-veiled contempt, a welter of similarly preposterous trumped up charges along similar lines.Blind Frieda could have picked holes in them.Never having issued any skerrick of complaint,I set about pointing out deficiencies and weaknesses in operations and stressing the need for corrective measures.To smooth out the humps and bumps. I believed the matter would have been handled in-house.
‘Read my ellipse, Tracy.I desire average solutions by means and extremes.So leave your ‘Boy George’ magazine at home.You might think him sharp,that his angle is acute one.You might think you have his number. You might think that like parallel lines, you and him have a lot in common . However I assure you that like these lines you and him will never come together. There are sines that he’s an odd number.And stop drawing hearts around pictures of boys you fancy. Draw a circle around the one you love because a heart can break but a circle goes on forever.’
My standard introduction to any class with reputedly difficult children went along the following lines: ‘Good morning,girls and boys [or ‘ladies and gentlemen’ depending on their age],my name is Mr.Davis.You may call me that or ‘Sir’if you so wish.This is my first session with you and I don’t intend it to be my last.If any of you wish to challenge me,I suggest you do it now.’
Then after the pause for this to this sink in, ‘Good,that settles it.I’m a fair man but don’t be under any illusions.I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.I see everything.I hear everything.My main concern is that when you’re in this room,you learn what you’re supposed to.You may ask me any questions you like.I will try and answer them.If I can’t I will say so.Is that clear?’
No one in the corridor peering through the classroom’s door windows had ever come in to read any Riot Act. Those observing the ‘mayhem’ either chose to let it go, or through their charismatic powers claimed they could halt it simply through their surprise look-in followed by a smug ‘I should think so!’ Not surprisingly any group of hormonally charged fidgety scamps are going to mind their ps and qs and hold back from mucking around when an authority figure is briefly in their presence
Authorities pinned the cause of the ‘disturbances’ – of which I was said to be ‘oblivious’ – on my ‘vague’ questioning technique. As if roughhouse hellions would be riled by vague questions! As the slings,arrows and slugs rained fast and thick,I sat tight, keeping my head down decorously, unphased,wrapped up in my work,on the back foot, sticking to the business at hand, dodging the bullets, riding out the battery. Cutting to the chase, I answered at great length, admittedly in a candidly dismissive tone with thinly-veiled contempt, a welter of similarly preposterous trumped up charges along similar lines.Blind Frieda could have picked holes in them.Never having issued any skerrick of complaint,I set about pointing out deficiencies and weaknesses in operations and stressing the need for corrective measures.To smooth out the humps and bumps. I believed the matter would have been handled in-house.
I recommended that all the children be encouraged to read and write, that they keep their eyes glued to books to avoid distractions.I said to one principal: ‘Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but
don't you think this would serve as a means to obviate any funny business ?’
‘Mr.Davis, never you mind about that.There’ll be no stopping the presses. Our books are about right and they’ll do.In fact they’re more than adequate. A good craftsman never blames his tools.As for your pupils, there’s one duffer born every minute. Not everyone wants to drink in the fountain of knowledge.’
'You can talk!’I thought. ‘You’ve only had a light gargle.’‘Do you really think all those we have are up to learning reading and writing properly? If they haven’t picked it up by now,it’s too late. They’ve only got themselves to thank.’
‘Surely it’s down in part to the way they learn and reproduce knowledge.Their exam results don’t do them justice.’
‘That’s what you think.This is not a holiday camp.You can't pick and choose. Your job is to keep
your eyes on them at all times,to keep them in line-to see they don’t walk all over you.’
‘Heavens above! We wouldn’t want that to happen,would we?’
‘You’ve got to lay down the law.Sit on them at all times. You can’t be too careful.’
'What,is the sky going to fall because they look at books rather than at me?I had been directing my comments mainly about the class I had been assigned bracketed as ‘general activities’.With these children I had to work through a watered down version of the academic stream’s curriculums.Although the problem with many was difficulty in concentrating,hard and fast regulations required that after I had settled them down to working in one subject,with the bell I had to start again and settle them into another subject.No allowance was made for their difficulty in concentration.
The rigid compartmentalization of knowledge was totally inappropriate.One boy in this class was a football junkie.When I handed out copies of a book,he took one look at it and turned his nose up at
it.It didn’t have anything to do with rugby league on the front.
‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.’I urged him.
‘I should be so lucky ’,he said.'I can’t read even that much.’
He was interested in one thing and one thing only.Rugby League.
‘My mum is unhappy about it’, he said. She said I love rugby league more than I love her.That hurts. We’ve been a family thirteen seasons.’
Of course this sport ties in with everything,especially in N.S,W., but unless that everything was on their current curriculum ,it was considered off-side.
‘They’re here to follow orders, not to have fun.’I heard tell several times.Unable to keep up with the academic stream,they tended to give up trying.One G.A. student said glumly ‘I’ve failed maths exams so many times,I can’t count’.
Such children need to be exposed to the best of popular culture , to talk and write about what interests them, and to learn the curriculum content in a non-academic way. What they were left with was an academic qualification hardly worth the paper it was written on,and an abiding loathing of school.Most teachers want to avoid such children but cannot.How to lighten this millstone around teacher’s neck led to the germ of my brainwave for change taking shape in substance .Not taking no for an answer, keeping my powder dry, I first believed that defending my practice would be a piece of cake. I had followed instructions to the letter,working out everything to the last comma and decimal point, punctiliously and voluminously recording every extraneous transaction and any misdemeanour that occurred in class and having them countersigned by those involved with their agreement.As it turned out, defending my practice became a slice of life.
Set in their ways,the school executive wasn’t a scrap interested in discussing my ideas let alone allowing me to run with them. In raising them I had laid myself wide open to attack.My creative licence was revoked.. Pulling rank,they left me holding the baby, dropping the problem of school discipline right in my lap.
‘Look upon this as a good career move’,said one head of department as I was leaving the building. ‘I expect your talents will be equally appreciated elsewhere.’
‘Well,you can’t keep a good man down,can you.’
The first order of business was to take things up with the Staff Inspector. He pencilled me in for an early morning appointment. After having me wait an hour, Greatness called me.
‘I’m given to understand you’re very upset about this decision’,he said.
‘Upset’ doesn’t begin to cover it.I’ve been put in a terrible place.’
'Mr.Davis,It may come as a surprise to you that in the Department we instil discipline-we don’t dispense with it.Still less do we expect our staff to criticize their heads of department.’
‘I don’t consider drawing attention to a head running me down in front of students inappropriate.I took it up with the principal,and got transferred.’
'You feel you have been unjustly treated and discriminated against.This is your line of argument and you’ve leaned hard on it.However let me draw attention to your organization-or lack of it. Classroom management is essential for orderliness.A teacher’s only as good as his classroom management.Believe it or not a teacher’s practical skills for handling a classroom are probably more important than knowledge of the subject he’s teaching.You failed to implement sanctions to deter students from disrupting the
learning environment.'
‘Go on,be vague,accusatory,whatever sticks.Is that how it works?’
'You failed to prevent such behaviour occurring in the first place .This lowered the tone and reflected unfavourably on the Department’s image.Procedures only work if we follow them every time. If your management is anything to go by,we have no reason to believe you’d ever turn your game around .'
‘Isn’t this where you’re supposed to say, ‘We’re going to give you now a better chance to show us what you can really do?’
'Mr.Davis,’he said taking an antique timepiece out of a drawer, ‘this fob watch has long been in my family.It was handed down to me from my grandfather on his deathbed.’
‘He sold you this when winding up his estate ? You wrote a post dated cheque?’
‘It was a gift.A hand-me-down.Providing I respect it and look after it,it keeps perfect time'
‘I wouldn’t trust it.One hand is shorter than the other.’
'All I have to is wind it up and it takes care of itself.Each particular spring and wheel has a particular duty and function to perform,everything working together in harmony and integration. You can imagine the Department working like this, as an enormous watch. It operates with a definite rhythm and purpose.If you tamper with it’s mechanism,you interfere with the arranged order of things.' Otherwise it works precisely.Tried,true and trusted.
'The same exact unchanging movements over and over again’,I said,saving him the trouble. ‘Perfectly designed to get the results you’re getting.Where not even the slightest tiny ‘error’ can ever slip through.'
‘It was a gift.A hand-me-down.Providing I respect it and look after it,it keeps perfect time'
‘I wouldn’t trust it.One hand is shorter than the other.’
'All I have to is wind it up and it takes care of itself.Each particular spring and wheel has a particular duty and function to perform,everything working together in harmony and integration. You can imagine the Department working like this, as an enormous watch. It operates with a definite rhythm and purpose.If you tamper with it’s mechanism,you interfere with the arranged order of things.' Otherwise it works precisely.Tried,true and trusted.
'The same exact unchanging movements over and over again’,I said,saving him the trouble. ‘Perfectly designed to get the results you’re getting.Where not even the slightest tiny ‘error’ can ever slip through.'
' It only works if all the moving parts,all the little cogs mesh together. Now, a watch needs to be cleaned, well-lubricated and wound tight. The best watches have jewel movements, cogs that fit, that cooperate by design.’ ‘Who’s your oculist? Your watch, as you refer to it, ticks and tocks but doesn’t show the right time.It’s too tightly wound. After all is said and done, this is the twentieth century isn’t it? There’s a whole new set of numbers.And surely you can’t in all seriousness pretend everyone in this department works in unison when so many are off the hinges.'
‘You’ve got a
lot to say for yourself,haven’t you.’
‘There’s more where that comes from.The only thing
co-ordinated about the Department The only thing co-ordinated about it are the control measures.It’s apposite you make the analogy of an enormous fob watch.It's designed to appease by evasive means.It's designed to dismiss underlying issues with something easier to explain. So,what’s your point? Or am I missing something?’’
‘ I’m referring to your attitude.While this is no reflection on your intelligence or character,you haven’t tried to fit in.I hope you don’t feel offended by me saying that.’‘Oh I’m not offended.You’re pretty much what I expected.’
‘This attitude won’t do.'
‘Not fit for
purpose,eh?’
You’ve been teaching geometry haven’t you? Since when is one part greater than the whole? You know your trouble?You’re not a team player.There is no ‘I’ in team.'
'Maybe not. But there is an ‘I’ in independence, individuality and integrity.’
'Am I right in thinking you’ve let your side down.’
'I want to be on the winning team.On the right side.On a level playing field, where everyone in the
school has the same sporting chance of of getting up the runs and scoring the points. Where everyone’s a winner.’
‘Mr.Davis,Life is full of disappointment.This is the way things are,'he said snootily. ‘You’ve got to
take them for what they are.Now give it a rest.You have to be able to put up with it..’
‘I put up with it at Annandale Primary,at Hoxton Park High,at Chester Hill High,at Bass Hill High,at
Concord High. At Leichhardt High.At Auburn Girl’s High.At Granville Boy’s High.’
‘Are you finished reminiscing?'
'I was jerked around so much,I got whiplash.I know how to put up with it.’
‘So what’s your point? Teachers have to go where they are sent.’
‘So do cocker spaniels.Are we not better trained?’
take them for what they are.Now give it a rest.You have to be able to put up with it..’
‘I put up with it at Annandale Primary,at Hoxton Park High,at Chester Hill High,at Bass Hill High,at
Concord High. At Leichhardt High.At Auburn Girl’s High.At Granville Boy’s High.’
‘Are you finished reminiscing?'
'I was jerked around so much,I got whiplash.I know how to put up with it.’
‘So what’s your point? Teachers have to go where they are sent.’
‘So do cocker spaniels.Are we not better trained?’
'You can’t always get what you want.There’s your answer.Now goodday to you.’
So ,rather than pushing an open door,I was quickly being shown it.
‘I only want a just hearing.Nothing more,nothing less,'I argued.
‘We have to adhere strictly to our departmental code to allow impartial fairness. Fairness is vested in the code.Our strength lies in refusing to give special treatment.We are duty bound to avoid preferential action towards one person over another. If a special hearing were allowed for you,it would have to be allowed for everyone claiming it. Where would we be then?’
‘Where all involved could exercise judgement.Wouldn’t that be a nightmare,eh.’
‘Save your breath.How many ways do I have to say it.It’s categorical.The decision has been rendered and that’s final,chopping the desk with his hand. That is all.Is that clear?’
‘We’ll see about that.You have to do what you have to do.Well guess
what? So do I.I’m not going to let it rest there. I’m within my rights and will get what I need.I will have satisfaction.’
‘‘You might say that, I couldn't possibly comment.Now can you leave ,Mr.Davis? I’ve got things to do.’
‘You really mean to say, “Would you leave now,please’,don’t you. I have the same problem with some students.I can never get them to say the magic word.I put it down to nerves.They forget it when they’re nervous.Does that happen with you?’
‘Step out of my office,Mr.Davis.I don’t want to even hear you clearing your
throat.You’re really getting on my nerves.’
‘And a merry Christmas
to you.’
You could talk to such apparatchiks about the done deal until you’re blue in the face and nothing would shift them.None took a blind bit of notice.You couldn’t argue with them.They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.The decision had been fixed back at Bass Hill. Presumably some in the Department viewed me,, challenging them on each and every one of their indignities, as unco-optably uppish, one bucking their system,testing their rigid mould, a loose cannon to be muzzled. ‘Howzat!’ they cried to the umpire, the Minister,a cricket enthusiast,adamant that I was out fair and square while hiding behind their obstructive hardballing dictates, denying me the verbal sparring basic to a healthy democracy .I couldn’t expect to draw them across to my point of view. No gentlemen’s covenant in play here.
The words ‘when I hear the word ‘culture’, I reach for my gun’ are attributed to Goering. Our eugenist apparatchiks only need reach for their pen.
A well-organised society is one in which we know the truth about ourselves collectively.I had paid my dues.I thought I had covered all my bases. My approach was predicated on the belief that there would be some allowance for my undisputed dedication. To my astoundment I discovered alas that there was no professional hearing available where I could be heard out,spell out my thoughts, at which Icould answer this intellectual cowardice. From the upper echelon no cut and thrust whatsoever.Just cut and dried. Apart from a terse ‘be that as it may’,those obscurantists who levelled charges, lacking probity,shielded from oversight,stopping at nothing, didn’t have to justify anything.All neat and handy,with me the fall guy.
This insolence of office reminded me of the plea made in the US by Assistant Secretary of the Interior Gerard Davison to Presidential advisor Clark Clifford.He reminded him of the unconscionable miscarriages of justice suffered by government employees during the McCarthyist period. “Employees must be guaranteed the standard rights of due process to confront their accusers – to hear the charges against them, to present witnesses on their own behalf, to appeal”.
Such outrageous deeds are subversive of British constitutional liberties.In the judgement at Nuremberg, the tribunal noted that elimination of the right of appeal was the first act of the National Socialist regime.The basic concept of a rigid separation of public powers and functions,on which our liberties largely depend,seem to be beyond their grasp. You can understand if not excuse politicians and private magnates behaving this way, but not public servants.
I remember seeing a film from the German Democratic Republic which showed the high handed punishment meted out to a teacher who encouraged his students to watch West German television for ideas and information.Falling into line politically was a prerequisite for an undisturbed life, and was preferred over discussion and individual opinions. After receiving his marching orders without the right of appeal, and his ensuing isolation, he committed suicide. I haven’t yet been able to ‘source the film which was shown on the Special Broadcasting System in Australia. It made a big impact in East Germany because of its critical nature. I find the parallels with our own system telling.
My dismissal was preceded by a newspaper barrage targeting ‘bad’ teachers, and heralding special powers to deal with them. In this baiting game,the media had a field day offloading blame for the crisis. Muggins me was put in the frame as a ‘whipping boy’. My colleagues were browbeaten by the
sound and fury, simply shrugging their shoulders.At a meeting I called to protest my dismissal, no one could say anything. Considering that I had allowed such disruptiveness to reign in my classrooms, it was remarkable that no other teachers were aware of it. One of my colleagues knew exactly what was going on,and what I was up against. He had grown up in Greece and knew these machinations for what they were.‘I know a set-up when I see one,Allan,and this is one.Those behind it want to destroy initiative. There is little that bureaucrats hate more than innovation, especially that which produces better results than the old routines. Improvements make those at the top of the heap look inept. ’
He had been a worker before studying mathematics at university. Alas he had difficulty articulating
himself in the English involved in this situation and he couldn’t come up with the words to defend me. My Member of Parliament, a colleague of the Minister for Education,the deciding voice in this matter, was very supportive on my behalf and got onto it right away, trying to swing his opinion,trying to shake something loose. However, Dr.No said no go. A tough nut to crack, he took not a blind bit of notice, would not budge,taking not a blind bit of notice, turning me down flat,just like that. I wasn’t calling in my chits or expecting any strings to be pulled ,but hoped for
some principled protest at this blatant abuse of professional ethics.Thanks for nothing,brother. From his secure,pensionable perch on top of the heap,collecting the scraps tossed to him by the narrow circles of power, this spokesman for the A.L.P. abdicated his responsibility to further workers democratic rights to defend their work practices, using public sector workers as a trojan horse. The party was heading into an election campaign responding to the dictates of the media and the judgement of public relations firms rather than to the intercession of his colleague.For me there was no counter-balancing force against abuse of ministerial authority.
In terms of getting justice,I was a dead duck.The gnomes,having neatly picked me off on the wing
did not wish to have their marksmanship questioned.
Spokesmen for the Teachers Federation to which I belonged and naturally support said they could not do anything about the regulation which denies probationary teachers right to an appeal.‘You shouldn’t have committed your thoughts to paper without consulting us.That’s the way it is’.I was told. ‘We don’t make the rules.’I was told I hadn’t talked to my colleagues about my position. Too
bad.Clearly I was disturbing their polite arrangement with the Department.‘We’ll see you when we see you.’That kind of thing.
‘One official I spoke to promised to look into it further.’
‘Sure,and the cheque’s in the mail.Is that all they’ve got to offer?What a weak act.You must be really browned off at them.’
‘Not really’.I said. "I don't know what people have against them. They’ve done nothing."
To cap it all the Minister accused the Federation of backing ‘incompetent’ teachers for any offence short of child molesting! For me to be placed under the same foul rubric as a ‘rock spider’ was rich considering what would unfold.
Within the Federation any account of my case dribbled off until it fell out of the paper.
The students at the school who I had found quite tractable were all too happy to make supportive statements as to my service.
Like high school students any where, it is they who can make life unbearable for any uncommitted teacher.To see lies about their behaviour going so brazenly unchallenged would take them quickly along the learning curve of corruption.Learning about hypocrisy rather than democracy. In a perfect
world this kind of underhandness shouldn’t have been allowed. In a less than perfect world,my colleagues and the community backing me up would have shut down the school until an enquiry was
held. Unfortunately this possibility was slim because of the milktoast support from my colleagues,without mentioning any names, silent and acquiescent.Some fake death-they faked living.On autopilot,they had been ground down long since and never got over it. Somewhere along the path of least resistance,they had lost sight of any sense of mission.Some had gone into playing at educating for want of anything better to do.Convinced the only way to make it in life is to fake it.
‘Deal me out,don’t feel me out’,was all one could say as I approached to solicit his vote.
As for me rounding up support, the well was very dry.I had no favours to call in.I had been done like a dog’s dinner.Shafted royally.They had stuck it to me good.The Departments practice of shuffling me around had paid off for some .I could never sink my roots in deep enough anywhere I was sent.
My supplication to the Ombudsman about the matter was likewise to no avail,What I considered my airtight case lay outside their ambit.
I couldn’t blow the whistle on the Department to any official agency. Undeterred, I sought legal advice about taking on this mindless behemoth- you pays your money and you takes your chances- but was told there wasn’t much I could do about the stitch up. Like the steps in an Escher drawing,those toward justice went nowhere. I had come up against the culture of complicity - an establishment involving politics, segments of the media, the judiciary, and the economy which functions through a series of self-protective, tacit understandings, and without sharply defined checks and balances.
After sending me packing the Minister brought in special powers to deal with the next on his hit list. He would deal with disorderly children so as to ‘protect’ teachers. The sheer brazen-faced cynicism
of blackguards such as this to promote fear both of teachers and students is breathtaking. It solidified the climate of fear and withdrawal.
I had hoped somewhat romantically that the community would rise to my defence,joining me on my picket,organizing a letter writing campaign,making so much noise calling for my reinstatement.Parents trusted my witness but couldn’t respond to the situation.They were bound up in their daily jobs and often didn’t know many other parents. I quickly understood better how sadly lightly the sense of public community can be embedded.However I have no reason to be cynical.I had been fully bound up in mine.
On the notion of cynicism, I will always remember the throwaway comment of one boy-one who was never in my classes. While I was picketing the school by myself, openly addressing the dangers of the powers, this young rubberneck called out glibly ‘Sucked in!’. This buzz phrase would become a recurring motif in my life.
of blackguards such as this to promote fear both of teachers and students is breathtaking. It solidified the climate of fear and withdrawal.
I had hoped somewhat romantically that the community would rise to my defence,joining me on my picket,organizing a letter writing campaign,making so much noise calling for my reinstatement.Parents trusted my witness but couldn’t respond to the situation.They were bound up in their daily jobs and often didn’t know many other parents. I quickly understood better how sadly lightly the sense of public community can be embedded.However I have no reason to be cynical.I had been fully bound up in mine.
On the notion of cynicism, I will always remember the throwaway comment of one boy-one who was never in my classes. While I was picketing the school by myself, openly addressing the dangers of the powers, this young rubberneck called out glibly ‘Sucked in!’. This buzz phrase would become a recurring motif in my life.
Back on the Beat.
Slipshot in every respect the system kept calling me,it’s patsy, back to work again after having given me my marching orders.A case of the left hand not knowing what the right was doing. I worked on standby at four more schools, two as a casual teacher.At Auburn Girls High I taught art and Arabic. The girls only wanted to learn about pop music, fashion and Australian things.I arrived at the same conclusion as Russel Ward had a generation earlier. That national feeling and patriotism are in no way conditioned by one’s ancestry but in every way by the environment in which one grows up.Doomsayers asking ‘Please explain!’, who worry so much about the volume of non-european immigration would relax if they had ever taught immigrant children. The Auburn girls, like their
brothers at Granville Boys, had been in Australia for only half their lives,yet they were fluent in strine,which most of their parents could hardly speak at all.
I showed these children how to simply transform a flat sheet square of paper into a finished sculpture: ‘The advantage of easy origami is twofold...’
I could have kept on forever working like this, supporting this ineptitude,another brick in the wall, if I had never let on. I could simply have continued clocking on and clocking off, a fifth wheel filling in for sick or absent teachers,a fake smile plastered on my face, and no one would have been any the wiser.Or cared. Such a prospect-glorified babysitting in weary fits and starts- proved
unprepossessing,unfeasible and insufferable.When it came right down to it, it meant I could never develop professionally,my discipline in the hand of the gods.I swore off going down that road,driving with the handbrake on, dancing to the eugenists’ tune.No way in the world.
As for my continued work helping my re-instatement, this mattered not a whit to the Department.
unprepossessing,unfeasible and insufferable.When it came right down to it, it meant I could never develop professionally,my discipline in the hand of the gods.I swore off going down that road,driving with the handbrake on, dancing to the eugenists’ tune.No way in the world.
As for my continued work helping my re-instatement, this mattered not a whit to the Department.
It mattered not a whit to the Minister despite my local member’s continued representation .
The School Of Hard Knocks
When I think back
On all the crap I learned in high school
It's a wonder
I can think at all
And though my lack of education
Hasn't hurt me none
I can read the writing on the wall.
Paul Simon.
The last governmental school, at which I worked, Yasmar, was situated inside a juvenile detention centre.Now what was my role there? You’re going to like this. I was a youth worker supervising children who had a troubled history at school,some stroppy ones who others couldn’t tame.You’d feel wary of them on sight.The vast bulk were the product of where they’d come from, a product of circumstances,just as their parents before them were.. Family breakdown, bereavement, multiple foster
placements, violence and sexual exploitation were the background to their lives. Their cases fell into the amorphous catch-all called juvenile delinquency. Some of the wilder ones kicking over the traces had been involved in gangs.Their motto was simple: ‘Do it to them before they do it to you’. Often they were not the first in their family to be inside. Physical and sexual abuse and neglect were common experiences among them.Alcohol and substance abuse came into it. Some were a danger to others, unafraid to face down staff,others a danger to themselves,sent there for their own protection. I had to monitor their every move ,every moment of the day. When the school race was held, I watched the guys like a hawk, making doubly sure no one did a runner.
At this purpose built secure unit, the ceilings were designed high, the walls far apart so the inmates couldn’t easily shin up.They had to have me or another member of staff with them at all times. With a courteous manner and a large collection of keys,I opened the doors for them. When suspicions arose,I’d search their room and go through their personal items, looking for ligatures and contraband,items that had been smuggled in. Matches, felt tip pens for graffiting, and anything that could be improvised as a weapon.Their guiding principle was ‘Do unto others-then run. The kind of crimes they were there for included such things as carrying a bladed article,firearm, arson,assault,burglary,snatch and grab, hands in the till,second-storey work.It could have been for
sexual offences.
At Minda,the higher security centre where I went on and off,it could have been
for kidnap or murder.There cold, grey, solid walls, layers and layers of locked doors backed
onto bare rooms, and heavy doors had bolted slits for basic meals to be delivered in.
Being locked up didn’t stop some hard cases,
caught dead to rights, coming back for more.
Arrested Development.
They were real Jekyll and Hyde characters.Their stories ranged from the tragic to the absurd, though most were something of a mix.Many invariably invented heroic fantasy accounts of their life. I got to talking to one wiry seventeen year old boy, suspicious eyes and acne scars on his cheeks, sitting on a bench,sweating after a football game. I asked him how he came to end up here, and something odd happened. He offered me a completely fictitious life, one in total contradiction to the story in his file . His mother was still alive,selling handpainted souvenirs in front of Bondi Pavilion. His brother,the same age as him, came and went.He never saw him from one day to the next. And he didn't became involved with other young hoods willingly. ‘I liked it though. It's hard to explain... but it was good. I left them all for the love of a woman.She answers to the name Mary Peters.’ He said the name with
dreamy love. ‘I met her because I stole her bag. I was busted and sent to the cop shop, but when she came to collect it she was so charmed by me she decided she wanted to adopt me.’
At first I think I must have the wrong person, but then I realised these young inmates coat the truth in self-protecting lies.His mother was indeed dead and he had no siblings. Tragically he was an only twin.. He was never forced to mix with the other hoods. No - he joined them to get back on those they believed were the cause of his poverty. He continued with his dream story, where he was adopted by a rich woman.He said ‘ I think about her all the time.I’m like a cat on a hot tin roof .My tummy is upset,my chest hurts.It must be love.’
One of the other youth workers said, ‘You go on like this after meals.It sounds more like indigestion.’
I tried to get him on to something more real. What is a typical day in a gang like?’
'We would go to a mall or a street corner and smoke. Or we would watch ‘Rambo’ in the cinema, or
steal bags. They called us ‘The Bad Boys’. He drifted back into the fantasy, and the more I pushed him back to sense-impressions - did you see somebody being done over? - the more wet tears ran, unforced, down his face. Before he left to change,I let him tell me more and more about this fantasy mother.
‘What work does your mother do?’ I asked.
‘It's difficult to say what she does.’
‘You’re ashamed of her?’
‘ It’s not that kind of soliciting.You’d never guess what it is she sells.’’
‘She takes sparrows, paints them with peroxide and sells them as canaries?’
'She sells sea shells on the sea shore.’
‘You’re expecting her any time now ?’
‘She is coming to get me. She's coming to get me soon.’
‘And your brother?’
‘I never know when he’ll turn up.Nothing new to me.When I lived at home, I used to lie in my twin-sized bed and wonder where he was.’
I had to monitor their prescribed medicine.One girl in there, a sly compulsive kleptomaniac,was subject to occasional fits.It wasn’t surprising.During biology lessons at her former school she had sniffed formaldehyde.
‘It’s gotten worse the last year’,another officer said. ‘Her father died last year.’
‘That must have been hard for her,’I said.’
‘It was’,he replied, ‘but tough on him too.’
I asked him how she kept things under control.I asked another officer how she kept things under
control.
‘She’s normally O.K. but sure enough when it gets bad, she takes something for it.'
‘Can’t you explain to in simple terms her this is wrong?’
‘This is like threading the eye of a tiny needle.She always takes things literally.
‘That means you really can’t take her out into the shopping mall.’
‘We had long sessions before she went accompanied shopping,working to relieve her of this disorder. I told her ‘We trust you won’t be trapped by the desire to steal again.’ One of her friends added ‘If you do have a relapse, I could do with a new CD player.’
‘When was her condition first noticed?’
‘When she went with her class on an overnight excursion,they stayed in a nice hotel.You know the kind-fluffy sheets, big bath towel and all.It was then her teacher noticed.It was taking her an hour to get her bag closed.’
‘This is like threading the eye of a tiny needle.She always takes things literally.
‘That means you really can’t take her out into the shopping mall.’
‘We had long sessions before she went accompanied shopping,working to relieve her of this disorder. I told her ‘We trust you won’t be trapped by the desire to steal again.’ One of her friends added ‘If you do have a relapse, I could do with a new CD player.’
‘When was her condition first noticed?’
‘When she went with her class on an overnight excursion,they stayed in a nice hotel.You know the kind-fluffy sheets, big bath towel and all.It was then her teacher noticed.It was taking her an hour to get her bag closed.’
‘I’ll keep an eye on her.’
‘Don’t forget-the hand is quicker than the eye.A hand that is supple,deft.A hand that slides.A hand that alights.If you shake hands with her,I suggest you count your fingers afterwards.’
I tried to instil in her the virtue of labour and it’s rewards: ‘Anything in life worth having is worth working for.”
She replied with ‘A thing worth having is a thing worth pinching for.’
This filching female complained about another girl who accused her of being a ‘lousy thief.’
‘If the shoe fits,wear it,’I advised her.
‘If the shoe fits, I’ll take another one just like it.’
I endeavoured to get the girl to see things from the perspective of those she stole from: ‘Imagine how they feel at being ripped off.Think of things from their point of view.’‘It’s simple’,she said. ‘They’re losers.’
I reminded her of the famous proverb: ‘Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes.’
‘After that who cares?’she said. ‘He's a mile away and you've got his Nikes.’
And then you had the state wards in this secure unit for their own protection.They could be there for such things as domestic abuse,neglect, truancy and running away from foster placements.
Chaotic family backgrounds had left some of the errant youngsters unfamiliar with even the mostbasic tasks. Whether washing or tidying ,they’d polish here, brush there, slop at one place, give a lick and a promise at another.Like nature,they abhorred a vacuum. Prepared for the inevitable comments,I had to to blag them into hoovering: ‘Yes,I know it sucks.’
I put to the aforementioned lightfingered lady the following question: ‘If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?’
She thought for a time and then asked, ‘Is it on or off ?’I had to blag them into making their bed, : ‘No ,you don’t need nails and wood,fortunately.’
‘What are you doing?’ asked one of the boys as the young lady got into tidying up.
‘I'm trying to clean up before the Manager comes round.’
‘Chloroform, Rohypnol or a good old-fashioned cricket bat?’
‘Comes round on inspection,you nong.’
My most important daytime duty was to maintain order in the classroom for the teachers.I kid you not.In this school, every period ended with a bell. Every sentence ended with a period. Every crime ended with a sentence. For some of the inmates having fallen between the cracks in the education system,it was the first time they’d actually had to go to school.Mostly they’d been expelled from mainstream school, many of them at the primary stage. Rage and an inability to control it were the common personality trait.
It was as if a vital behavioural development, which usually occurs when children emerge from the toddler stage and start school, was completely missing. So what we had at Yasmar were big, adultsized teenagers who threw toddler-type tantrums.They were like dogs chasing cars.They wouldn’t know what to do with one if the caught one.They just did things. Governed by the pleasure principle,they could revert to anti-social conduct at any moment as the mood took them.They were particularly dangerous when their desires were being frustrated.In their face,in their space at all times, I had to stop young troubled minds from projecting spitballs onto the ceiling,throwing chairs, trading
blows and interfering with each other and others with such interruptive pranks. Such messing around could have led to a critical incident.The smallest incident could have set them off. With lots of different triggers, the tiniest push could escalate into a dangerous row.
The teacher once explained to the class about how verbs change to indicate time.He then asked one boy ‘ Peter,I’d like you construct a sentence where you demonstrate the three kinds.’
Peter offered this one with reference to his classmate sitting behind him:‘Graham Turner,You were a cretinous scumbag yesterday,you are a cretinous scumbag today and you always will be a cretinous scumbag.’
Graham fumed and I positioned myself near him,ready to restrain him.
It was tense. Peter had correctly included all three .The past,the present and the future.
With no real real warning,these youngsters could flip-just like that.Such behaviour recurred in a continuous cycle.
As for anger management, I took the line that I had to come down quickly and firmly to get the right
boundaries in place.
blows and interfering with each other and others with such interruptive pranks. Such messing around could have led to a critical incident.The smallest incident could have set them off. With lots of different triggers, the tiniest push could escalate into a dangerous row.
The teacher once explained to the class about how verbs change to indicate time.He then asked one boy ‘ Peter,I’d like you construct a sentence where you demonstrate the three kinds.’
Peter offered this one with reference to his classmate sitting behind him:‘Graham Turner,You were a cretinous scumbag yesterday,you are a cretinous scumbag today and you always will be a cretinous scumbag.’
Graham fumed and I positioned myself near him,ready to restrain him.
It was tense. Peter had correctly included all three .The past,the present and the future.
With no real real warning,these youngsters could flip-just like that.Such behaviour recurred in a continuous cycle.
As for anger management, I took the line that I had to come down quickly and firmly to get the right
boundaries in place.
‘You’re the living end.’I said to one of the boys I had to restrain from constantly moving from chair to chair. ‘Why so restless? Why can’t you stick to your allocated desk until moved.’
‘ I keep hoping to get lucky, but there's never any gum stuck under any of them.’‘You can do this the hard way,or you can make it work for you,I constantly reminded them.It’s your choice.Make the wrong one and it’ll be the big house for you.The Long Bay Hilton .Do the crime,do the time.’
At the same time the staff had to take a lot of provocation from them. It didn’t pay to be confrontational . That just wound things up.A negative interaction or an ambiguous comment
could cause an awkward situation to degenerate to dangerous hostility. I helped them teach problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills so the students didn’t resort to aggression to cope with
situations. In a revolving door situation,I restrained and escorted any scamps outside the classroom for a prescribed time until they cooled down and could come back inside to start again.
Some spent more time outside the class than in it.I recall the almost unbearable jim jams as the clock on the wall crept toward the final bell. ‘Like the grip of the boa constrictor’,rapped the Bad Boy, ‘doing time swells up like those that convict ya.You got the pitcha?’It’s tricky to turn around the learned behaviour of fourteen,fifteen,sixteen years.With little control
over what they can do and how they’re going to do it,they take the only action they can do.They aim to manipulate certain situations where they know the staff will have to react in a certain way. They do negative things to get attention.Getting restrained shows just how tough they are. 'They use violence as a way of gaining acceptance in peer groups.
One seventeen year old had a speech impediment.In a prison of illiteracy,one without visible walls,he was doing double time.I devoted as much time as possible getting him to stay calm and relaxed,to talk slowly but confidently.Gradually he pieced together what he wanted to say: ‘You should have seen me before I came here.I was really slow.Nobody really helped me. I couldn’t talk. I stuttered bad. I couldn’t say two clear words that made any sense to anybody else but me. And people laughed at me because of it. I felt like a real clot. You know, I really, really felt dumb. And when they laughed, the only sound they’d hear would be my fist whistling through the air. Did I hear laughter out there? My fists did my talking. Now, that stopped the laughter for a while, but it also got me into serious trouble, and I didn't pull a rabbit out of any hat. I still couldn’t talk proper.’
When I arrived at the school I thought to myself, that at last I’d experience something really exciting educationally. If there would be any school where you’d expect the authorities to abide children enjoying learning it would be in such an institution. Anybody in a confined space such as a waiting room will invariably pick up any half decent reading material available to avoid boredom. Boredom is probably the most common factor behind much crime and anti-social behaviour. Why can’t the authorities recognize something as blindingly obvious as this and promote universal literacy? They are there as a punishment,not to be punished,so why not? My opininion was they should get in on as many activities as possible to keep their minds off mischief.I had assumed that in this day and age, there would be some trade off in which the decision makers would relinquish some degree of professional control to the teacher in exchange for his or her dependability, integrity and uncomplaining, demanding workload.Quid pro quo.
The reality of the situation in this school was that it was much like the shambolic situation that it was
alleged my classes were like before I was given the old heave-ho. Not that I put blame on the staff.They had a lot to contend with.Yet in spite of this they knew how to react when things looked like getting out of hand. The strategy was to delegate responsibility.
‘Let’s not all panic! demanded the youth worker in charge one one occasion, ‘You,you and you panic. You and you stay calm.’
These skittish feckless children with attitude to burn and plenty of lip, have great difficulties. Plagued by boredom, the tizzies and sex, all the usual agonies of the awkward age only more so.
They were compulsive yet at the same time indecisive. Not knowing what they wanted in life but knowing that they wanted it now.
All too often rather than achieve a fully human identity, an empty space appears where feelings beyond the purely instinctive are expected to be.
‘Watch your wallet while he’s around,’I was warned about one artful dodger. ‘He'd steal a dead fly from a blind spider.’Running on impulse, they feed their drives and desires from one moment to the next, habitually,casually ransacking and ripping off anything not bolted down. Driven more by the thrill of transgression than the reward of hot goods and ill-gotten gains. At loose ends, hot-wiring cars harum scarum, souping them up for joyrides ,breaking traction,doing burnouts and
fishtails, zooming until the tank was empty.Some of these rev heads could never find a car they couldn’t jump start.They could jemmy most cars and be off while the owner was still looking for the keys.Gone in 60 seconds. It happened to mine as I was leaving the Centre.
Given what happens to them on the outside,I believed they-and the public-were better protected here.Softer on the inside,they were crazy on the outside.For some,it was the first time they were with adults who didn’t abuse them or deal with them unacceptably.They learned they could live with other people,including adults,and they’d be treated O.K.
‘It wasn’t that long ago,this would have been the last kind of place they’d want to be’,said one of my
colleagues.
‘Why would they think that?’I asked.
‘You know what happened at Parramatta Girls Home.’
‘Not as such .What really went on there?’
‘The inmates many of them indigenous. were kept in an isolation cell.They called it ‘the
dungeon’.They were given drugs while they were there. Largactil.This was to subdue them while
they were being raped.
One of the wards of the State, Craig Dunne, a fine athletic fifteen year old boy,had a wicked sense of humour.His boast in class was he could recite the alphabet backwards.When his teacher asked for a demo ,he turned around and declaimed it in the normal sequence:A,B,C----’.
‘Smile,you’re on candid camera,’he cried as we passed any mounted surveillance devices.
‘Aaagh!My shoelaces.’ was the screaming sound he made at the bottom of the escalator that got everyone’s attention.
I had taken him out to the department store to buy some underwear.When was the last time you shopped for clothes?’I asked him on the way.
‘Last year I went to one of those army disposal stores.I wanted to buy some camouflage trousers and blend in like Travis Bickle.’
‘You were looking for the urban guerrilla look.Did you get a good fit?’
‘I couldn’t find any.’
The underwear he wanted stood out more.An assistant came up to us and Craig said ‘Could you help me out?’
The young lady said: ‘What way did you come in?’
He said, ‘I need to get some underpants.’
'We have a big selection here,’she said,showing him their large display. ‘Why don’t I let you have a look through these while you think over what you require .If you need anything, I'm Leanne.’
Leanne had a conditional identity.
When Craig mentioned what he wanted Leanne showed him some boxer shorts.On seeing him turn up his nose,she said 'They look much better on.'
‘On what?’he replied,barely unable to contain his dislike for them, ‘on fire? How can anyone wear those things. They bag up,they rise in. There’s nothing to hold me in place. I flip, I flop. Leanne, can I try those red briefs in the window?’
Leanne said it was O.K. It wasn’t my fault she failed to direct him to the changing room instead.
It wasn’t my mind fault when I did, he promptly went along the cubicles pulling aside the curtains, followed by female objections.
‘May I help you,Sir,’ asked the floor assistant?’
‘Just looking,’replied Craig.
Not long after I had a my run-in with him at the high fence. He giggled when I had occasion to frisk him:‘Ooh,aah,you could at least have bought me dinner first!’ He seemed to be acting shifty, hiding something,.He appeared to be pretending to tie up his shoelaces.I noticed the soft clump around his ankles. ‘I’ll have that if you don’t mind.Now come on then,give it to me.’’ I patted him down in full view of everyone.He went red and I asked , ‘What’s that under there?’
‘On what?’he replied,barely unable to contain his dislike for them, ‘on fire? How can anyone wear those things. They bag up,they rise in. There’s nothing to hold me in place. I flip, I flop. Leanne, can I try those red briefs in the window?’
Leanne said it was O.K. It wasn’t my fault she failed to direct him to the changing room instead.
It wasn’t my mind fault when I did, he promptly went along the cubicles pulling aside the curtains, followed by female objections.
‘May I help you,Sir,’ asked the floor assistant?’
‘Just looking,’replied Craig.
Not long after I had a my run-in with him at the high fence. He giggled when I had occasion to frisk him:‘Ooh,aah,you could at least have bought me dinner first!’ He seemed to be acting shifty, hiding something,.He appeared to be pretending to tie up his shoelaces.I noticed the soft clump around his ankles. ‘I’ll have that if you don’t mind.Now come on then,give it to me.’’ I patted him down in full view of everyone.He went red and I asked , ‘What’s that under there?’
He replied, ‘Under where?’
I said, ‘Under there.’
‘Like I said- underwear.’
Would you like to take them out?’ He reached down and pulled out a pair of wrinkled up red underpants.
This was his explanation: ‘Last night I ran into my room,kicked off my jeans,had a quick shower and threw on my jeans.Early this morning,not yet alert,I threw on my underpants,grabbed my jeans from the floor, climbed into them and ran out here.I noticed something funny in my pants. This soft bulge round my ankle. In my rush to get my gear off last night,I didn’t do a good job separating them so yesterday’s underdaks were still squooshed up in today's pants. I was trying to get them out without anyone noticing or to get them back up the leg of the pants.
‘A brief word to you,Craig.Take off your clothes more carefully.
And remember,we’re on your side.This centre is like a good pair of underpants, supporting you and
giving you freedom in equal measure.’
Full of the devil, he howled along with passing police sirens, and affected mock fighting poses at the passing cops.He could fake walking into a door. He hit it with his hand and snapped his head back much to everyone’s amusement.
As part of their recreation the inmates were allowed to watch video cassettes.One movie Craig got into interestingly enough was ‘Police Academy’.He evinced a talent in mimicry. He replayed the
scenes with Sgt. Larvell Jones over and over again and practised making sound effects with his mouth. He used his vocal chords making noises to play pranks and deceive both his peers and authority figures. This ‘Winslow Boy’ as I called him was able to clearly imitate such sounds as a flat tyre, his mates noisily eating fast food, machine gunfire, barking dogs, squishing soggy sneakers, jets
roaring, spine tingling scratches from a chalkboard, radio noises, guitars screaming,telephones, and martial arts sounds. Other times he used his sound-effects ability solely to amuse himself such as one
time when he imagined himself playing a game of space invaders and making all the known sound effects from that video game.
I showed him a performance of Marcel Marceau. I asked him ‘Have you ever tried doing mime?’
‘I have but I found I had nothing to say.’
One morning I approached his room to make sure he was getting cleaned up and ready for breakfast. I heard the questions ‘’You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? coming maniacally from inside, followed by ‘Oh yeah? Who the hell do you think you're talking to?’ This had me wondering as he was supposed to be alone, couldn’t have known I was there,and mobile phones weren’t around yet.I pushed the door open wide enough to find him standing in front of the
mirror,zipping his jacket up and down,folding his arms, in tough guy poses.He was practising the role of Travis Bickle from the film 'Taxi Driver' in the mirror. Secretly,or so he thought.He had seen this visceral vigilante movie,I hasten to add, before my arrival.
‘Yeah,I’m talking to you,’I answered in Travistalk. ‘Who the hell else would be talking. Well I'm the only one here. OK. I'm standing here. You make the move. It's your move.You gotta get your act together.Like your room,your possessions.Take these socks you are wearing, one is green and one is blue.Would you believe this coincidence.Your mate next door has got a pair like that two.Also you’ve got to get your timetable clear .You gotta get one of those signs that says ‘One of these days I'm gonna get organizized’,I said quoting the novelty poster Travis mentions.
‘You mean organized?’
‘Organizized. Organizized. It's a joke. O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-I-Z-E-D.
‘Oh, you mean organizized. Like those little signs they have in offices that say ‘Thimk’
‘Yes.That way when you want to find your personal things,they’ll be at your finger tips. Take those new red undies of yours.If you store them with the others and place them ready for the next day,things will go smoothly.Do you know where they are now?’
‘Now let me see.They’re not around my ankles right now.I think they’re in this top drawer.’He pulled it out.There were a few pair of other colours and some odd socks.But no red undies.He went through all his drawers but no trace of the undies.Finally after rummaging through all his cupboards he found them under his mattress . ‘It's always the last place you look,’he declared.
‘ Of course it is,Craig! Thimk about it. Why would you keep looking after you've found them?’
Apart from throwing the odd wobbler, he seemed devoid of the thuggish instincts that drove others of his cohort to rape, rob blind, and muss up anyone and everyone who stood in their way.Aware where
this would lead him,Craig wanted to take control of his future. He kept his nose clean, putting up with the bullying and extortions of the more hardened, tattooed inmates, but was able to defend himself when the horseplay became too aggressive. I could sense an energy trying to break through, emotions
unexamined but urgent.He oscillated effortlessly from emotionally neglected,moody child to streetwise slicker in a syllable, at once sympathetic and troublesome, cocky yet troubled. Not surprisingly one of his favourite songs was “Hurricane”the protest song by Bob Dylan about the wrongful imprisonment of Rubin Hurricane Carter. Craig took great relish in peppering us with it’s rich details and impolite truths, embarrassing the legal system by coming off smarter than every lawyer, cop, and jury on the case:
“How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool’s hand?
To see him obviously framed
Couldn’t help but make me feel ashamed to live in a land
Where justice is a game.”
In class his mind was usually miles away.
Endlessly
fidgeting,he twisted his arm around his head as if trying to strangle
himself.He rubbed his eye furiously,fingering his shirt buttons,smacking his
lips and scrunching up his body.
‘Craig,do you have difficulty hearing? his teacher asked.
‘No Sir,I just have difficulty listening.’
‘Craig,I don’t think you’re really following me.’
‘Sir,I don’t think you’re really saying anything to me.’
Yet he wanted to read so badly.He asked me if I could read him good night stories – I worked nightshifts as well.Having vouched for him, I was denied approval for this. Stirred crazy,forlorn of hope,eyes glazed,staring into space, he expressed terminal boredom with school. ‘It feels like I’m in a coma. Time stands still.The walls are closing in on me. I switch right off when the teachers drone on,
flogging some dead horse.
‘Craig,'I said,trying to convince him otherwise, ' only the boring get bored.You’re not boring.You’ve got hidden talents.'
'My head hurts in class.It keeps falling on the desk.'
I had to catch it once. ‘Do you need a pillow,Craig?’asked his teacher?’
'We’re told these are the best years of our lives,' Craig told me '.Hah.I’m gonna take the ‘midnight express if this goes on any longer.’
In a later conversation he was reluctant to say much.‘Out with it,’I said. ‘It’s no good to bottle it up.’
‘They're coming to take me away ha haaa ho ho hee hee,’he sang , ‘and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats getting out the syringe.’
He intimated that he would use heroin if it were available.
‘That’s enough of those thoughts,’I told him. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.’
I conveyed my concern about this needless self-destructive tendency to my superior officers who had duty of care.I stressed the impact that literacy, reading and writing, books and words,can have on the lives of those incarcerated.For those such as Rubin Carter, books were his only friends. These and Dylan’s lyrics were about to literally set him free. Now, that’s the awesome power of the written word.
‘Don’t worry,’I was told. ‘We’ll take care of this.’
As with my casual work previously, my Member of Parliament informed the Minister of Education and pointed again to the numerous inconsistencies.Hoping against hope, he likened me to being caught in a bureaucratic web.It was one that became widely dragged out timewise. It required someone who cleaved to party principles,a books not bars approach,no weasel wordsmith impersonating a progressive politician,, to cut through this.Someone who stood up to the conservative opposition,not for them.Someone who’d extract his digit, not hold it up to test which way the wind was blowing
Bend with it a little maybe,but not way over backwards,Hmph! Once again, the Member’s words fell on deaf ears.True to form this ‘Honourable’ reprobate gave the thumbs down.Refusing to budge, the smartest guy in the room declared the matter to be closed,far and away more interested in asserting his power and finding a sacrificial lamb than ensuring that justice is served. Well,wasn’t that the limit! Cavalierism at it’s most arrogant.Blast and damnation,my work as a youth worker was abruptly terminated,effective as of then, without discussion.No more fresh starts. I was to all intents and purposes blacklisted,my career prospects stunted ,no ifs or buts.The same old story.Punching above my weight, any thrusting ambition I held to improve educational standards working within the system was dealt a hard knock on the head. Some brown-nosed sticks-in the mud sure had it in enough for me.They should live in infamy.
Bend with it a little maybe,but not way over backwards,Hmph! Once again, the Member’s words fell on deaf ears.True to form this ‘Honourable’ reprobate gave the thumbs down.Refusing to budge, the smartest guy in the room declared the matter to be closed,far and away more interested in asserting his power and finding a sacrificial lamb than ensuring that justice is served. Well,wasn’t that the limit! Cavalierism at it’s most arrogant.Blast and damnation,my work as a youth worker was abruptly terminated,effective as of then, without discussion.No more fresh starts. I was to all intents and purposes blacklisted,my career prospects stunted ,no ifs or buts.The same old story.Punching above my weight, any thrusting ambition I held to improve educational standards working within the system was dealt a hard knock on the head. Some brown-nosed sticks-in the mud sure had it in enough for me.They should live in infamy.
Death by Default.
You can tell a man by his enemies and mine are a right pack of bastards.
Frank Hardy.
“The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted
man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing
cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him.”
Leo Tolstoy
Not long after, one of the other youth workers I came across informed me that Craig Dunne had OD’d.Pow!
‘Tell me this isn’t happening,’ was my reply.’ This was a real kick in the teeth for me.There was a lower force at work here.He’d been taken care of all right.
‘Surely I’ll be called on to give evidence at an inquiry’,I put to him. ‘Surely any education department worthy of it’s name wouldn’t impede this?’
‘You wish.I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that.Is Community Services run by humanitarians? Is the Education Department run by educators? Is the Police Department run by criminologists?
‘The truth of the matter has to be brought out into the open.’
‘And where will it get you, trying to find this bright shiny truth. You can’t hunt such big game,shooting high, without backup. They keep cases like this cold, tying them up with a bow.It’s always the way.These are kids they’d rather forget.Any attempt on your part to expose this on the basis of what you know will never see the light of day.They’ll treat you like a leper.Look at the policeman injured in the Hilton Hotel Bombing.He still can’t get a proper inquiry into this terrorist act,so what chance have you got in this case? It’s easier for them to kill any unwelcome messenger.’
‘They see no evil,hear no evil and speak no truths.It’s up to us to set the record straight about these matters.’
'People must know the truth about these things.’‘People don’t care about the truth.They only care about the future.’
‘They have to learn the connection between them.’
Eventually the correctional facility attracted publicity when a number of children turned up dead. The department responsible for their welfare couldn’t account for the children in its charge. With neither hide nor hair of them, it said they had ‘run away or something’.Such nonfeasance. For it, people count for nowt. One teacher at the school would be stabbed to death on the job. It really was what one Minister for Education would categorise as a ‘Death Trap’. The child wefare administration still was what one of it’s heads had described several years earlier as something out of ''the Dickensian age'' . [10]
The government began talking up their scheme for appointing ‘lead teachers’ for government schools.So called teachers who would ‘initiate and lead activities that focus on improving educational opportunities for students and for inspiring colleagues to improve their own professional practice’. Some said what Yasmar School needed was not it’s own politically correct teacher but it’s own coroner.I heard the children there had chosen to write an essay with the title : ‘What I'm going to be if I grow up.’
Any consideration of my prescient thoughts about Craig Dunne was out of the question.Keeping the matter under wraps,The Ministry of Education could kill two birds with the one stone. Judge, jury,
and misprisioner all scrooged into one,it had found getting rid of teachers child’s play. As for children, officials could stand by and watch as they suffered without having to lift a finger to protect them. They were dead easy.
Such a great lurk for these officials.They got paid top dollar while they kicked this political football into the tall grass.Where all their mistakes got buried.
I made an appointment with the Director of Personnel. I was kept kicking my heels outside his door an hour,
His secretary said ‘I hope you don’t mind waiting.’‘I’m very good at waiting.’
Finally one of his subordinates offered to look into my case himself. When I sat down with him,he pulled the file on some other teacher. I saw this bungle as the Director attempting to fob me off.
I insisted on seeing him and him alone: ‘I’m here to talk to the organ grinder not the monkey,’I told the underling.
Finally His Majesty deigned to receive me. ‘Have him come in,’I heard him command . This saturnine grey suit in his big,easy chair ,refused from the moment I was shown in to hear me out properly.
‘Mr.Davis,let’s skip the preliminaries.Now what’s all this about you wanting to be re-instated,’ he said with cool civility.His pale eyes flashing,he seemed as cold blooded as an old lizard on a rock. ‘The Department had no call to do what it did.The reason goes beyond my ability and professionalism.I want to know why I’ve been broken out of the teaching service.All I’m told is I’m ‘unsatisfactory’.Can you let me in on your little secret.’
‘Let me just say it’s not for no reason. Suppose you let us be the best judges of this.’
As I looked directly at him,I could tell there was nobody home. His attitude was dismissive,his jaw clenching,his back straightening as soon as I told him what I was appealing. ‘What do you think is the real reason for my dismissal,’I asked him.’
‘Try not to live up to my expectations if you will’, he replied,’‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you mean ‘I don’t know’ or ‘ I don’t want to know?’
‘Mr.Davis,get this straight.You make more insinuations than I care to hear.I don’t like it when people try to put words into my mouth.’I had no
choice.It was like pulling teeth to get a straight answer from him.
‘May I ask you a question?’
‘So ask.’
‘Excuse me for my inconvenience but don’t you have anything to say about this gross injustice?’‘No comment.’
‘No comment is a comment.Surely you’d know this. Can’t you just come out with what you think personally.’
‘My personal feelings on your case are neither here nor there.’
‘Would you at least tell me what you’re going to do about this so we don’t have this conversation again in future?’
He kept his arms crossed the whole appointed time of my interview,staring off into the distance.
‘For someone dealing with human resources,’I thought looking at him, ‘you certainly have a way with people.’‘I’ve been fully briefed about your case.It says in my file you have a rather questionable attitude to authority. You’ve just demonstrated this to me. We’ve got you for insubordination.This is not part of the job description.'
‘What do you want?A signed confession.’‘No,just a realisation.There is a limit you know.We’re aware you consider yourself outside the normal chain of command but let me remind you this is a service,not a laissez-faire free for all.Anything doesn’t go.The Department is generous but can’t allow a probationary teacher to take such liberties,and you have.I don’t think I need to remind you of the tremendous responsibility we have.’
‘Please tell me something I don’t already know.’
'The way we see it you’ve veered off the rails, and in your case I use the term advisedly.We’re not at all happy about this.We’ve already determined that your relaxed approach,well intentioned I’m sure, led to pupils taking advantage of this.You failed to take them in hand.'
Leo Tolstoy
Not long after, one of the other youth workers I came across informed me that Craig Dunne had OD’d.Pow!
‘Tell me this isn’t happening,’ was my reply.’ This was a real kick in the teeth for me.There was a lower force at work here.He’d been taken care of all right.
‘Surely I’ll be called on to give evidence at an inquiry’,I put to him. ‘Surely any education department worthy of it’s name wouldn’t impede this?’
‘You wish.I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that.Is Community Services run by humanitarians? Is the Education Department run by educators? Is the Police Department run by criminologists?
‘They should be
charged for contravening the Trade Description Act.’
'If it’s an inquiry into these matters you’re looking for,save it.It’s not going to happen.'‘The truth of the matter has to be brought out into the open.’
‘And where will it get you, trying to find this bright shiny truth. You can’t hunt such big game,shooting high, without backup. They keep cases like this cold, tying them up with a bow.It’s always the way.These are kids they’d rather forget.Any attempt on your part to expose this on the basis of what you know will never see the light of day.They’ll treat you like a leper.Look at the policeman injured in the Hilton Hotel Bombing.He still can’t get a proper inquiry into this terrorist act,so what chance have you got in this case? It’s easier for them to kill any unwelcome messenger.’
‘They see no evil,hear no evil and speak no truths.It’s up to us to set the record straight about these matters.’
'People must know the truth about these things.’‘People don’t care about the truth.They only care about the future.’
‘They have to learn the connection between them.’
Eventually the correctional facility attracted publicity when a number of children turned up dead. The department responsible for their welfare couldn’t account for the children in its charge. With neither hide nor hair of them, it said they had ‘run away or something’.Such nonfeasance. For it, people count for nowt. One teacher at the school would be stabbed to death on the job. It really was what one Minister for Education would categorise as a ‘Death Trap’. The child wefare administration still was what one of it’s heads had described several years earlier as something out of ''the Dickensian age'' . [10]
The government began talking up their scheme for appointing ‘lead teachers’ for government schools.So called teachers who would ‘initiate and lead activities that focus on improving educational opportunities for students and for inspiring colleagues to improve their own professional practice’. Some said what Yasmar School needed was not it’s own politically correct teacher but it’s own coroner.I heard the children there had chosen to write an essay with the title : ‘What I'm going to be if I grow up.’
Any consideration of my prescient thoughts about Craig Dunne was out of the question.Keeping the matter under wraps,The Ministry of Education could kill two birds with the one stone. Judge, jury,
and misprisioner all scrooged into one,it had found getting rid of teachers child’s play. As for children, officials could stand by and watch as they suffered without having to lift a finger to protect them. They were dead easy.
Such a great lurk for these officials.They got paid top dollar while they kicked this political football into the tall grass.Where all their mistakes got buried.
I made an appointment with the Director of Personnel. I was kept kicking my heels outside his door an hour,
His secretary said ‘I hope you don’t mind waiting.’‘I’m very good at waiting.’
Finally one of his subordinates offered to look into my case himself. When I sat down with him,he pulled the file on some other teacher. I saw this bungle as the Director attempting to fob me off.
I insisted on seeing him and him alone: ‘I’m here to talk to the organ grinder not the monkey,’I told the underling.
Finally His Majesty deigned to receive me. ‘Have him come in,’I heard him command . This saturnine grey suit in his big,easy chair ,refused from the moment I was shown in to hear me out properly.
‘Mr.Davis,let’s skip the preliminaries.Now what’s all this about you wanting to be re-instated,’ he said with cool civility.His pale eyes flashing,he seemed as cold blooded as an old lizard on a rock. ‘The Department had no call to do what it did.The reason goes beyond my ability and professionalism.I want to know why I’ve been broken out of the teaching service.All I’m told is I’m ‘unsatisfactory’.Can you let me in on your little secret.’
‘Let me just say it’s not for no reason. Suppose you let us be the best judges of this.’
As I looked directly at him,I could tell there was nobody home. His attitude was dismissive,his jaw clenching,his back straightening as soon as I told him what I was appealing. ‘What do you think is the real reason for my dismissal,’I asked him.’
‘Try not to live up to my expectations if you will’, he replied,’‘I don’t know.’
‘Do you mean ‘I don’t know’ or ‘ I don’t want to know?’
‘Mr.Davis,get this straight.You make more insinuations than I care to hear.I don’t like it when people try to put words into my mouth.’I had no
choice.It was like pulling teeth to get a straight answer from him.
Of course to be fair, just because
he didn’t seem to care didn't mean he wasn’t
listening.
‘May I ask you a question?’
‘So ask.’
‘Excuse me for my inconvenience but don’t you have anything to say about this gross injustice?’‘No comment.’
‘No comment is a comment.Surely you’d know this. Can’t you just come out with what you think personally.’
‘My personal feelings on your case are neither here nor there.’
‘Would you at least tell me what you’re going to do about this so we don’t have this conversation again in future?’
He kept his arms crossed the whole appointed time of my interview,staring off into the distance.
‘For someone dealing with human resources,’I thought looking at him, ‘you certainly have a way with people.’‘I’ve been fully briefed about your case.It says in my file you have a rather questionable attitude to authority. You’ve just demonstrated this to me. We’ve got you for insubordination.This is not part of the job description.'
‘What do you want?A signed confession.’‘No,just a realisation.There is a limit you know.We’re aware you consider yourself outside the normal chain of command but let me remind you this is a service,not a laissez-faire free for all.Anything doesn’t go.The Department is generous but can’t allow a probationary teacher to take such liberties,and you have.I don’t think I need to remind you of the tremendous responsibility we have.’
‘Please tell me something I don’t already know.’
'The way we see it you’ve veered off the rails, and in your case I use the term advisedly.We’re not at all happy about this.We’ve already determined that your relaxed approach,well intentioned I’m sure, led to pupils taking advantage of this.You failed to take them in hand.'
‘A very swift deduction.Some nasty little fanciful accusations based on nothing more than supposition and guesswork.Congratulations, for someone who wasn’t there.’
‘Your pupils got way out of line.’
‘So you’re playing that old game .Guilt by coincidence.You put two and two together to make eight.’
‘I’ll trouble you to remember ‘Concord’ means harmony.This went by the bye when you arrived.’
‘That makes nine.’
‘Our experienced personnel have given you every opportunity to mend your ways.They’ve got a good
idea of where the problem was coming from.They’re not just stirring the dirty water to see what jumps out of it.'
‘I’m glad you mentioned that.I tried my very best to test it with them all along.To clean it up.’
'Mr.Davis,we’re not here to discuss your ethics.Let’s get this straight about the reason why.We’re not at all happy about your failure to comply.’
‘Humph!And I’m not happy with the shoddy way I’ve been treated to be perfectly honest. In all truth I always used my better judgement.As the person on the spot,I consider my judgement more relevant than that of those sitting behind antique desks in elegant Bridge Street offices.'‘Now see here.I didn’t allow you to come here just to be insulted.
Now there sat a man with an open mind. I could feel the draft .
’'Doesn’t my continued service warrant my re-instatement ? ’
‘What of it? There’s no question of your being re-employed. This won’t happen.Let it go at that.You’re being recalled to work was nothing more than an unfortunate accident.’
‘We know all about the Department and it’s accidents.’
‘All right,that will do.All large institutions are accident prone,even ours.However these clerical oversights don’t change anything. Your tendency to operate alone and your somewhat obsessive behaviour have left you in an untenable situation. We haven’t been able to protect you or defend your conduct.You have exposed the Service to public ridicule,causing unnecessary concern, making people think their children are not achieving as they should.At Concord High it’s been all about damage limitation.I’ll be brutally frank with you.You’ll never work in a N.S.W. government school again,so get used to it.It’s only fair to warn you that it would be wise for you now to consider where
else you might wish to pursue your career.’
‘Everything I’ve done in the Service has been for my country and to further the interests of my fellow citizens .I had no choice.’Now if you don’t mind,I’ve got an office to run.Let me put it in words of one syllable. Don’t call us.We’ll call you. I believe we’re done here.’
‘But I didn’t get to---‘
‘Which part of the word “no” don’t you understand – the ‘n’ or the ‘o’?’
‘What I don’t understand is----‘
‘Mr.Davis,Thank you!’I got the feeling I wasn’t wanted there. To expedite my departure,he took my arm to steer me towards the door.
'Excuse me’,I said, brushing it off, ‘I think you inadvertedly placed your hand upon my arm.’
I’m not going to
listen----
‘---to any more of this.’
‘‘Mr.Davis,I
don’t like it when people finish my sentences for me.’
‘Period.’
I’m not going to listen to any more of this.Please leave now.’
‘You don’t mean that surely’,I said.I didn’t need no fascist groove thang.
‘Try me’.
I didn’t,deciding judiciously to leave before he could sic his security onto me.
‘Do you believe in anything,’I asked this empty suit before I left, ‘or are you wholly bought and paid for?’
‘We’re all bought and paid for Mr.Davis.I just don’t pretend otherwise.’
Parallel Spheres.
Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way
Maybe then they'll listen to whatcha have to say
They're the ones who's coming up and the world is in their hands
when you teach the children teach em the very best you can.
I find parallels in the boots and all way I was treated with that of a host of other idealistic teachers as depicted on film, our common denominator being at the outside no more than an independence of mind. The most celebrated in this well established genre is the foursquare Latino maths teacher, Jaime Escalante, on whose experience, with some dramatic licence,the movie “Stand and Deliver” is based. An inspirational teacher he motivated his street wise students to sit for the Advanced Placement
examination in calculus. His program was rivalled by those of only a handful of exclusive academies.
My task was to talk students through the maths leading up to calculus.
In the lead up
to exams,I reminded them if they didn’t
think they had the ability, ‘Remember
half the people you know are below average.’
I knew the score. My approach was to relate the maths to everyday life as far as possible.
‘Do you understand now? I said to one boy after I tried explaining coplanar lines to him.?’
‘Well, yes,but what I don't understand is why I need to know this stuff. Because, I mean seriously,like, who, like,calculates coplanar lines,slopes and angles.
Who needs this ?Why should I learn Algebra? I'm never likely to go there?’’
‘Why do we have to clog up our brains with these figures and numbers ?’ said one girl,rubbishing the products of centuries of sustained inquiry.
As the time for exams bore down closer,I had to rule out explaining the use for everything and argue that the result of the exercise would be to sharpen their logic and if nothing else help them get good grades after which they could find the reasons themselves. I even managed to throw in some background music such as the Kraftwerk number ‘Pocket Calculator’. Provided with my worksheets, my students were as diligent as any students will be if everything is prepared beforehand. Not surprisingly they passed their exams with flying colours and no one challenged this.
Escalante’s students surprised the US in 1982 when 18 of them passed the Advanced Placement calculus exam. The Educational Testing Service found the scores suspect and asked 14 of the students who passed to sit for the test again. All 12 who agreed did well enough to have their scores reinstated. In the following years the program grew phenomenally with similar success. Equally phenomenonal was the precipitous collapse of the program following Escalante’s departure and the fact that it went virtually unnoticed. Garfield High lost its principal who had supported his belief in the intellectual potential of disadvantaged youth.
To understand the opposition to Escalante, We have to factor in unprofessional variables. Other colleagues were withering in their scorn for him fighting to turn around the lives of ‘losers’ and ‘unteachables’ – the same piddling putdowns directed at my students. Escalante was of a calibre tangential to an uncaring system, the lack of appreciation didn’t end there.Piffling minds did a number on him from all angles. Escalante had been threatened with dismissal for coming to school
too early – this was said to have upset the janitor, he was said to have kept students too late. Such ludicrous distractive doozies were on a par with that of Concord High where I was held responsible when a boy allegedly fell off his chair. I was too preoccupied with him balancing his equations to
notice. I needed to watch both the political as well as the intellectual side of the education equation.
In Escalante’s story arc things reached a new nadir. He received threats and hate mail. The public attention he received aroused the green-eyed monster.Brilliant in it’s absence, the teachers union was upset because his classes were larger than those set by the contract. The vice president of the union said Jaime didn’t get along with some of the teachers at his school. He was pretty much a loner”. This is the same comment as was written about me by an official of the NSW Teacher’s Federation. He said I didn’t spend enough time talking to the other teachers. It’s true I didn’t spend as much time in small party talk as teachers are encouraged to.Flat chat, I talked to them about what I had to professionally. Shop talk.No idle chit chat,no blither blather,no wibble wobble,no trifling twiddle twaddle .No natter.No matter. I was there to make a difference,not to occupy a space. Not to take up with flibbertigibbets. Like Escalante I was more involved in talking to the students,to bring out the best in them. I encouraged them to see me as a resource, as someone who they have to extract what they can from, as a guide rather than an absolute fount of knowledge who has to be feared. I tip my hat to Escalante and his open door policy of welcoming into his classes all students who wanted to have a go – a major reason for him making a go of it.
Was I like him thought guilty of pedagogic Stakhanovism or being a class traitor? Perchance some of my colleagues suspected as much.
.
Qui Docet Discit. He who teaches,learns.’
motto of the N.S.W. Teacher’s Federation.
I certainly learned a lot.Acknowledging that campaigning against the edcons’ measures,they having it all their way, the upper hand in terms of the law and resources, was not to be taken lightly.. They give teacher campaigns for better pay both barrels,exploiting the common envy that teachers finish work in mid afternoon and have lengthy holidays,ignoring the fact that most work much outside school hours.
I did talk to the president of the Federation whose mother was a colleague.I pointed out that yielding
to them allowed them to single out teachers individually.
‘This is the thin end of the wedge,”I told him. ‘It will allow them to pick us off, give more the chop,for the Federation to lose more ground and to be brought to it’s knees. Then we’re all goners.’
I attended a mass meeting of the Federation organized around the sacking of another colleague who had refused a forcible transfer. Unable to get in,I addressed the meeting about my situation from outside the building.I didn’t need a microphone to be heard.I spoke at a meeting to protest about the closure of Cremorne Girl's High School asking for support.
Back from lunch, the Federation machinery suddenly swung into action with respect to my case. I received a letter informing me that because I didn’t have the approval of the Department, I couldn’t belong to the Federation anymore.
Thrown under the bus,wrapped around the axle,I saw the machinery from under the bonnet.The wheels weren't grinding.The apparatchiks were asleep at the wheel.I learned fast. This was a closed club.Catch 22.The Premier in waiting had achieved his goal of banning specific members from belonging to trade unions.As of then his Minister refused to talk to Teacher’s Federation representatives.He went incommunicado.
Whatever the case, unfazed, unable to draw a line under it, I steadfastly dug my heels in.I was never one to snap. If they were so dead set on stonewalling me at every turn, I would press on,hammering away, in whatever way I could. I didn’t have any choice.
After being given my cards, I began reading between the lines in newspaper reports on educational matters in NSW. Many are reports of pronouncements made by conservative dog whistle politicians and bureaucrats who generally refer to their policy as one of ‘Back to the Basics’. This term evokes a
mythical golden age in the past when all children became literate and numerate through coercion and by rote methods.. Central to this is learning a draft list of essential dates that appear to suggest that, when anything did happen east of Dover and west of Perth, it was nothing at all, unless it was the ‘British’ extending civilisation.
I let the establishment spokespeople draw attention to their shortcomings, stripping away any gloss they otherwise attempt to put on what they see as a great achievement, holding themselves and their sententious nostrums up to ridicule, leaving my readers to form their own judgements on the black marks against them.In footnoting the source of these pronouncements and decisions,I often lack page numbers of the newspapers but include the names of the journalists.
The “Back to the Basics” School Policy in NSW (Expletives Deleted) [11]
The Ministry of Education in N.S.W. has given the Department of Education sweeping powers against teachers and school students[12]. The Ministry says it has forced large numbers of children out of school[13]
It says it wants ‘law and order” and “efficiency”. The Coalition Prime Minister described the approach as one of ‘zero tolerance’[14].
The powers generate a need, pressure to produce “results.” So Departmental officers feel pressure to hit numerical quotas to produce a certain number .It doesn’t matter whether those held to be ‘inefficient’ or responsible for ‘disorder’ have any tie to anything resembling this.
The Department’s responsibility to provide instruction to all children has been questioned[15]. The Ministry has talked of students “heading for the scrapheap”[16]. It identified children who would receive repeated corporal punishment as those living in poor areas. It can boast of tens of thousands of children on the streets on any one school day[17].
It was easy for me going at it, belting past, to pick them out in term time, mooching and puttering round the shops and the streets,twiddling their thumbs,scrounging for crumbs. Unsupervised and free to hang fire,loitering conspirationally behind bus stops and toilet blocks,casing out unguarded properties, derbying around supermarket parking lots in shopping trolleys,climbing over back fences,kicking up garden beds,smoking,drinking in culverts, fartarsing around near train tracks, busy roads and building sites, throwing rocks at vehicles, putting themselves and the public in potentially dangerous situations.
Metal scavenging saw a rise in apprentices.On the railways significant delays and cancellations were reported as signalling and power cables were being cut and taken from the side of the track.
There were incidents in which homes, businesses and even hospitals suffered power cuts and surges as a result of copper being stolen from power stations.Often while the metal stolen was worth just a few dollars, the damage caused to infrastructure would run into thousands.
Manhole covers, domestic gas pipes and lead flashing were taken from homes and churches.
“Wonderful, excellent!” raved the leader of the conservative coalition in NSW[18]. The police were less ecstatic[19]. Asked to pay a higher price,their reports were less glowing,more glowering. They would come under increased attack[20]. The Ministry said the changes “generate uncertainty and hostility”[21]. The Australian Council for Educational Research points out that truants can lose those reading and writing skills they have already learned[22]. If children are not in the street, they may be outside the classrooms. The Ministry said its schools are in the “appalling situation where hundreds of high school classes every day are left in the playground”. In institutions under Federal Control, detained children could be taught for just ‘one hour per day’ four days a week[23].
With respect to the education of girls,the Federal Government was in a race to the bottom with the Taliban.
The Ministry spoke of the “deplorable physical conditions of the schools ... and the classrooms which leads to many of the disruptions that go on. The classrooms are very poorly built, they’re hot, they’ve got everything against them and all those things contribute to the poor learning outcomes. And the equipment and resources are dilapidated and inadequate”[24]. School toilets have been exposed as filthy and terrifying by a research group headed by the Chancellor of the University of NSW[25]. The Department has one category of school called “The Death Trap”[26]. The Ministry calls it “squalid, run down, and downright dangerous”[27].
The Ministry spoke of the “deplorable physical conditions of the schools ... and the classrooms which leads to many of the disruptions that go on. The classrooms are very poorly built, they’re hot, they’ve got everything against them and all those things contribute to the poor learning outcomes. And the equipment and resources are dilapidated and inadequate”[24]. School toilets have been exposed as filthy and terrifying by a research group headed by the Chancellor of the University of NSW[25]. The Department has one category of school called “The Death Trap”[26]. The Ministry calls it “squalid, run down, and downright dangerous”[27].
It increased the sizes of classes. It argued that this increases competition between students in a more stimulating environment[28]. Christopher Pyne articulates this Coalition thinking: ‘‘There is no
evidence that smaller class sizes somehow produce better student outcomes. In spite of Australia having small class sizes for 10 years ... their outcomes have gone backwards’’.This self styled ‘Fixer’
confirmed the Abbott Government would increase class sizes in Australian schools.
The Coalition’s N.S.W. razor gang reduced the number of teachers[29]. After axing 2000 government school positions the Minister admitted it was facing long term shortages in critical subject areas[30]. One mouthpiece for the coalition says that there were teachers walking away from public education due to stress resulting from a lack of resources[31].
The Department puts forward a new type of class – one without teachers[32]. The coalition Premier called for the employment of teachers without training[33].
The Department restricts what students and pupils can study and how they learn. There is a smaller range of subjects offered, particularly those considered as ‘basic’[34]. The coalition’s strategy is promote private education at all levels and run own public education. One spokesman for the coalition points out that he represents those who believe in choice and that if the state education system doesn’t deliver, then they will choose to ‘school’ their children privately[35]. Most people don’t have this choice. The Federal Ministry speaks of the enormous sacrifices involved for those families who attend private schools[36], whose children will not necessarily benefit in any case when it comes to higher education.
The Federal Ministry of Education has drawn attention to the repetition of topics in schools and how this ‘turns off’ students[37]. The Department’s deputy director-general has said “Parents tell us a lot of kids tend to “switch off’ in the early secondary years”[38].
Yet more children spend their time idle and restless, hanging around. OECD statistics show that Australian teenagers drop out of high school at almost twice the rate of other OECD countries. An OECD report said that “education systems had to be more responsible to the needs of the minority of youths whose family background, schooling and communities did not equip them with the skills, qualifications, attitudes or motivation for the labour market”[39].An OECD report in 2013 comparing Australian high school students with 65 other countries showed the nation slipping further behind in maths and reading skills.
The ‘Daily Telegraph’ sees the system as one designed to fail many people [40]. A report written by the Department’s assistant director-general reveals that the system has allowed ‘a culture of inequity and low expectations to rob the students of any equal chance to academic success”. This conclusion is agreed upon by the Federal Minister of Education[41].
In studies where the final examination – the Higher School Certificate – is all important, the Ministry cannot secure the examination papers. The Premiers office calls this a disgrace[42]. The unproctored Ministry claims it is bringing about greater efficiency.The Labor Minister responsible for introducing
the purge would befriend Howard and Abbott’s close friend and adviser,a fellow
Friedmanite economic rationalist. Yet he claimed that efficiency cannot be measured in education[43].
How could it be otherwise when those responsible are chosen according to their political reliability rather than the level of their learning and entrusted with enforcing conformity.
The Department goes along with this in the matter of violence which it claims as “spinning out of control” in NSW public schools. The Department stopped collecting statistics on incidents claiming they were unreliable and “it was too difficult to define violence”[44]. As for bullying this is less difficult to define. The parents of one boy who was the target of such violence and who was awarded damages against the government were told by a departmental officer that ‘bullying is character building’.
The Ministry says decisions on education are the prerogative of business and government. It warns the courts not to become involved[45]. It endorses the view that business is not responsible to society[46]. The coalition Premier said that the court which deals with educations matters is “out of touch with reality”[47]. The Ministry says that teachers are disappointed and frustrated [48] by ‘narrow minded’ officials [49], which makes them feel isolated from decision making [50]. The most senior official said that the officials can be ‘blasted’ if they make decisions the politicians don’t approve of.
The Department sees itself as having been guilty of exhibiting a “silo mentality”[51] and of promoting a “culture of remoteness”[52]. Various of its units were “perceived by many to be part of a large and uncaring bureaucracy, with some teachers feeling demoralized, devalued and disconnected”.
A discussion paper issued by the Ministry in 1997 painted a baleful picture of the teaching profession. There were, the paper claimed .. “no standards for professional practice; no single or agreed code of professional practice; no single or agreed code of professional ethics; no opportunity for the profession itself to have an input into establishing and maintaining standards and ethics; and fragmented and uncoordinated disciplinary and appeal processes”[53]. The Ministry describes teacher’s working conditions as “totally unprofessional”[54]. The coalition Federal Minister say they are the best friends teachers ever had..[54b]
With friends like these----
One of the Ministers responsible for the policy admits that there is ‘virtually no intellectual rigour involved’ in the policy[55]. The Coalition premier said the Minister was ‘remarkably on top of his subject”[56]. Then he concluded that what he was doing was ‘unbelievable, unreal’[57]. To learn more about policy, the Premier consulted with the American Vice President, Dan Quayle. Quayle’s boast was that when it comes to decision making he didn’t spend any time thinking”[58].
Do we really need gun control checkpoints at schools that can rival those at airport security?
Do we need teachers armed?
Do we need teachers armed?
Do we really need to consult with intellectually handicapped politicians abroad? John Howard would later consult with the President George W.Bush who promised to be the ‘education president’. . Bush had earlier raised the big question,’ Is our children learning?’He would later state that ‘---childrens do learn when standards are high and results are measured.’
The failure to sell the policy was seen inside the coalition as partly due to “laziness” at the top of the Ministry[59]. One of the Ministers behind the policy went to comment in reference to the problems resulting in learning foreign languages: “If we designed aircraft or built ships the same ways we organize schools and curriculum to teach foreign languages, the ships would sink and aircraft would fall out of the sky and a lot of people would go to jail”[60].
The coalition federal Minister for Agriculture would justify this lack of accountability by politicians in the following way: ‘In this game you start throwing rocks and there won't be a person left in the Parliament because everyone will have some issue somewhere in the past that is difficult to explain.[SMH August 2,2015]
The state Ministry estimates it took it 10 years to get into the mess it’s in [61]. One rare Minister who distanced himself from the policy observed that many senior staff in the Department had little knowledge of the needs and wants of teachers and students [62]. The sweeping powers enable the Department to enforce its ideas on intelligence and behaviour. The Department has an eugenist approach to intelligence [63]. Its public relations spokesman upheld the view that young people can’t read or write properly because they’re not sufficiently endowed genetically. This means they are “born this way”.
Fur was einer schmuckerei ist das?
As a means of serving political purposes, eugenics is a thoroughly discredited set of ideas [64]. This ideology was behind the historical programme that sought to breed out the Aboriginal bloodline [65]. The Department believes that “most people seem to have trouble getting the bits in right places for normal reproduction [66]. Reproduction is a difficult area for the Department,‘a hairy area’ as described by it’s spokesperson . The Minister drew attention to it skinnydipping in the parliamentary pool,pointing out potential pitfalls.
In the area of much concern to people – AIDS – the Department admitted that it was ‘totally inadequate to understand what is going on” [67] .
The coalition Minister for Business and Consumer Affairs said we have to stop breeding a race which…’snivels and whines” [68]. The coalition’s federal Ministry for Aboriginal Affairs approved of calls for compulsory blood testing of Aborigines to determine which ones are racially ‘pure’ [69].
The conservatives see their aim as silencing those whose ideas they disagree with. The Ministry approved consideration of a strategy raised by the assistant director-general. The strategy is for the Department to train “cadres” – special groups to “change the culture of the NSW Teaching Service” [70]. This strategy strangled intellectual life in the Soviet Union.
The Education Minister said the coalition would step up its ‘propaganda’ campaign [71]. According to this view that there is nothing wrong with the ‘product’ but with the way people look at it [72]. The Minister believes if people are told something often enough, they will end up believing it [73].
The Ministry warned of teachers with dangerous attitudes [74]. The coalition Premier endorsed the view that alleged school violence is the responsibility of ‘socialist’ teachers [75]. The powers are said to be necessary to “stop the spread of this disease”[76].
The Coalition Prime Minister expressed concern that teachers were “discussing” the Iraq war in the classroom [77].
Small wonder he was concerned.Having been led on by an exorcist,not a leader,raving on spreadeagle about ‘evildoers’ and an ‘Axis of Evil’. By going along with the lie about the perpetrators of the 9/11 bombing, helping Al Queda gain entry to Iraq.Teachers who emphasise the need to conserve the environment were seen as ‘peddling propaganda’ in schools by the coalition Ministry for Natural Resources [78]. The coalition Deputy Premier rubbished scientists who warned of the greenhouse effect [79]. He pointed out that he himself was less qualified than anybody [80]. He was not a very fast reader which he said blissfully was “perhaps a good thing” [81].
He was perhaps one of the happiest persons on earth.
The acting Prime Minister tagged some material taught in public schools as “anti farmer” and “deep green”.[82] He said ideology was seeping into some parts of the school curriculum at the expense of facts. Trying to replant the cross in the sand of one of the most irreligious societies on earth,he said ‘traditional Christian views are being diminished, rubbished, written off in public schools. He pointed out quite correctly that parents want their children to be given the mental skills to form their own views on the issues of the day. “… to be given the intellectual and moral tools to make their own wise decision about things”. Yet be believes children in public schools are being fed “pre-digested views on issues”. It is a view that sees teachers as being manipulative and children readily accepting their ideas and views without exercising those critical faculties teachers know are natural. How could any significant number of teachers not be fully up on the part religion has played in our culture, or the role of the farmer? These fears are totally unfounded. Jesus was just alright with me as long as his legend wasn’t twisted and held up to justify crimes. We are all influenced by traditional Christian views and values, whether we are secular or religious. These permeate our culture and reflect our religious past. They can’t be written off or rubbished so easily. Why would any teacher in a NSW school want to do this? Children have by their nature the intellectual and moral tools to make wise
decisions wiser than some people give them credit for. So why would they fall so easily prey to any pedagogue in a democratic society who wants to retard their critical faculties?
The days when you could drum an ideology into kids’ heads in the classroom is long gone. When all high school kids have the world in their grasp through the tablets they’re doing their homework on, the culture has inherently relativised — because they can compare everything to everything else.
Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson attempted to have students salute the Australian flag. However the day is long gone when Australian children happily pledged allegiance the way still done in North Korea.
Monday mornings, grumbling at the end of another weekend, they'd gather in front of the school flagpole for Assembly.During the following ritual, a pupil chosen as flag monitor ran the flag up the pole, careful not to trail it upon the ground, for that would constitute something dreadful and unspoken, possibly treason, and the rest all warbled ‘God Save the Queen’.
I remember standing in the quadrangle of many a state school as the free milk soured in the sun and the program proceeded to reciting the Patriotic Declaration: ‘I love God and my country,honour my flag and will cheerfully obey my parents, teachers and the law.’
So how do the political and religious right get past this built in firewall and erode further the mantra of “free, compulsory,and secular’, the philosophical bedrock of public education in Australia since at least 1870.Their strategy has been to get not just their toe but their whole foot in the door.This is to say God has not been absent from our schools.Those who comfort themselves with dusty old notions like secularism and the separation of church and state might be under the impression that God was expelled from state schools before the Flood.
Yet avoiding God at school is still not quite that easy. A parent can declare, “It’s all well and good to say 'I chose my child not to take the special religious education program. But it doesn’t stop them being confronted by the chaplain at the front gate or being handed a special invitation to a before school god bothering breakfast,a lunch time program or an evangelical or mega church-funded barbeque.
There is absolutely no way that a parent can be across all that and there is no mechanism for them to opt out of it.
Parents' and children's right for freedom of and from religion are being violated by the education department in this way.
The chaplaincy program, which by 2016 would be taken up by 391 NSW state schools,is a blatant push to have Christianity in public schools and replace professional staff with non-professionals. Millions would be poured into this at the same time as billions were ripped out of education in the long term.
The public school system remains wide open as the next “mission field” for evangelical churches, which remain free to provide chaplaincy services on the approval of a school principal in NSW.
Many question whether the volunteers' training and qualifications are adequate to justify placing them in front of children in contemporary classrooms .This while teachers produced in our universities are deemed to be having personality disorders. Scripture was traditionally delivered by the major churches by friendly mums or grannies who had some time on their hands. It stuck to the simple message of being nice, forgiveness, and doing the right thing.It allowed students to explore the Christian story in an open-minded manner.
However there are other people out there who are more fundamental, and who create a fear and distrust and anxiety, rather than thinking creatively about spirituality and what life is about and how we relate to one another.
Religious instruction in schools would be hijacked by missionary organisations such as the Scripture Union, Access Ministries, Hillsong, and other extreme Christian evangelisers. Their teaching is believed by many to be anti-science, homophobic, and discriminatory against women, non-Christian believers, atheists and critical thinking.
Former evangelical pastor Joel Pittman can attest to this first hand. Pittman took scripture classes in the Penrith area. In the classes he would explain to the children how they would have at some stage broken virtually all of the Ten Commandments, and how therefore they are going to hell. “And then after that, we say, ‘but there is a solution! And then in your nice little state high school, we would offer people the opportunity to become Christians, in class. And we would have the whole class shut their eyes, and ask that if they wanted to become Christian, and nine times out of 10 every single kid in the room did it.”
Mr.Pittman went from having a youth group with five or six kids at the start to having 90 kids in his youth group, "which was twice as large as the one I had at church". He would then sign the kids up for Encounter Weekends, where they would learn about casting out demons and speaking in tongues.
Evangelicals deny that SRE or chaplaincy is about proselytising. They say they are there ‘to provide emotional and spiritual support in schools’,something traditionally carried out by educational staff.
“In Australia, the state school is a very powerful and potent instrument for a sense of community, actually generally stronger than a local church,” Reverend Peter Robinson, CEO of Christian group Genr8, which is the largest provider of school chaplains in NSW.
A post on Genr8’s website suggests a range of ways that church and scripture teachers can get involved in school activities, including lunch groups, youth groups and school camps.
“Lunch groups are good, but short,” it says. “On a camp there for three days! Chat to [students], stay up with them, help with bedtime duties … Take a list of names. Remember students and what their lives are like, pray for them…. Don’t miss this opportunity to link them up.”
In the ongoing ‘culture wars’, the Federal coalition Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne, retreaded the revisionist polemic,labelling the national curriculum “black-armband”.In this monocultured ‘Death of the West’ thesis, the national school curriculum is loaded with too much frontier guilt, too little reverence for settlers and is failing students. He has indicated he wants it to
The days when you could drum an ideology into kids’ heads in the classroom is long gone. When all high school kids have the world in their grasp through the tablets they’re doing their homework on, the culture has inherently relativised — because they can compare everything to everything else.
Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson attempted to have students salute the Australian flag. However the day is long gone when Australian children happily pledged allegiance the way still done in North Korea.
Monday mornings, grumbling at the end of another weekend, they'd gather in front of the school flagpole for Assembly.During the following ritual, a pupil chosen as flag monitor ran the flag up the pole, careful not to trail it upon the ground, for that would constitute something dreadful and unspoken, possibly treason, and the rest all warbled ‘God Save the Queen’.
I remember standing in the quadrangle of many a state school as the free milk soured in the sun and the program proceeded to reciting the Patriotic Declaration: ‘I love God and my country,honour my flag and will cheerfully obey my parents, teachers and the law.’
So how do the political and religious right get past this built in firewall and erode further the mantra of “free, compulsory,and secular’, the philosophical bedrock of public education in Australia since at least 1870.Their strategy has been to get not just their toe but their whole foot in the door.This is to say God has not been absent from our schools.Those who comfort themselves with dusty old notions like secularism and the separation of church and state might be under the impression that God was expelled from state schools before the Flood.
Yet avoiding God at school is still not quite that easy. A parent can declare, “It’s all well and good to say 'I chose my child not to take the special religious education program. But it doesn’t stop them being confronted by the chaplain at the front gate or being handed a special invitation to a before school god bothering breakfast,a lunch time program or an evangelical or mega church-funded barbeque.
There is absolutely no way that a parent can be across all that and there is no mechanism for them to opt out of it.
Parents' and children's right for freedom of and from religion are being violated by the education department in this way.
The chaplaincy program, which by 2016 would be taken up by 391 NSW state schools,is a blatant push to have Christianity in public schools and replace professional staff with non-professionals. Millions would be poured into this at the same time as billions were ripped out of education in the long term.
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The public school system remains wide open as the next “mission field” for evangelical churches, which remain free to provide chaplaincy services on the approval of a school principal in NSW.
Many question whether the volunteers' training and qualifications are adequate to justify placing them in front of children in contemporary classrooms .This while teachers produced in our universities are deemed to be having personality disorders. Scripture was traditionally delivered by the major churches by friendly mums or grannies who had some time on their hands. It stuck to the simple message of being nice, forgiveness, and doing the right thing.It allowed students to explore the Christian story in an open-minded manner.
However there are other people out there who are more fundamental, and who create a fear and distrust and anxiety, rather than thinking creatively about spirituality and what life is about and how we relate to one another.
Religious instruction in schools would be hijacked by missionary organisations such as the Scripture Union, Access Ministries, Hillsong, and other extreme Christian evangelisers. Their teaching is believed by many to be anti-science, homophobic, and discriminatory against women, non-Christian believers, atheists and critical thinking.
Former evangelical pastor Joel Pittman can attest to this first hand. Pittman took scripture classes in the Penrith area. In the classes he would explain to the children how they would have at some stage broken virtually all of the Ten Commandments, and how therefore they are going to hell. “And then after that, we say, ‘but there is a solution! And then in your nice little state high school, we would offer people the opportunity to become Christians, in class. And we would have the whole class shut their eyes, and ask that if they wanted to become Christian, and nine times out of 10 every single kid in the room did it.”
Mr.Pittman went from having a youth group with five or six kids at the start to having 90 kids in his youth group, "which was twice as large as the one I had at church". He would then sign the kids up for Encounter Weekends, where they would learn about casting out demons and speaking in tongues.
Evangelicals deny that SRE or chaplaincy is about proselytising. They say they are there ‘to provide emotional and spiritual support in schools’,something traditionally carried out by educational staff.
“In Australia, the state school is a very powerful and potent instrument for a sense of community, actually generally stronger than a local church,” Reverend Peter Robinson, CEO of Christian group Genr8, which is the largest provider of school chaplains in NSW.
A post on Genr8’s website suggests a range of ways that church and scripture teachers can get involved in school activities, including lunch groups, youth groups and school camps.
“Lunch groups are good, but short,” it says. “On a camp there for three days! Chat to [students], stay up with them, help with bedtime duties … Take a list of names. Remember students and what their lives are like, pray for them…. Don’t miss this opportunity to link them up.”
In the ongoing ‘culture wars’, the Federal coalition Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne, retreaded the revisionist polemic,labelling the national curriculum “black-armband”.In this monocultured ‘Death of the West’ thesis, the national school curriculum is loaded with too much frontier guilt, too little reverence for settlers and is failing students. He has indicated he wants it to
have a greater focus on the benefits of Western civilisation. He has called on Dr.Kevin Donnelly to review what is taught in Australian schools. The curriculum has become too ''secular'', ''Asia-oriented'', ''left'', ''progressive'', ''new age'' and ''politically correct'', to use the words of this former Liberal chief of staff.
A critic of multiculturalism,he warns ‘Look at the falling percentage of Australian's [sic] with Anglo-Celtic ethnicity over the last 100 years. The post-war migration program and multiculturalism are designed to breed out Anglo-Celtic, Christian Australia and to reduce us to a nation of tribes.’
In an article, written for ABC's The Drum, he writes: "Multiculturalism is based on the mistaken belief that all cultures are of equal worth and that it is unfair to discriminate and argue that some
practices are wrong'.
This doesn’t include of course hitting children.He says it was effective during his childhood
As for now he has ‘‘no problem’’ with it if the school community was in favour of it, ‘‘and if it’s done, you know, properly’’.
Commenting on 2014 reports that NSW students are being suspended and expelled from public schools at record rates, ,he was asked what he would describe as the ‘‘best punishment’’ he had ever come across,he recalled a stern Scottish teacher he had when he was a boy, who, he said, disciplined boys by taking them behind the shed and telling them: "We can either talk about this or you can throw the first punch."[ Radio 2UE july 15,2014]
Dr.Donnelly said,“I taught for many years and for a while there we had a time-out room, where kids who misbehaved would simply go and sit in the time-out room. They loved it because they could get out of class work, they could just relax and meditate for a while,” he said.He doesn’t say why his students didn’t enjoy his work.
Instead of wasting the hundreds of thousands of dollars it has paid him for his insight,Liberal governments might have saved taxpayers money by allowing more time out rooms where difficult children who can’t yet appreciate Shakepeare because they’re not regarded intelligent enough to read might chill and learn in a relaxed atmosphere.
Dr.Donnelly has savaged a civics curriculum that teaches that "citizenship means different things to
different people at different times", rather than preparing students for an understanding of their responsibilities. "The civics curriculum argues in favour of a post-modern, deconstructed definition of citizenship," he wrote in 2013."The flaws are manifest. What right do Australians have to expect migrants to accept our laws, institutions and way of life?
"Such a subjective view of citizenship allows Islamic fundamentalists to justify mistreating women and carrying out jihad against non-believers."Dr Donnelly argues that a focus on "political correctness" has seen a national curriculum attempt to cover too much subject matter without any depth: “The Americans say that a curriculum like ours is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
His colleague,Professor Wiltshire is also critical of the curriculum."Curriculum should also be knowledge-based, yet we are faced with an experiment that focuses on process or competencies.He attacked the "astounding devaluation of the book" in modern teaching. Fellow bibliophile Dr.Donnelly is a big fan of phonics,Shakespeare and the classic novels .
In the earlier tread,an influential Coalition representative said recommendations such as those of Kevin Donnelly “had already found their way into government policy” [83]. This was followed by a curtailing of the time set aside in the curriculum to the teaching of Aboriginal studies [84]. The Prime Minister declared that left wing ideologists had led to curriculums that were ‘incomprehensible sludge’. His Minister of Education pinpointed the source of this ‘sludge’ to the influence of the Chinese leader Mao within the state bureaucracies.[FN 76A] Unlike in China there would be no repetition of The Hundred Flowers Campaign. To promote progress in the arts and the sciences Mao had encouraged a variety of views and solutions to national policy issues, launched under the slogan: "Letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend. In it’s own version of the crackdown that followed in China, The N.S.W. Ministry would allow only one-it’s own, naturally.
The Federal Ministry said that ‘the interests in Australia’s past, such as the Anzac tradition, could not be catered for by schools’ [85]’Minister Pyne wants the curriculum ‘to celebrate Australia, and for students, when they have finished school, to know where we've come from as a nation." .[1] The Howard-Abbot Ministry says that many government schools are hostile or apathetic to Australian heritage or values. This is despite the fact that students in all public and private schools study the
same curriculum which includes Australian history and has mandatory lessons on civics and citizenship. Especially the Anzac tradition where Australians are asked to remember just who they are and where they have come from.
And in care they forget, that’s from from Britain according to PM Abbott who can’t forget that’s where he came from. Reiterating the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’, a belief overturned in the 1992 Mabo High Court decision, he stated in 2014 that Australia was ‘unsettled’, “nothing but bush” before British invasion.’
The Federal Coalition has identified the emphasis on tolerance as the main problem in public schools. The Federal Health Minister suggested that the Australian people are “tolerating the intolerable” because of political correctness [86]. He sees a rejection of traditional values in public school. He finds intolerable what he sees as a high level of promiscuous sexual activity amongst teenagers [87]. After denouncing this it was revealed that he himself was involved in premarital activity when he was a teenager. He claims that parents were leaving public schools because in it all cultures and value systems are treated as morally equivalent. Yet how is it that teachers portrayed by the Coalition as doctrinaire and single minded be so uncommitted when it comes to morality?
This
anti-PC bandwagon is totally
outraged that people are outraged by what they say and they never stop
complaining about people who complain. They remember a time when difference
wasn’t tolerated and they don’t like this time where people tell us that not to
say things that are offensive.
The argument of teacher indoctrination and political correctness in public schools was developed most by the chief of staff to the coalition Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations [88]. Kevin Donnelly speaks of a conspiracy to use the education system to attack the so called capitalist system and to indoctrinate students with a “left wing ideology”.His current patron Mr.Pyne argues that the curriculum requires students to learn about the day-to-day activities of the trade union movement,favouring the Labor Party while neglecting the role of business and commerce in the country's history. glossing over the work of Coalition prime ministers and making no explicit references to conservative achievements in politics.
Dr.Donnelly avvers that schools have been hijacked by “new age class warrior” teachers more committed to promoting homosexuality, multiculturalism and Aborigines than teaching the three R’s”. He claims teachers lack objectivity. He claims the “culture wars” have denigrated the teaching of Australia’s Anglo-Celtic history in favour of the “feminist, multi-cultured and neo-Marxist interpretation. He claims subjects like history and civics have been re-written to enforce this interpretation which denigrates the growth of Western civilization in Australia since 1788.
Mr.Pyne,Dr.Donnelly and fellow cultural hysterics see the teaching of history as slanted in a leftist direction. Accordingly World War I is an event that would be dismissed by leftist teachers as “meaningless slaughter whereas it would have been, in their opinion, a war for “liberal civilisation” against a rapacious German horde who wanted to take away the right of Australians and Britons to their own country — and to India’s, East Africa’s and Malaysia’s, as well.
"What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea." - Mahatma Gandhi
We view much of our collective foundation – the base upon which we build and celebrate our national identity – in the mirror of history. This mirror is full of whorls, cracks, smudges and chips. Imperfections. In places, we have peeled away the reflective paint – sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. This results in historical blind spots. Consequently, what we see reflected is a distorted and unfaithful representation of our historical reality.
The missing parts of this reflected picture – the view of our collective history that we are unable to discern with clarity, due to the diminished quality and quantity of the imperfect reflected image – are often intentionally distorted, misrepresented and fabricated with the intention of manipulating the masses.
What we should to aspire to as a foundation of our education system is a move towards an objective record for analysis, transparency, accountability and perspective.
Donnelly and P.M.Howard claimed that public schools are too ‘politically correct’ and promote a lack of values, where children cannot “differentiate between right and wrong” [89].
To straighten out these ‘biases’,Minister Pyne is championing the idea that schools will be improved by the imposition of rigid curricula content. He wants one that is orthodox, "free of partisan bias", deals with ‘real-world issues’ and ‘doesn't try and be all things to all people.’ This prescriptive ‘command-and-control,’ ‘we'll tell you what's good for you’ model is based on the one dimensional idea that Judeo-Christian civilisation is not only Australia’s cultural base, but is superior to others.
Ah yes, “One nation under God,
indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all”!
Yet the fact is development of the liberal curriculum was not by deliberately engineered political acts. They were not some concerted, deliberate plan to subvert Australia's Christian British heritage.The importance of that heritage has been waning without conspiratorial help from the Labor Party or the left.Rather it’s a natural evolution to reflect the changes in Australia and the world.
Australia has, in fact, moved closer to Asia. Britain and the US have been replaced by China and Japan as our major trading partners.More Australians travel to Asia than Britain and the US. A higher proportion of immigrants now come from Asia.And Liberal leaders were involved in forging these ties . Menzies signed the treaty with Japan.Malcolm Fraser began Indo-Chinese immigration
Equality of opportunity and support for it has spread and the law of the land promotes it. It was Malcolm Fraser who passed the Northern Territory Land Rights Act. Discrimination on grounds of disability, race and sexual orientation has become unlawful and unacceptable.Unacceptable to the educational flat earthers, unable to bear that society more tolerant and progressive,fearful there’s too much knowledge in the world.
Is there any truth whatsoever in the ‘Back to the Basics’ policy? The State Education Minister eventually admitted that he believes lying is part of the politician’s armoury [90]. Another of those responsible for the policy said that “some departments and individuals purposely use ‘unclear’ English [91]. Both coalition Deputy Premier and Premier declared that the coalition had made “an
awful hash” of selling the policy [92]. To sack teachers the Ministry says don’t work hard enough, the major newspapers oblige with a barrage of screaming ballyhoo with headlines about “bad” teachers [93].
Christopher Pyne speaks of the rewards for ‘those who deserve to be paid more,but not all teachers (Lateline July 16,2012).As for the ‘bad’ ones,he claimed in a 2012 interview, published in the Weekend Australian Financial Review: "In every staffroom, 5 to 15 per cent of teachers are not up to scratch, so it is commonly accepted that some students are going to be taught by underperforming teachers. This is unacceptable. What we need is for underperforming teachers to be managed out of the system."
In N.S.W. when teachers reached the State Ministry’s ideal level of efficiency, it referred to teachers who “pump propaganda into children”, to those who “set up” children [94]. The Ministry says that one newspaper, which carries its own “propaganda” can be “willfully wrong” and “deliberately setting out to cause concern” [95].The Ministry says were it to use “propaganda” like teachers, it would be ridiculed. One coalition member called some of the policy “absolute rubbish” [96].
To deal with the problem, the Ministry increased the size of classes. It talks of children in the classroom who “cry out for help”.[97] It talks of the enormous number of children who suffer a learning disadvantage.
The Coalition Federal Ministry of Education launched a review into the way primary school children are being taught to read [98]. It argues that they are the result of “education fashions” that have taken root over the past 30 years. It takes issue with the “whole of language” approach to reading where the priority is to get children actively reading. It points to a lack of teaching phonics where there is association of letters or combination of letters with their approach speech sounds. The academic consensus is that both systems are effective learning tools and are used in tandem in most Australian schools.
The Federal Ministry put an exaggerated emphasis on one approach to reading which is unavailable to most because of its expense.
To deal with its problems, the Department says it is moving “heaven and earth” to find teachers. The Ministry speaks of the squalid conditions teachers work under, but describes them as “unreasonably good” [99]. The Ministry says that what students will learn will be more to do with Australia [100].
The Department says it has a good pool of teachers from Hong Kong [101].
One can understand the Chinese forte in mathematics and science,but as for their superior knowledge of Australia-who is the Department trying to kid? Do the newcomers from the pool really know more about us than we do ?Was this the Chinese angle?Are they chosen because they have the Maoist imprimatur? Or is it calculated they’re simply smaller, more amenable and two bob a dozen ?Buy one and they’ll throw in another for free?
Rather than doing away with illiteracy, the coalition Government brought up a wide range of disciplinary measures. Children who use drugs can be expelled. The coalition Deputy said that “for starters schoolyard punks” will get “six of the best across their backside like they would if they misbehaved at good private schools” [102]. The Deputy is “no advocate of bashing kids mindlessly with a stick or cane, but they have to get what they deserve in the classroom too, where justice can be seen to be done”. [103]
The Department says it has a good pool of teachers from Hong Kong [101].
One can understand the Chinese forte in mathematics and science,but as for their superior knowledge of Australia-who is the Department trying to kid? Do the newcomers from the pool really know more about us than we do ?Was this the Chinese angle?Are they chosen because they have the Maoist imprimatur? Or is it calculated they’re simply smaller, more amenable and two bob a dozen ?Buy one and they’ll throw in another for free?
Rather than doing away with illiteracy, the coalition Government brought up a wide range of disciplinary measures. Children who use drugs can be expelled. The coalition Deputy said that “for starters schoolyard punks” will get “six of the best across their backside like they would if they misbehaved at good private schools” [102]. The Deputy is “no advocate of bashing kids mindlessly with a stick or cane, but they have to get what they deserve in the classroom too, where justice can be seen to be done”. [103]
This recommendation followed the publicity concerning a pupil who had his head cracked open in the classroom.
The Ministry rules out humiliation and torture as disciplinary measures [104]. The courts found that those who used eugenics most effectively as a political weapon did so. They used them both to throw the book at children and to test their genetic endowment.
The Back to the Basics policy is followed also in the prisons where children may go. A tight restriction was placed on educational materials [105]. The Ministry for prisons thought it was “silly” to study the language of Australia’s major trading partner. “ Mickey Mouse” stuff such as pottery was out. It was seen as nothing more than prisoners “throwing a bit of clay at one another” [106]. One professional report from within the prisons confirms that juveniles are generally worse off than adult prisoners [107]. The coalition welfare Ministry spoke of the “appalling conditions” juveniles face when in custody.” [108] The Director of welfare services pointed out that overcrowding of young offenders ‘make it difficult to provide more than basic facilities’ yet he wanted his staff to be ‘less squeamish about locking kids up, to be more pragmatic’ [109]. The Prisons Ministry described the conditions of most inside as “bored senseless” [110]. The coalition Minister compared conditions to those of a ‘zoo’ [111]. Prisoners became disgruntled [112]. The Minister was “delighted”[113] .
A briefing sent to all NSW judges on the Young People in Custody Health Survey, which involved the Juvenile Justice Department Corrections Health Service and the University of Sydney, contained the findings that there is almost a 100 per cent chance that inmates of juvenile jails will have been suspended from school before they turn 15 [114]. Most score so poorly in academic tests they should be treated as intellectually disabled. Those involved “did not find education rewarding” and had “difficulty comprehending problem solving and communicating using language or numbers”.
The people of NSW pay a heavy price for this policy. It comes down hard on the poor and adds to their number. Families that are none too endowed financially cannot afford certain courses or private schools [115]. The Ministry has as much contempt for those who are comfortable as those who are not. It refers to the “selfish, hypocritical” and “privileged squealers” from the North Shore [116]. The coalition Premier said “We want to cut the fat out first before we do anything else that will hurt people” [117]. He said people have in “in blood”.
The policy robs the community of it’s fountainhead of skills and culture. It places both children and the public at risk. The more children are forced out of schools this way, the greater the proclivity for them to go missing,get their own back, make reprisals, or resort to crime. The conservatives admit to the disturbing number of young people who “go down”. One member of the coalition inner circle spoke of the “beasts” running around who “prey on children”.
Rather than train children to have more employment skills, the policy is to create more places for them in prison. The coalition welfare ministry said that child offenders as young as 11 or 12 should be placed in prison [118]. The police ministry said it would lose the fight if they spend their money on courts and jails [119].
Young people who are not expected to be capable of writing on paper can get up to three years’ jail if caught in possession of a spray can “with intent”. Children found guilty of using swear words could, to use the words of one senior coalition official, be thrown into “f…..g jail” [120] & [121].
Members of the coalition felt prompted to express their repertoire in this matter. The Deputy spoke out against the “bloody wankers” among his conservative allies [122]. Like one of his senior colleagues, he takes Gods’ name in vain.” [123] “The Victorian coalition Premier described one of his opponents as a ‘f…wit”. A Senior federal Liberal senator branded a colleague a ''f---wit'' during a heated discussion about the price of milk. This froth rose after the opening address in which the leader congratulated his team for its ''exemplary discipline''. [124]
The conservatives are scatalogically pre-occupied . They can watch ‘sh—‘ ‘drawn out’ [125]. They can have it ‘cut out’[126].
They know what it is when they see it.Federal Liberal MPs would round on the Employment Minister's comments suggesting a link exists between abortion and breast cancer,labelling them as ''bull--it'' and backing the medical science.[aug 9,2014]
The Education Minister spoke of teachers who talk “sh…. and drivel” [127]. Senior coalition figures referred to “bull…., horse… and rat….” [128]*
The federal Health Minister would refuse to apologise to the Labor shadow Minister for talking about her ‘bull****’ He said she would need to get used to hearing bad language if she wanted to be health minister. [128a]
The Deputy speaker said she paid to have it put on her [129]. The coalition Premier said he had had ‘sh.. kicked out of him’. [130] A coalition member of State Parliament described a retreatorganized by his leader as “bull….” [131] “One federal coalition member told Parliamentarians they could all p…off” [132]. The Premier called for a colleague to get “stuffed” [133]. It was said amongst his backers that he is no “smartarse”. He believes he did a “bloody good job” in his much vaunted reforms’ [134]. he pointed out that some of his comments are unprintable.” He referred to people who see him as an “arrogant prick” [135]. He said he can be ‘buggered’ [136]. He talks of what is called in corporate life the “oh s..t experience’ [137]. He said he can get really ‘pissed off” [138].
The federal Health Minister would refuse to apologise to the Labor shadow Minister for talking about her ‘bull****’ He said she would need to get used to hearing bad language if she wanted to be health minister. [128a]
The Deputy speaker said she paid to have it put on her [129]. The coalition Premier said he had had ‘sh.. kicked out of him’. [130] A coalition member of State Parliament described a retreatorganized by his leader as “bull….” [131] “One federal coalition member told Parliamentarians they could all p…off” [132]. The Premier called for a colleague to get “stuffed” [133]. It was said amongst his backers that he is no “smartarse”. He believes he did a “bloody good job” in his much vaunted reforms’ [134]. he pointed out that some of his comments are unprintable.” He referred to people who see him as an “arrogant prick” [135]. He said he can be ‘buggered’ [136]. He talks of what is called in corporate life the “oh s..t experience’ [137]. He said he can get really ‘pissed off” [138].
One senior federal coalition member called on John Howard to be ‘f…ed” [139]. He called him a “…..ing …..t” and a journalist a ‘bastard’ [140]. Not to be outdone,one Immigration Minister would contact another journalist to tell her she was a ‘mad f------ witch’.[140 A. Fergus Hunter SMH 4/1/2016 ] Another member referred to conservationists as ‘effing liars’ [141]. The Secretary of the Police Association defended the use of swear words among the police [142].
The Department portrays itself as being pitted against “small deadly groups who wage ‘guerilla warfare’. [143]. The Ministry said their average age is eight. It wanted to place elderly people in schools to act as buffers. [144]. One spokesman for the policy called this “mean and callous”. [145]. Another idea from the Department is to build security fences. But as the Minister pointed out: “If a particular group is determined to get into the school, putting a high fence along the boundary will not solve the problem. [146].
The Ministry said that officers in the Department fear being ambushed by a large angry mob, such as the one pursuing the Premier. [147]. One area was classed as a “no go” area. [148]. The Ministry said that parents will rise up.
To deal with the situation police were stationed in and around schools to enforce the sweeping powers. The Police Minister is reported to have said the police had an almost total lack of intelligence [149].The powers provided for police to be able to issue a warning when a person of “reasonable fairness” feels threatened by a gathering of three or more people. If the police warnings are not heeded, the “offenders” will be liable to between three and six month’s jail. [150].
The Deputy spoke of police who are a danger to themselves and to the public. [151]. The Minister of Police is reported to have said, “there are more bloody police selling drugs than you can poke a stick at” .[152]. The coalition Premier talked of “evil forces” at play.
The coalition Premier suggested bringing in a curfew.[153]. A time would be set after which young people in certain areas must remain indoors until next day. His Deputy referred to another proposed curfew as a “Hitlerish” measure.[154].
The Ministry says that the welfare of the children it forces out of school is a minor consideration.[155]. It rebuffs “the bleeding hearts”[156]. who concern themselves with what befalls to these children. The welfare ministry calls it a “gloves off” [157]. policy: “… the day has long passed with this airy-fairy nonsense of children’s rights”.[158].
Some of these children get sucked in [159]., they have difficulty putting things into words. Their knowledge of what is around them is limited. The Education Department says it does not follow up what happens to children expelled. It can reject the warning of teachers as to the consequences out of hands.
The absence of accountability and ability to act with impunity of those outside business and government has a high price for society. During the NSW Royal Commission hearings into pedophiles, there occurred the[160]. “unprecedented appearance of high churchmen to account for the disgraceful activities of their priests, vicars and teachers:, followed by a “procession of grim-faced senior public servants from the Department of Community Services, the Education Department and the Health Department to offer prevarications, then apologies, for child sex abuse within their establishments. It turned out that “there had been a culture over many, many years of not dealing with pedophilia”[161].. One ‘teacher’ continued to sexually abuse young girls for almost 20 years,despite the knowledge of his colleagues and superiors. After saying that 80 of his employees were under investigation for sexual misconduct and that he could not guarantee paedophiles were no longer
active in our schools [162]., the Director-General of School Education appeared reluctant to back an independent body to handle sex complaints involving pupils.After relenting,he was over-ruled by the Premier who insisted such matters be handled by teachers.By those under threat of job loss,by ‘team players’,upright,downright,forthright arrested adolescents encouraged to tick all the Right’s boxes,smiling,winking,nodding,duchessing,stroking,pointing friendly fingers,making empty compliments,flashing their ties,glad handing and slapping each other on the back?‘Have a nice day!’
Pull the other one.
Teachers accused of abusing pupils had been given references allowing them to work with children in other states.[163]. The culture would continue. In March, 2009 the principal of St Andrews Christian School pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual intercourse with a child in his care. After his daughter was sacked for warning about the predator, a parent was told by the Department it was outside their
jurisdiction..[164] It’s officials know a lot,but they never learn. In cases involving private schools there are loopholes to maintain the “culture”. In NSW it can be easier to get access to a professional tribunal if you put children at risk than if you warn about this,easier if you seduce them literally than if you want to seduce them into reading and writing. Easier to be declared ‘satisfactory’.Whatever.
This culture of abuse gave rise to the cruel joke: ‘How do they separate the teachers from the children in New South Wales schools?
Answer. ‘With a restraining order.’
History has shown that regimes which fail to address past injustices,who don’t want them dug up, are tragically destined to repeat the same mistakes.
To make it appear that measures are in place to ‘protect’ children,unrealistic prohibitions against physical contact are imposed on teachers.To prevent ‘errors of judgement’,an encouraging tap on the back can be interpreted as such.Today,working with children is like working with radio-active waste: ‘Hands off,or you’ll get burnt!’ How do you teach gymnastics without touching them?
The Coalition Premier commented: “We are struggling – both in a financial sense and ideas sense – to work out effective ways to strengthen the role of the family. I think it is an area we have been deficient in”..[165]
Never a true word spoken.
One senior coalition minister described those behind the policy as “amazingly stupid” as well as “bloody arrogant”..[166] The Department says it is widely believed the changes have been at the expense of people..[167] Under the policy, it is not only children that go down. Schools are burnt to the ground. The Ministry declared NSW a “State of Fire”..[168] the Coalition Premier declared NSW a State of Crisis!
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." –Mark Twain
There you are. Make no mistake- it’s a crying shame, a wanton waste of perfectly good stock.It’s what’s rotten in the state of New South Wales.Bah,if this Homeric folly weren’t so tragic,it would be risible.Unscrambling the unqualified twisted narrowness of the myopic mindset and pathology of this large, hierarchical institution, pushing on and on for a return to the 'basics’ is to understand the system as it is,the manner in which teachers and children in NSW can be treated.
Overwhemingly Coalition,the ed-con artists were joined regrettably by a few Labor spokesmen,playing to peoples’ base instincts.The two timing Labor Minister who introduced them and was lionised by the opposition leader would go on to declare that that true wisdom was acknowledging one’s errors.If ever he were to acknowledge his role in laying the way open to the societal damage done by his opposition, he would be a very wise man indeed..
This coalition poodle was joined later by a Labor premier who declared that parents whose children don’t attend school should be jailed.. It was said if he'd sounded any more like the Coalition,they’d sue him for plagiarism.
Aye-aye, the policybeggars belief.Like much anti-socialist snarling,spluttering and squawking , this guff draws on bodily imagery: that of the social sickness and disease of progressive educators. The guffers want a a firewall to thwart it’s spread. They believe their own biological superiority.Its hard to get a word in to pin them down about it. Like shearing a pig,there’s a lot of squealing and very little wool.
They believe their own biological superiority.As for the voodo ‘educators’ thinking they were born superior, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.True,the more imbecile of them do furnish proof that some men
are inferior. Endowed by their makers with dim wits, impermeable to reason. Yet how can anyone hold to their argument without reservations when aware they’re talking about themselves. They were born to fool,not rule.
At the same time there are their smart ones putting us on. Treating people like mushrooms,keeping them in the dark. Feeding them their ‘-–it’.As their leader summed up ‘--it happens’. It just so happens they have tons to feed people. Regarding child abuse,it is their own culture of acting behind closed doors and low professional priority that facilitates this.Wasn’t there enough spirit of glasnost
to extend to us as well? As for it’s call for corporal punishment,it is wiser to promote non-violent methods of conflict resolution so as to guard against a culture of violence.
The cane might elicit short-term behavioural improvements.If an adult belts a child with a stick it’s going to hurt and it might be two or three months before the child repeats the behaviour.But this only hides the behaviour- it doesn't fix it. Poor behaviour is often a result of things going on in children’s lives, so hiding that behaviour isn't going to solve anything in the long term.
It would be wrong to idealise children as cherubic treasures who know not what they do and who are never intentionally bad. But they are still children, innocent and impressionable.
In commenting on bullying in the new millenium,the present Coalition Premier says ''Parents have to be concerned about estimates that up to half of the students in year 9 are either being bullied or bullying others.’While allowing for the fact that this is another alarmist beat-up,there is a big problem in this area. The rise in bullying as other mental disorders in children is largely the result of current societal conditions e.g. a disjointed society and the loss of nurturing, non-stressed parenting.
The bullying is taking a heavy toll on school principals,themselves bullied into implementing the educational ‘reforms’. Compared to the general population, principals experience a higher prevalence of violence (seven times higher), threats of violence (five times higher), and adult-adult bullying (four times higher).[ According to The 2014 Teachers Health Fund Principal Health & Wellbeing Survey Report]
Mr.O’Farrell returned his predecessor who introduced the educational ‘reforms’ to public office after his becoming an executive in the tobacco industry.The former premier argues his latest successor had inherited a ''first-class shambles of global proportions'' in infrastructure.To align perception with reality,he says there has to be a focus on introducing economic rationale into planning.Yet a sound economic infrastructure depends on a highly trained workforce to build and operate it and an educated populace to choose it and use it.
‘I don't want to sound immodest, but I'm the ideal person, the natural pick,’ boasts the former premier.That’s a classic coming from him.His jig was not up. His successor has entrusted Mr.Fixit who admits failure in driving the Back to the Basics education policy, with the task of identifying the infrastructure projects ‘needed to improve the lives of the people of NSW’.Seriously. Time wounds all heels?!
Presaging his return to public service, The Industry Skills Councils released a report calling for urgent action to remedy literacy and numeracy problems. "No More Excuses" which shows almost half of Australia's working age population does not have the literacy or numeracy skills required to study a trade.Not surprising after so much chopping and changing between pursuit of narrowly defined vocational objectives and a fuller rounded less instrumental education created much uncertainty in the system.. As a result, between seven and eight million Australians are in danger of being confined to low-wage jobs with little prospect of improvement.The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive said business was having to pick up he load."We shouldn't be the primary provider of basic literacy and numeracy education in Australia," he said. ‘Australia's education system is structurally flawed when it comes to literacy and numeracy. As a result, between seven and eight million Australians are in danger of being confined to low-wage jobs with little prospect of improvement.’ International studies have shown that over the past two decades Australia's literacy and numeracy skill levels have stagnated compared to those of other countries.As for the edcons claiming their approach will lead to economic take off,I’d say pigs might just fly at that.
As for their capacity to drag humankind backwards--- well, swine flu.
Will their rebranded government deal quickly with the educational problem it lay ground to? The
As for their capacity to drag humankind backwards--- well, swine flu.
Will their rebranded government deal quickly with the educational problem it lay ground to? The
former premier says of his new approach ''You will end up with a more measured approach, with less of a commitment to the speed of achieving results than perhaps I had - but I don't think there's any evidence to say that is necessarily bad, because a lot of these issues are long-term.''
Whether they destroy quickly or slowly,it will take a long time to repair the damage.
With regard to social infrastructure it didn’t take long with the government selling off large slabs of public housing assets to raise funds-– an approach described by the NSW Auditor-General as ‘not financially sustainable’- and the deepening of the state’s housing crisis. Mr Fixit said he had made ‘little progress on social housing while in power, and little had been achieved in the 23 years since’.[SMH May 25,2015, Nicole Hasham] ‘At the end of the day the existing stock is crap and the new supply is non-existent,’ he said. ‘This is an area where something bloody well ought to happen’.
His successor as Premier linked school-yard violence with the culture of bullying in NSW schools-but only to that involving children,not teachers. His Minister of Education correctly recognises that ‘ school education is the greatest opportunity to intervene in people's lives - to change their trajectory - particularly kids from a disadvantaged background,''[169]. He knows that ‘intervention in education can play a crucial role in keeping people out of prison. Our prisons are full of people who can't read and write. When those issues are addressed at school it can take lives in a completely different direction.''
He hasn’t yet determined when the issue of those who have to address these issues will be addressed.
As for the charge that the bureaucracy is Maoist, it’s true it reflects the opinions of its critics in garbled doublespeak and at times completely falsified way.Mao painted the Chinese state he helped create as controlled by a ‘bourgeois state apparatus’ just as the Coalition paint the N.S.W. bureaucracy as a convenient obstacle to target. At the same time there has no attempt to emulate Mao’s Hundred Flowers campaign . In February 1957 Mao invited criticism of the party under the banner of “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend.” The N.S.W.bureaucracy allows the sound of only one school of thought. Their Master’s Voice.
Les Enfants Terrible.
Les Enfants Terrible.
Fast forward to 2016, Spokesmen for The State of New South Wales added a new dimension to the Spectre posed by teachers and students.
That posed by trainee teachers.
My imagination has been set on fire by the picture painted of them.
Driving me on,it has impelled me to add to the call to arms:
‘Citizen of New South Wales,
Not matter the write stuff .Do you have personality plus?
NSW teaching students will face personality assessments from next year, the NSW Board of Studies has confirmed. [Teaching students to face personality assessments SMH Jan 22.]
The President of the NSW Council of Deans of Education, Chris Davison, said the assessments will draw from tests similar to those undertaken for the army and will weed out candidates unsuited to teaching before they begin their degrees.
"The challenge is to have one that works for teaching. You probably need a much higher degree of empathy than you do in the army," she said.
Anyone who’s worked for the NSW Department of Education or read about it knows empathy,like attaining universal literacy, is not a priority.
How much empathy do you need need in the army?
My invaluable experience in the armed forces and reading and writing about it { inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com Find ‘alarums and excursions’}tell me it always exists amongst the rank and file. However it has led me and many others to conclude it’s not always a virtue that’s officially encouraged.
For some the armed forces’ function is seen as much more about hostility than empathy.For them it’s purpose is training to kill a designated enemy obediently.
So why start with such low expectations of those wanting to join the teaching profession?
Why start at such a low level of empathy?
And how much do those behind the new control measures exhibit this quality?
To understand this we must understand the personality and psyche of those who are visiting this embarrassment upon the citizens of New South Wales.Those behind it express and spell out their mindset in { betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com Find ‘ The “Back to the Basics” School Policy in NSW (Expletives Deleted) }
The Board of Studies' move to institute personality tests at all universities comes after a crackdown on teacher training by the NSW government in September.
Professor Davison said that the national program was necessary despite tough new regulations on literacy and numeracy imposed by the NSW government.
"We already have high teaching standards in NSW schools,said Education Minister Piccoli in September,2014. ‘ but we need the high achieving students of today to be the high achieving teachers of tomorrow,"
So how come with such high standards are such measures warranted? Are aspiring teachers being deliberately shielded in schools from these standards?
Professor Davison said the personality assessments were being implemented because students with poor communication or behavioral issues were still undertaking teaching degrees.
"At one stage it emerged that someone in our own program at UNSW had major psychological problems," she said.
If one looks at earlier versions of their program,they let us in on their own communication skills, behaviour and psychological problems.Those must be seen against those of others deemed to be Personality Minus .
"They already had a degree in another field so had passed the academic requirements but they couldn't maintain eye contact, they couldn't maintain conversation.’
‘Come on ,you’ve got to be joking.'I ask.
We found out they had recently been released from psychiatric ward and had problems interacting with people.
‘So why were they released?'I ask’
And were they re committed?’
And how did they pass the high academic requirements of our established universities.’
Using the tests is a vote of no confidence by the Board of Studies in the ability of university faculties of education to assess the learning and practical competence of their students. This is particularly worrying given that one of the things these faculties teach is "educational assessment and evaluation.
"Their counsellor suggested they take up a teaching degree. I counselled them to withdraw."
She would have advised the same to Einstein if he applied to teach in N.S.W. todayEven if he tapdanced his way into the classroom,dressed in a tutu with the sunniest disposition,it would have been his lack of ability to control children that failed him.
Professor Davison said the tougher academic regulations announced by NSW Education Minister
Adrian Piccoli at UNSW in September were "ironic, because we are not affected by them".
How fortunate to be in that situation.For most people,such continual attacks on the ideal of a free,compulsory and secular system of the highest standards have affected them deleteriously for many years .
But trainee teacher wait!All is not lost.There’s a miracle cure being offered.
Despite the crackdown, second chances have been extended to trainee teachers who have not met the new standards. At the University of Notre Dame Australia, students who failed to get the required
marks will be able to take a bridging courseThe course will focus on HSC English and the seven key competencies outlined in the Australian Curriculum: literacy, numeracy, ICT capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.
The Board of Studies' move to implement personality tests at all universities comes after a crackdown on teacher training by the NSW government in September.
One must keep in mind crackdowns on teachers themselves and their costly consequences { betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com Find ‘ The “Back to the Basics” School Policy in NSW (Expletives Deleted) }
This is the limit! It’s the increasingly pathetic control measures themselves,not the calibre of our students or universities,that’s responsible for our baleful statistics for literacy and numeracy.
‘ Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision’
That posed by trainee teachers.
My imagination has been set on fire by the picture painted of them.
Driving me on,it has impelled me to add to the call to arms:
‘Citizen of New South Wales,
Not matter the write stuff .Do you have personality plus?
NSW teaching students will face personality assessments from next year, the NSW Board of Studies has confirmed. [Teaching students to face personality assessments SMH Jan 22.]
The President of the NSW Council of Deans of Education, Chris Davison, said the assessments will draw from tests similar to those undertaken for the army and will weed out candidates unsuited to teaching before they begin their degrees.
"The challenge is to have one that works for teaching. You probably need a much higher degree of empathy than you do in the army," she said.
Anyone who’s worked for the NSW Department of Education or read about it knows empathy,like attaining universal literacy, is not a priority.
How much empathy do you need need in the army?
My invaluable experience in the armed forces and reading and writing about it { inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com Find ‘alarums and excursions’}tell me it always exists amongst the rank and file. However it has led me and many others to conclude it’s not always a virtue that’s officially encouraged.
For some the armed forces’ function is seen as much more about hostility than empathy.For them it’s purpose is training to kill a designated enemy obediently.
So why start with such low expectations of those wanting to join the teaching profession?
Why start at such a low level of empathy?
And how much do those behind the new control measures exhibit this quality?
To understand this we must understand the personality and psyche of those who are visiting this embarrassment upon the citizens of New South Wales.Those behind it express and spell out their mindset in { betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com Find ‘ The “Back to the Basics” School Policy in NSW (Expletives Deleted) }
The Board of Studies' move to institute personality tests at all universities comes after a crackdown on teacher training by the NSW government in September.
Professor Davison said that the national program was necessary despite tough new regulations on literacy and numeracy imposed by the NSW government.
"We already have high teaching standards in NSW schools,said Education Minister Piccoli in September,2014. ‘ but we need the high achieving students of today to be the high achieving teachers of tomorrow,"
So how come with such high standards are such measures warranted? Are aspiring teachers being deliberately shielded in schools from these standards?
Professor Davison said the personality assessments were being implemented because students with poor communication or behavioral issues were still undertaking teaching degrees.
"At one stage it emerged that someone in our own program at UNSW had major psychological problems," she said.
If one looks at earlier versions of their program,they let us in on their own communication skills, behaviour and psychological problems.Those must be seen against those of others deemed to be Personality Minus .
"They already had a degree in another field so had passed the academic requirements but they couldn't maintain eye contact, they couldn't maintain conversation.’
‘Come on ,you’ve got to be joking.'I ask.
We found out they had recently been released from psychiatric ward and had problems interacting with people.
‘So why were they released?'I ask’
And were they re committed?’
And how did they pass the high academic requirements of our established universities.’
Using the tests is a vote of no confidence by the Board of Studies in the ability of university faculties of education to assess the learning and practical competence of their students. This is particularly worrying given that one of the things these faculties teach is "educational assessment and evaluation.
"Their counsellor suggested they take up a teaching degree. I counselled them to withdraw."
She would have advised the same to Einstein if he applied to teach in N.S.W. todayEven if he tapdanced his way into the classroom,dressed in a tutu with the sunniest disposition,it would have been his lack of ability to control children that failed him.
Professor Davison said the tougher academic regulations announced by NSW Education Minister
Adrian Piccoli at UNSW in September were "ironic, because we are not affected by them".
How fortunate to be in that situation.For most people,such continual attacks on the ideal of a free,compulsory and secular system of the highest standards have affected them deleteriously for many years .
But trainee teacher wait!All is not lost.There’s a miracle cure being offered.
Despite the crackdown, second chances have been extended to trainee teachers who have not met the new standards. At the University of Notre Dame Australia, students who failed to get the required
marks will be able to take a bridging courseThe course will focus on HSC English and the seven key competencies outlined in the Australian Curriculum: literacy, numeracy, ICT capability, critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, ethical understanding and intercultural understanding.
The Board of Studies' move to implement personality tests at all universities comes after a crackdown on teacher training by the NSW government in September.
One must keep in mind crackdowns on teachers themselves and their costly consequences { betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com Find ‘ The “Back to the Basics” School Policy in NSW (Expletives Deleted) }
This is the limit! It’s the increasingly pathetic control measures themselves,not the calibre of our students or universities,that’s responsible for our baleful statistics for literacy and numeracy.
‘ Don't you wonder sometimes 'bout sound and vision’
D.Bowie.
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
Mark Twain
The policy throws light on a wasteful system about which many express the view that they learned, not because of it, but in spite of it, in which many teachers and students don't have a prayer of testing their dormant talents. In which based on postulates of opportunity and mobility, the myth of people being able to move in and out of classes is shown as fake. Even so, a very seductive system for me because if nothing else it exposes similar possibilities the soviet model did,of the vast potential of the
upcoming generation just waiting to be tapped fully.With the clock ticking we will need all hands to the pumps to get to grips with the epic environmental and economic crisis we face.This generation
will grow up at least without that self-deforming image of innate superiority purchased for other children by their parent’s wealth.
It's the driver behind my mission to debunk eugenics and the myths surrounding it and to help contribute to the introduction of legal machinery which would allow all teachers to have access to an independent professional body. This would consider both the ability of teachers to convey ideas and information and their role as protectors of the welfare of the child as factors of importance as well as the requirements of the cadre system.To get inside the heads of the young and develop their conscience,not by sermonizing but by sharpening their intellect. This is the ability in which I define myself. a role in which I, nudging my fortieth birthday couldn’t wait longer to work myself into.
This knowledge highlights the importance of my holy grail - support for an around the clock outreach, offering young people a guide to daily life in Australia.A survival kit,it would help to minimize the risks to children, such as the kind who were in my care, to enable them to have a good hold on the world around them,to broaden their sense of what a human being is, and to be able to express what they want to say. That these aims are not met by the poor man’s education setup should be a matter of concern to a population who have been constantly warned to be alert to the activities of ‘terrorist’ enemies by leaders who say it’s only a matter of time before there is an ‘incident’.
The beauty of a democratic public education is that it is the one area where domestic social tensions could be damped down without cost. Much of the violence that does occur in schools is mindless and could be reduced greatly if democratic procedures were introduced. Throwing money without such reforms is no solution. The answer is right under our noses,staring us in the face. I’m not so naive as to think that universal literacy will square all the circles- but much of the anti-social violence that occurs outside schools, whether opportunistic-vandalism,road rage,glassing,the king hit- ‘the cowards punch’ for example, or racist could thus be minimized. After rioting broke out in the Cronulla area of Sydney between groups of aggrieved ‘whites’ putting the rant back into migrants and Lebanese Australian youths, one response was to set up mobile educational units to allow the communities some understanding of each other. Why can’t such understanding be systematized and encouraged in schools in the first place?It would have helped forestall what the former chief of the Australian Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove described as the ‘cowardly and sly’ attacks on Indian students which he linked to the Cronulla riots. ‘It is easy to conclude that they are racially targeted’,he concluded.The General was taken to task publicly for tackling the issue by politicians in deep denial,anxious as always for window dressing.And privately by those gloating at the attacks.Short memories. When will they ever learn?When will they ever learn? Conditions of social dislocation and economic freefall steal the clientelist appeal of the ruling parties. Many of their voters turn towards those who profess openly what traditional politicians only imply.The privileged strata who see the cultivation of a fascist mass movement as a legitimate reply to any inroads made by the left play with fire. While the mainstream left hope that this movement will evaporate by itself,it never does. This may have explosive consequences.
By encouraging all children to read and write in the first place,a tried and true teacher’s approach, such commotions would be much less feasible.An educational guide like mine would help neutralize the instigators.A boon for the hoon,the goon and the loon. It would render young people feeling swamped by Asians and others less vulnerable to the advances of racist groups. It would require some curbing of the powers of those whose interests are material,base and commonplace – archetypal philistines and vulgarians who control thought, not so much through what they dictate, but through what they dismiss and deny.Censorship by omission. Not by explicit statements, but by the norms which they implicitly circulate. Imagination, talent, diversity of thought, conviction and creative searching - let alone the voice of the public, or democratic processes - all anathema to it. It is hard to resist the notion that many of our leaders deliberately ––despite the flap they get into over delinquency -allow the spread of an ignorant cohort of heavies and drunken, knife-wielding, drug-snorting roughnecks who move around in herds belching, throwing beer cans or bricks at innocent passers-by, swearing and rendering bus stops and railway stations.Who will support the right electorally and scab on others.There are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all, frighten people, and secondly demoralise them...an educated healthy and confident nation is harder to govern.Which is why it was a crime during American slavery to teach a black person how to read or write. It suited the economic interests of the slave masters to keep Africans in the field instead of in the classroom. As one bluntly put it, "Learning," he said, "will spoil the best nigger in the world.”
It suits the interests of our own masters to keep so many of our children bored,restless ,not fulfilling their potential.They themselves feel protected from the consequences in their palm-fringed chained up residential compounds with electric gates, warnings about “armed police response” and lawns kept immaculate by automatic sprinklers. Their educationists justify denying education to all the masses in their snide aside: ‘If they had half a brain,they’d be dangerous.’ Their real fear is that of a highly articulate cohesive generation demanding greater rights in schools, universities and workplaces.
Aloha Merrylands
“I'm not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose... it'll be much harder to detect. ”
George Carlin.
George Carlin.
Since my neurological Event,some notorious incidents involved students from some the schools I taught at -those where gaggles of idle hands mill around due to the ‘teacher shortage’,carrying out the devil’s handiwork.Leading to shock jock hoopla,the incidents brought into question our so-called superior public educational policy. 2011 saw a race-based brawl outside Hoxton Park High and a student severely stabbed in an altercation at Granville High. In April, 2008 five teenage boys from Granville school paid a visit to neighbouring Merrylands High school to demonstrate the failed educational ‘cutting edge’ practice. Armed with machetes and baseballs bats, the boyos from a Pacific Islander background made their presence known during morning assembly. It is believed they were seeking retribution for a perceived slight. Entering two of the school buildings, the boys went on the rampage, running through corridors smashing as many windows as they could, broken glass showered students huddled in the classroom leaving some with cuts and abrasions. Sydney newspapers,all over the story, suggested the attack was just the tip of the iceberg of a growing gang problem in Western Sydney driven by a romantic inspiration from a Los Angeles organized gang culture and fuelled by the internet.
The ‘racist moral panic’ was slammed by a gang culture authority, Professor Jock Collins from the University of Technology, as a media beat up. In rejecting the lurid sensationalism regarding the incident, Professor Collins thought that there’s an asymmetrical response to gangs when they’re from different ethnic groups and when they’re our gangs. He pointed out that gang violence has existed in Australia for over a century but is at a far lower level than in the US. The impression being given by ‘news management’ is that ethnic diversity is somehow destroying our society. While he admits it is worrying that some people imagine themselves through ‘gangster’ culture and promote such images on the internet – “live in honour, die with respect, steel from the rich, hang with the poor,” reads the chatter on their web – Professor Collins cautions strongly against overreacting. ‘Gang behaviour, particularly in the US is very formal very organized and very systematic’, he said. This is the bad form that teachers like Mr P., the Baltimore cop who converted to working in a high school in the realist TV series “The Wire” must deal with every day.
Who can deny the obvious factors that Professor Collins draws attention to? In "Gee Officer Krupke!" from ‘ West Side Story’ the Jets, staging a mock scenario where a delinquent is shunted from police to judge to psychiatrist to social worker, give multiple explanations with delicious tongue in cheek irony as to why they are delinquent. It remains one of the strongest popular statements about troubled youth and the devastating effects of poverty and racism. The Jets come to the dismal conclusion that juvenile delinquency is an ailment of society-they’re depraved-on-account-a-they're-
deprived- and, "No one wants a fella with a social disease!" The song is as explicit as a sociological treatise about the causes of many of the problems of urban youth, and its acute goofiness easily transcends decades of at-risk teenagers.
The Between the Lines Education Consultancy
“Be the change you want to see in the world” - Gandhi
Jean Jaures.
At this crossroad , biting the bullet,it was time to come into my own. In time anything I had said to the business reps would have gone in one ear and out the other.After being derailed on my career path so decisively,sequestered by the Machine, ‘losing’ not being in my vocabulary,I was impatiently determined to carve out a new one,come hell or high water. I had returned to the N.S.W. Teaching Service fired with enthusiasm and left the same way. Regaining my momentum,getting back on track,
I would steal a march on the edcons in winning over the masses.
I couldn’t just flip a switch and become someone else. I took matters into my own hands. This was my baby and I had to work it out for myself.Weighing up the consequences,I set about prevailing on my own terms, bypassing demeaning pandering to the bureaucratic buzzkilling beast .Keeping upwind of it, my final labour would be to help cleanse the Augean stables.
Weighing up the consequences, bypassing demeaning pandering to the bureaucratic buzzkilling beast to prevail on my own terms,I took matters into my own hands. I suppose if I had been prepared to grovel and bow my head meekly, I could have pressed to become some clockwatching,sleepwalking
fixture as a cushy deadwood desk jockey,in charge of paper clips,risking no more than gravel rash,paper cuts,getting my thumb stuck in a filing cabinet or my tongue nauseated from licking stamps. Busted down to some bean counting flunky,shuffling paper,cleaning the windows on envelopes,wrapped up in regulations,playing verbal tiddlywinks, or pushing a pen on the gravy train.Praying for the little hand to move on relieved by breaks for tea, bikky wikkys and wee wees.
I found this unacceptable.To be deprived of my freedom of expression was basically to be deprived of my identity as a professional worker. I was offered nothing and asked for nothing ..No more of the elephantine and humorless look-the-other- ways the ever present, servile, dried-up, gabfesting,mealy mouthed,platitudinising, malfeasant sinecured lackeys nobble even the tiniest manifestations of originality.A rort that was tort-meting out penurious droplets of cognitive jot or tittle. No more of their boondoggled jiggery pokery,trough snouting flummery. My message to them was plain and simple: ‘Bring it on!’ ‘If you think you’ve seen the last of me,Try this: ‘You ain't seen nothin' yet’.
Single minded I would make headway writing my own ticket.Being of creative temperament, cut
loose with pressing long term ambitions that I needed to act on, I rose exasperatedly to the challenge. Filling the huge void the government were leaving, filled by an industry tiptoeing around the real issues ,covering rear ends with paperwork piles ,generating a continuous talkfest about ‘reform’, like that about the weather.People who individually can do nothing, but who, as a group, meet and decide that nothing will be done.Committees who keep minutes and waste hours.
These talkers are like balloonists.They rise to where they are due to a lot of hot air.
Out of the way everybody,you’re using my oxygen!Chocks away, I charged hard,a well oiled lean machine, moving into top gear,striking out on my own fast track, walking the talk. A case of make or break, derring do or die.I had to get going if I was going to make a showing. I knew I had the right of way. It was patently apparent the field of popular education in New South Wales was wide open and up for grabs to any clearsighted go-getter worth his salt who wanted to see it through, would step up to be counted, swimming against this surging reactionary tide. I wanted to stand on it’s head the the oft repeated and depressing truism that every human being grows more conservative the older he or she gets.Feeling equal to the task,ideologically unregenerate, suffering no backsliding crisis of faith or second thoughts-not a bit of it-I dived headlong and headstrong into the undertow, absolutely up to my eyes - to fill the gap. Mine for the taking. Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. Getting the jump on any potential competitors,I shot the works . I warmed up selecting another string to my bow, completing a certificate in teaching English as a second language. My game plan was to dedicate myself to offering what was missing - an around the clock on the spot service at the coal face,promoting a policy of inclusion, catering not just for the
elite moulded in the establishment image, not just for the mainstream but for for the boy and girl in the street.For children who believe education is irrelevant to their lives.Children with qualities like being empathetic,creative and practical just as important as IQ, even if they’re hard to measure.For children few of whom climb out of the scholastic sinkhole, who resist learning in the formal classroom , driven by exams and recess bells- it disrupting adolescent pleasures-but respond in their
own setting.Soaking up knowledge like a sponge if you prepare it for them.
For families from the wrong side of the tracks who do not place a high value on education.With home conditions that make learning difficult.
Some people see things that are and ask, ‘Why?’ Some people dream of things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’ Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that.Their children grow up in difficult or challenging kinds of environments where the kinds of skills they really have to develop are practical skills to survive and creative skills to deal with constant changes in their environment.Their children don’t have the luxury of developing abstract analytical skills but have to develop practical skills.
From Cuba with Love
For Australia’s indigenous population it remains as difficult as ever to develop even these.
Not too long ago students at Walgett High School in north west NSW used to whoop with relief when they came back over the town's flood levee after a bus trip away.[SMH May 30,31 Julie Power]
These days,reports Julie, the kids are whooping with glee as they leave. Those who are left sit in empty classrooms with one or two others.
Walgett has a potential high school population of around 350. Yet only 149 students are enrolled in the local high school, according to a census by the NSW Department of Education in February 2015.
Of those, nearly all are indigenous and nearly 90 per cent come from the poorest homes in NSW. Only two students did the HSC last year. Attendance averages 50-60 per cent, a Departmental official said, even though eight attendance officers are employed.
‘About 100 Walgett students have left to take up indigenous scholarships at private schools around the state and in Queensland,’ said local member Kevin Humphries. Others have been sent away to boarding schools or to stay with relatives in Sydney and regional towns that provide a better and safer education. On nearby farms, generations of non-indigenous farmers have always sent their kids away to boarding school. But now families - black and white- say there is little option. ‘For the life of me, the last thing I want is to send my child away. But this is what the whole scenario at the high school has done,’ says a local mother.
Those who do attend the school regularly move in and out. Department statistics reveal that every year, 75 per cent of the school's students leave or re-enter, giving it one of the highest mobility rates of any school in the state.
A quick poll finds that anyone who can scrape together the money is sending their children away. Others are planning their escape routes, and scouting out jobs in other areas where the schools are better.
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says there is no school he cares about more than Walgett, and his department's head is pledging to expand opportunities for children at the school so they have more pastoral care and a greater range of courses.
But Walgett's former school captain, Bek Cullen, is taking another stance. She loved the school, which had indigenous and non-indigenous students when she attended. But she has lost faith in the Department.
Her children go to the Catholic primary school, where not one of last year's year six class went on to the high .
Despite the problems, she wants her children to follow in family tradition and go to the same high school that she and her mother attended. She also says her small family construction business can't afford the $100,000 it would cost a year to send the three children to boarding school.
‘I have never felt more insecure about my school’ she said.
As a former teacher at Walgett high, she despairs at how anything can be done before a new principal is appointed.
The high school has had more than a dozen principals in ten years, and the acting principal's term is limited. The increase in violence spiked in 2015 after the departure of Richard Rule. The veteran teacher was credited with improving results and discipline at the primary and high school.
Earlier this week,Departmental official Ms. Bruniges announced that for the first time ever, the Department would use an executive head hunter to recruit a new executive principal at the high school and a new primary principal.
Her top priority was looking at ways to re-engage students who wanted to learn and provide other options to those students who didn't. A big challenge in a town like Walgett is what to do with those students who are expelled. Most end up hanging out on the streets without any educational or vocational prospects.
Ms Bruniges said she planned to introduce a new charter of expectations that set out clear and high expectations for students, parents, teachers and the community. It would also spell out what sort of behaviour was unacceptable and the consequences.
‘Having a set of expectations that everyone is clear on, students, staff and community is critically important,’ she told Fairfax Media. ‘It isn't clear at this point. And we need to apply that set of expectations consistently. So everyone has the same message: If you come to school, it is a place of learning, it is not a gathering place.’
Why can’t the Department take advantage of the school being a gathering place, thus doing away with the need for attendance officers and replace them if need be with at least fly in,fly out motivated teachers who could instil and maintain a love of learning in the gathered children.It could select some from it’s list of blacklisted socialist teachers.And what happened to those leading teachers the Minister’s party boasted about? Can’t teachers like Richard Rule become the rule? How many years does it take for government to allow learning options for those young people who reject academic curricula.
For many Aboriginal elders, the fear is that those children who leave will be lost to their communities forever, and those who stay in the school have little ambition or hope.
Many senior indigenous educators say the Minister and the Department are evading the need for review of the ‘Connected Communities’ program in the town, which runs in 15 schools in the region and aims to give Aboriginal communities a bigger voice in running the schools.
Bob Morgan, chair of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education at Newcastle University, says ‘I know the school can be turned around – if people stop playing politics, and listen to other voices outside the school’.
Such were the conditions that would confront a literacy team from Cuba, a country with one of the highest literacy rates in the world, when it brought it’s ‘Yes I Can’ campaign to other aboriginal communities in N.S.W. Aboriginal residents of Wilcannia, Bourke and Enngonia have been mobilised to go to classes through a "mass campaign" approach pioneered in the early years of the Cuban revolution. Jack Beetson, who once ran Sydney's Tranby Aboriginal College, says "Literacy is a human right that traditional education has failed to deliver to these people. It's a huge step for most of them to even come to class," he says. Beetson, 57, a Ngemba man from Nyngan, remembers that in parts of western NSW, Aborigines were excluded from mainstream schools until the 1970s and then only got in if the local Parents & Citizens Association approved. "When I went to school I was in the D class for all the blackfellas and poor white kids. I wanted to study history but was told, 'That's not for you, son.'
own setting.Soaking up knowledge like a sponge if you prepare it for them.
For families from the wrong side of the tracks who do not place a high value on education.With home conditions that make learning difficult.
Some people see things that are and ask, ‘Why?’ Some people dream of things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’ Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that.Their children grow up in difficult or challenging kinds of environments where the kinds of skills they really have to develop are practical skills to survive and creative skills to deal with constant changes in their environment.Their children don’t have the luxury of developing abstract analytical skills but have to develop practical skills.
From Cuba with Love
For Australia’s indigenous population it remains as difficult as ever to develop even these.
Not too long ago students at Walgett High School in north west NSW used to whoop with relief when they came back over the town's flood levee after a bus trip away.[SMH May 30,31 Julie Power]
These days,reports Julie, the kids are whooping with glee as they leave. Those who are left sit in empty classrooms with one or two others.
Walgett has a potential high school population of around 350. Yet only 149 students are enrolled in the local high school, according to a census by the NSW Department of Education in February 2015.
Of those, nearly all are indigenous and nearly 90 per cent come from the poorest homes in NSW. Only two students did the HSC last year. Attendance averages 50-60 per cent, a Departmental official said, even though eight attendance officers are employed.
‘About 100 Walgett students have left to take up indigenous scholarships at private schools around the state and in Queensland,’ said local member Kevin Humphries. Others have been sent away to boarding schools or to stay with relatives in Sydney and regional towns that provide a better and safer education. On nearby farms, generations of non-indigenous farmers have always sent their kids away to boarding school. But now families - black and white- say there is little option. ‘For the life of me, the last thing I want is to send my child away. But this is what the whole scenario at the high school has done,’ says a local mother.
Those who do attend the school regularly move in and out. Department statistics reveal that every year, 75 per cent of the school's students leave or re-enter, giving it one of the highest mobility rates of any school in the state.
A quick poll finds that anyone who can scrape together the money is sending their children away. Others are planning their escape routes, and scouting out jobs in other areas where the schools are better.
Education Minister Adrian Piccoli says there is no school he cares about more than Walgett, and his department's head is pledging to expand opportunities for children at the school so they have more pastoral care and a greater range of courses.
But Walgett's former school captain, Bek Cullen, is taking another stance. She loved the school, which had indigenous and non-indigenous students when she attended. But she has lost faith in the Department.
Her children go to the Catholic primary school, where not one of last year's year six class went on to the high .
Despite the problems, she wants her children to follow in family tradition and go to the same high school that she and her mother attended. She also says her small family construction business can't afford the $100,000 it would cost a year to send the three children to boarding school.
‘I have never felt more insecure about my school’ she said.
As a former teacher at Walgett high, she despairs at how anything can be done before a new principal is appointed.
The high school has had more than a dozen principals in ten years, and the acting principal's term is limited. The increase in violence spiked in 2015 after the departure of Richard Rule. The veteran teacher was credited with improving results and discipline at the primary and high school.
Earlier this week,Departmental official Ms. Bruniges announced that for the first time ever, the Department would use an executive head hunter to recruit a new executive principal at the high school and a new primary principal.
Her top priority was looking at ways to re-engage students who wanted to learn and provide other options to those students who didn't. A big challenge in a town like Walgett is what to do with those students who are expelled. Most end up hanging out on the streets without any educational or vocational prospects.
Ms Bruniges said she planned to introduce a new charter of expectations that set out clear and high expectations for students, parents, teachers and the community. It would also spell out what sort of behaviour was unacceptable and the consequences.
‘Having a set of expectations that everyone is clear on, students, staff and community is critically important,’ she told Fairfax Media. ‘It isn't clear at this point. And we need to apply that set of expectations consistently. So everyone has the same message: If you come to school, it is a place of learning, it is not a gathering place.’
Why can’t the Department take advantage of the school being a gathering place, thus doing away with the need for attendance officers and replace them if need be with at least fly in,fly out motivated teachers who could instil and maintain a love of learning in the gathered children.It could select some from it’s list of blacklisted socialist teachers.And what happened to those leading teachers the Minister’s party boasted about? Can’t teachers like Richard Rule become the rule? How many years does it take for government to allow learning options for those young people who reject academic curricula.
For many Aboriginal elders, the fear is that those children who leave will be lost to their communities forever, and those who stay in the school have little ambition or hope.
Many senior indigenous educators say the Minister and the Department are evading the need for review of the ‘Connected Communities’ program in the town, which runs in 15 schools in the region and aims to give Aboriginal communities a bigger voice in running the schools.
Bob Morgan, chair of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education at Newcastle University, says ‘I know the school can be turned around – if people stop playing politics, and listen to other voices outside the school’.
Such were the conditions that would confront a literacy team from Cuba, a country with one of the highest literacy rates in the world, when it brought it’s ‘Yes I Can’ campaign to other aboriginal communities in N.S.W. Aboriginal residents of Wilcannia, Bourke and Enngonia have been mobilised to go to classes through a "mass campaign" approach pioneered in the early years of the Cuban revolution. Jack Beetson, who once ran Sydney's Tranby Aboriginal College, says "Literacy is a human right that traditional education has failed to deliver to these people. It's a huge step for most of them to even come to class," he says. Beetson, 57, a Ngemba man from Nyngan, remembers that in parts of western NSW, Aborigines were excluded from mainstream schools until the 1970s and then only got in if the local Parents & Citizens Association approved. "When I went to school I was in the D class for all the blackfellas and poor white kids. I wanted to study history but was told, 'That's not for you, son.'
A team adviser Lucy Nuñez, an exuberant 54-year-old grandmother from Havana, who would work among Maoris in rural New Zealand, was unprepared for the social disintegration she’d encounter. "I learnt about how Aboriginal people suffered from colonisation, how they have been separated from their families, moved out of towns and put on reserves. Their communities are broken, they have addictions and no jobs. Life is very hard," she says. Lucy believes her skin colour and a shared experience of colonisation helped her win the trust of sceptical communities. "They say, 'You are black, we think the same'. They tell me black people think with their hearts and white people think with their brains. I tell them if you want respect you have to increase your knowledge.'
Jack Beetson believes the Cuban approach to learning can work where traditional education has failed many Aboriginal populations, because it makes illiteracy the responsibility of an entire community rather than an individual problem. "We aim to build a community culture that values and supports learning," he says.
"You have to build trust and respect before you can do anything with our people. The Cuban program has done that," says Lillian Lucas, who co-ordinates the Bourke arm of the scheme. Some of its 27 graduates live at Alice Edwards Village, where Lucas grew up, a squalid former reserve on the Darling River outside the town levee. "There is a lot of negativity here, our community is broken," says Ms. Lucas, 37, as she drives around the village with its decaying dwellings and overgrown yards studded with wrecked vehicles. "But we are getting results with kids who have come out of high school but can't read and write."
The literacy classes are based on a set of 64 one-hour lessons on DVD. Each lesson shows a class of non-literate learners - played by English-speaking actors from Grenada - being taught by an experienced teacher. Class facilitators help students do oral and written exercises being modelled on screen. Words and phrases are broken down into component sounds and letters and then re-assembled. Each letter is associated with a number, on the assumption that most people of low literacy have some familiarity with numbers.
Associate Professor Bob Boughton, an adult education expert at the University of New England, which would help manage the literacy campaign, says students tend to identify with the black Grenadian actors and gain confidence from knowing their own community is part of a global campaign.
Dr.Boughton would advise the East Timor government when Cuba developed and ran a literacy campaign in the newly independent nation. "Over 120,000 adult Timorese gained basic literacy within four years from 2007 to 2011, in conditions of extreme poverty and despite political upheaval," he says.
The final phase Three of ‘Yes I Can’ is a range of post-literacy activities that include computing, healthy cooking from recipes, art and reading to children. These are designed to consolidate learning and build pathways into jobs, further education and community participation.How I would have loved to share my work in tandem with such a team.
This was the area where I wanted to solidify my practice,to stamp my authority,wising up the populace,not dumbing them down.
My be all and end all.The longed-for alchemy of education, all that dull base metal glinting into gold. I had no out. In this for the long haul,deeply invested in this my country, I wasn’t going anywhere.I’ve always called Australia home.If I couldn’t make it here ,I couldn’t make it anywhere. At this time of my life I had a crystal clear vision of where I wanted to head. I had the credentials and was hardwired for this – and nothing else.I wasn’t the best at what I did, I was the only one that did what I did.A one-trick pony,but a very valuable trick,specialised in teaching nothing but everything.The works.Going it alone,aiming to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat,and to confound all sneering expectations, I launched my education consultancy. I set out its far reaching scope and my modus operandi in my brochure. It is a resources based approach to education in NSW. It offers families access to a professional service providing systematic and imaginative education material. The material covers knowledge essential for daily life in NSW. It enables total immersion in its language and culture. Filling in the gaps in the system, not an alternative but a complement to it. It fosters a sense of belonging cutting across the social divisiveness engendered by the educational conservatives. It is geared to providing a key to lifelong learning. It shows concretely what teachers in the public sphere are capable of producing.It avoids information overload. In the encyclopedic material the text is minimal. Knowledge is broken down into it component units and is presented in the form of these self contained abecedarian units which are illustrated. The student can arrange these as desired to build on a structure of knowledge, satisfying inside out both his or her interests, and falling within the context of the New South Wales syllabus, an all embracing one despite conservative attempts to limit it. Everything is linked and teacher intervention is minimal. This way the student cannot but learn.
The reading and writing material is based on black and white comic book material which is edited. I recruited the talents of the leading writers from Mad magazine.I set about doctoring the captions and illustrations.I liquid papered out the text and drawings to create stories that preserve the best of the originals,doing away with the silliness, vulgarity and stereotypes that spoil them. This is determined by the dictates of the market as much as any shortcomings of the artist.I have done so on the understanding that these cultural works,used for educational purposes, will have the respect of the artists and will earn a wider appreciation for their talents.
In the finished product the aim is to have the text coincide with the images. The material is universal in appeal. It takes into account the cultural shift towards the moving image over the written work and aims to keep them in balance.
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words.
"The teachers explode a pyrotechnic in the sky and all for a moment you can see the landscape, where you come from, where you could go, whereas the kings and presidents shine a torch and say here is the path you must follow. So my starting point is knowledge frees you."
Tony Benn.
Sister: Alice...! Will you kindly pay attention to your history lesson?
Alice: I'm sorry, but how can one possibly pay attention to a book with no pictures in it?
Sister: My dear child, there are a great many good books in this world without pictures
Alice: In this world perhaps. But in my world, the books would be nothing but pictures.
Sister: Your world? Huh, what nonsense. Now...
Grabbing the eyes the visually dazzling images from my bank bewitch and motivate you to sit up,take notice and read about them. Outside our schools children are bombarded with images from everything under the sun, but inside the school they are largely fed on a diet of words which only the academically minded children – such as I once was – gravitate to.
The first things many are drawn to in the stodgy, insipid dross issued are the moustaches, devils horns
and genitals illustrated by other children and that’s often as much as they look at. Things haven’t changed much since the young Samuel Beckett, bored stiff in his science lessons, drew lewd caricatures of his teacher under his desk, colouring outside the lines.Tony Benn.
Sister: Alice...! Will you kindly pay attention to your history lesson?
Alice: I'm sorry, but how can one possibly pay attention to a book with no pictures in it?
Sister: My dear child, there are a great many good books in this world without pictures
Alice: In this world perhaps. But in my world, the books would be nothing but pictures.
Sister: Your world? Huh, what nonsense. Now...
Grabbing the eyes the visually dazzling images from my bank bewitch and motivate you to sit up,take notice and read about them. Outside our schools children are bombarded with images from everything under the sun, but inside the school they are largely fed on a diet of words which only the academically minded children – such as I once was – gravitate to.
The first things many are drawn to in the stodgy, insipid dross issued are the moustaches, devils horns
The coalition’s refusal to open up public schools to visual education,it’s preference for private schools seems to be guided by the motto, ‘Education is show business.No business,no show.’
The coalition’s refusal to open up public schools to visual education,it’s preference for private schools seems to be guided by the motto, ‘Education is show business.No business,no show.’
Everything in the universe as we know it has been photographed , drawn or painted. All children should be encouraged to study it in its full complexity, beauty and wonder,to be able to discern the consumerist propaganda about how we should live and what we should look like. Children should always have an explanation available for what they see,be guided, and be able to write about or illustrate what they see. Children who are not academically minded can proceed intellectually by leaps and bounds through harnessing of their visual acuity. Teachers must be allowed to boost and refine their pictorial vocabulary. This way they can’t but read extensively with enjoyment.
It Seemed a Good Idea at the Time.
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in it.” [ Shakespeare's Hamlet (2:2) ]
Me and my big ideas went along with the encouragement by the Minister for Education for teachers to set up their own business, seeing I didn’t have much choice in this bread and butter matter.I had to look on it as an opportunity,the kind that doesn’t knock twice.If the edcons were bent on pushing society backwards,I would make it my business to live out my days helping pull it forwards.At least I would give them a run for their money.If I had the will,surely the means would present themselves.Surely If I had been able to profit from skinning dead sheep, I could skin this mangy old fat cat another way-to wit through my latent powers of persuasion.There was nothing to it but to do it.To play to my strengths.The task seemed right up my alley.After much brainstorming and calculating the risks,everything riding on it,I accordingly arrived at a fateful ,consequential fork in the road.I would raise the wind for my free peripatetic service by selling my policy to businesses and travellers to Australia,cold calling, and cashing in on the current tourist windfall.It meant that I’d be tied down to working in N.S.W.The upside was that eventually I’d be snapped up, showered with handsome offers, able to name my own price.My gamble would pay off and the family would be well fixed,in a position to take some trips.Getting my surefire failsafe show underway on the bright side of the road,I distributed my fliers in hotels and the airport,moving between these and my peninsular Parnassus to establish my clientele and explain the service.What you see is what you get.I saw myself as a dark horse,the unknown contender, who coming quietly from behind is catapulted to unexpected success despite great odds,in good time an overnight sensation, going viral with popular recognition,honours coming thick upon me.The triumph of mind over matter.I wanted to be seen as a man of distinction-indispensible,not disposable.My motive was to use the service for political leverage-to act as a quiet catalyst, to create a cause celebre,a groundswell in which the public demand a shake-up, a full court press for the right of freedom of speech for teachers and students in which the humane treatment of children would gain traction.Into the bargain I aimed to set the pace,outdo myself, raise the educational bar,further the achievement of literacy across the board,capture and shape the identity of this society, and help curb some of the senseless violence that plagues this effluent society. This well kept secret worked to act as a trendsetting touchstone,a reference point against which the work of teachers inside the system could be calibrated.How the best teachers in the system are chosen is a state secret according to one retired principal.[170] In choosing those teachers best able to teach gifted and talented students, teachers,the Department says the process involves ‘a complex analysis of students at differing levels of performance;it is not a simple aggregation,and cannot be conveyed simply without degrading it’s value and accuracy.’ If I, to whom a message of unsatisfactoriness could be conveyed so simply, was among the’ worst’,according to the edcons,working with less ‘gifted’ children, it would be easy for parents to judge who were the ‘best’.And to conclude that all teachers are valuable and worthy of better status. Making any progress towards getting due process with respect to my treatment in this kafkaesque system was like bashing my head against a wall .How do you get through to those determined not to listen? The political and social boundaries had placed decisive limits on the application of "rationality" to any official resonse. Peddlers of just one more economic activity, these officials were unable to transcend the policy limits that the ruling elite imposed.I had failed to reinforce what they wished to hear. I had not reconfirmed the power structure's interests and predetermined policies.
Hi-ho Silver, and away.Sustained by the knowledge that if you can offer something one up on the edcons, people will demand it, I threw myself into my grand design, body and soul, blocking out most everything else. The files in my head,I took them to bed, I was never ever through.Looking for a way in, pushing through, eating,sleeping and breathing this magnificent obsession. Knowing not exactly where it would end,but that from little things, big things grow.And my, did it grow. With a long gestation period it grew like Topsy,freed of it’s turvy.
Spreading the Word.
He travels fastest who travels alone.
Rudyard Kipling
In order to arouse interest in my service and generate business,I advertised by disseminating flyers with my mission statement and a brochure describing my methodology.In size each a third of an A4 sheet of paper,they slotted neatly into the uniform leaflet compartments of hotels. The text of the brochure outlining my methodology was set out across the width of the sheet and folded into illustrated panels spaced such that each treats a discrete aspect of my work.Commission paid for my policy funded a practice based on these principles.
The Hard Yards.
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Bob Marley.
Underestimating the extent of the vast wealth of raw material available, and of my body’s capacity to process it,I nevertheless kept it on a tight rein, guarding against it’s potential to become unwieldy.Chief cook and bottlewasher in the house,as long as I was shopping and rustling up, covering my share of the bills, placing a high value on constancy, things hummed along and, fell perkily into place. Scheduled, routine comings and goings, appointments and meetings, arrivals and departures, day-to-day hassles and joys, within a structured workaday life. Through the good and lean years, the in-between years, on the trot, riding on the merry-go-round, treading water,touching wood.At the end of every month, we made critical trade-off decisions,determining whether we’d get the roof fixed or pay the council rates or keep the electricity on.Staying one step ahead of utility disconnection and going under the hammer, we kept on top of things,the homefires burning,the books finely balanced,the household ticking over like clockwork.Down to a fine art,the boys were fed, schooled ,socialized,taken to soccer, settled in the comforting rituals of family life, while I ,spurred on by public approval-- documented in well received client details-- nurtured my picture-perfect brainchild. Reading me by my books which spoke forthemselves,strangers were sold, trusting my motives and agenda at a glance.Seeing is believing.One look was all it took.
One of my clients,an aboriginal father, had become entangled in the court system with heavy fines for unlicenced driving that would take years' to pay off.He hadn’t been driving for fun. His outback town had a pub, police station and primary school, but no supermarket, doctor, bank or employment office. The nearest was some distance away with infrequent public transport. There were never enough seats and the bus would't take small children like his.Hence his taking to the steering wheel. ‘It would be easier for me to get a driving licence if I could read the questions asked and answer them properly.’
One client who remains etched in my mind jibbed at filling out his details: ‘I can’t think of anything to say.’
‘Just write your name if nothing else.’
I guessed straight away by his hesitation he was illiterate.I had to sweet talk him into doing it. He was pushing it to manage a reasonable facsimile of his name. He had somehow been able to get through life, so far, without learning how to read and write.
‘I’ve given myself away,haven’t I.’
‘There’s nothing to be ashamed of.It’s not as though you rob banks, ‘ I said,‘or own one.'
‘True,But I can’t even open an account in one.I keep my money under my mattress.. I’m afraid of going into shops because I can’t understand what the labels are.I’m worried I’ll get the wrong thing and end up poisoning someone. I have an inferiority complex about my lack of formal education. I can't apply for jobs, you know, and show any qualifications. I left school at 13 and I've nothing to show.I can’t even drive a taxi,you know.I can drive like Jack Brabham but only in the scrub. I can’t pass the theory to get a licence.The Roads and Traffic Authority say it’s too dangerous. I can’t read street and road signs.I get lost on foot. I can’t take buses as I don’t know where they’re going.I have to stop people and ask them the way.’
‘You must ask a lot of questions?’
''I ask myself,'' he said, 'Do I have a name if I can't write it?' 'Am I a human being if I can’t read it?’
What had happened in his education to bring about this neglect? He told me of his childhood.When he was growing up, he had peregrinated around the state with his salesman father, never quite settling in one place long enough to receive a basic education.
‘We moved so often,’he said, ‘I
thought we were in the witness protection program.’
When, finally, they did settle, he felt he was too old to go through the humiliation of attending primary school.The Department hadn’t followed him up.
He accommodated his disadvantage by limiting his contacts with the world, living in self-imposed isolation.He had developed the wiliness of a thief in his stratagems to avoid exposure.Not until I came along did he find the nerve to face the facts.
Helping such people understand their handicap and know how to overcome it gave me immense satisfaction.
Hunting and Gathering.
I had it made-or so I thought.
While it cost very little financially for the prodigious materials, a time capsule of when the printed word ruled,this shoestring operation cost this culture mulcher innumerable hours combing through charity shops. I built it to last, and people were able to see that in the work.In the shops’ aisles of books,I stood before such marvels like a child let loose in a sweet shop, not knowing what to grab first.The things people throw away! Let loose on the shelves,I was in a book constructor’s fairyland,scanning the titles on the spines, winkling out books- many which had been thrown out of schools-like truffles , picking the eyes out of them fastidiously scissoring and storing what I wanted for the future.Culling the inferior images,the repetitious,looking for the differences between the best, either stylistically or in substance, so as to set up the connections between them. In this venture, I had to build up a critical mass to enable me to get what is necessary for my purpose. This purpose deepened the further I strayed from shelves of Australiana. Gradually I cast my net more widely, going beyond the parameters I had set for myself –hunting and gathering material on this region of Australia. Tempted by the allure of visually exciting books going for a song- some sold simply by size – I couldn’t resist. Books on everything to start with. Everything except sport which I felt was less priority notwithstanding its sacred place in the Australian psyche.Since my younger years, I haven’t been into sport. If someone told me I had athlete's foot, I'd say that's not my foot. Then when it was announced the Olympic Games were going to be held in Sydney, I threw this in the mix, adding this sporting life to my perfectionist portfolio, thinking it would attract a wider market.Determined to see my idea through, my task was now truly a marathon one. Up and running,logging up the mileage on the odomoter, I had the laurels I wanted to be garlanded with – a government appeal for my services on the strength of my achievement – firmly in sight. What could possibly go wrong? I was taking a mighty tall chance,but couldn’t see myself ending up like the legendary greek runner, pushing himself to the point of expiry,his race run,falling at the final hurdle,his garland used as a wreath. Neither iron man nor nervous nelly, I had plenty of drive and staying power.In fair fettle,up to speed, I was functioning as well as could be expected, going the full distance through my middle age,no exceptional signs of crisis, albeit less sprightly, worse for wear,losing steam,running out of puff.Like a swan I appeared to be effortlessly gliding but I was paddling like mad under the water.All over the place.
I had the chemistry and only needed one other thing, timing, and timing is a bitch.With my wits about me,never a sigh, all I needed was time.Totally wrapped up in it,I had gone in too deep- the whole nine yards- to change course.
Did I have an Achilles heel? A weak spot that would leave me- with all my strengths- vulnerable? Becoming unhinged. My greatest concern was the theft or loss of my library – to share the anguish of Pramoedya,the Javanese writer.
My open-ended project shaped up well taking on a life of its own as a fascinating whiz-bang jigsaw puzzle, growing ever more complex and compelling the more pieces I found,a gestalt greater than the sums of it’s parts.However creating something unique and one that most people find lacking in the system is one thing. Translating it into a hard-headed paying proposition is another.It was fine to be a genius of course,but imperative to keep the old horse before the cart. My inordinate desires mismatched my finite resources.
Post Mortem.
I fooled myself that I could make a decent living doing something both creative and socially beneficial,while tilting at such injustice. A knight errant on a fool’s errand? Chasing rainbows by day
and a will o’ the wisp by night? Building castles in the air by day and pipe dreams at night. Granted it proved rather quixotic , cargo cultist,sisyphean and delusional to an extent,me being too high headed, too clever by half . The problem working in such an idiotic governmental environment is you end up over-estimating your own intellectual capacity.
I had hope of some governmental breakthrough when the Premier’s Department announced an award for innovative projects.Ministers like Christopher Pyne [ In an opinion piece for Fairfax Media.] complain that ‘what happens in the classroom remains unchanged’.However there was a catch,of course.The award was restricted to those of teachers employed in officially approved schools.
and a will o’ the wisp by night? Building castles in the air by day and pipe dreams at night. Granted it proved rather quixotic , cargo cultist,sisyphean and delusional to an extent,me being too high headed, too clever by half . The problem working in such an idiotic governmental environment is you end up over-estimating your own intellectual capacity.
I had hope of some governmental breakthrough when the Premier’s Department announced an award for innovative projects.Ministers like Christopher Pyne [ In an opinion piece for Fairfax Media.] complain that ‘what happens in the classroom remains unchanged’.However there was a catch,of course.The award was restricted to those of teachers employed in officially approved schools.
I managed by chance to speak to the new Minister of Education in 1990 .I encountered this ultimate stamp of approval one morning when she was crossing Macquarie Street from the State Parliament. She offered to speak to me in her office after I raised the matter of my case. She told me that she would be prepared to give me advice and assistance. Virginia Chadwick was a Greiner loyalist and a key architect of the disastrous education policies they made. She had a reputation for taking no prisoners when it came to matters she believed in.However she had come to the fore to take a less
confrontational stance to teachers. A former teacher, happy to be known on a first name basis, she was said by her colleagues to be full of for her humour and fun. She played an April Fools' Day joke on the Department directing that every member of the senior executive should spend two weeks of
work experience in a school.You can imagine the consternation that ensued. I was curious to find out
if being a woman of wit she might not just put me on but lend a sympathetic ear. I’d believe it when I saw it.Maybe she would be able to do something,and maybe Christmas would come in July.
‘So Mr.Davis,you don’t think you have been treated respectfully during your tenure with theDepartment.’
‘ Not for a minute.My complaint is it’s refusal to seriously consider my re-employment and the circumstances of my dismissal.’
‘So you still feel resentful about this?’
‘I’m past feeling resentful.I’m all the way to outraged.’
‘Mr.Davis, I'll tell you straight up what's wrong with your case.It’s a closed case.You realize that far
too long has expired since you left the Department,don’t you? From what the Director of Personnel informs me,they’ve refused your petition over and over again.’
‘ For Pete’s sake they can’t just do that. Whether they’ve mislaid it,put in on the shelf or got it mixed up with someone else’s,they have to address the concerns I raised.’
‘I hate to have to tell you it’s like the Monty Python sketch.The one with the parrot. Look, I know a dead petition when I see one, and I'm looking at one right now.Your petition is not just old and tired.it’s stone dead .It is no more. It has ceased to be. It has expired and is definitely deceased This is an ex-petition.'
‘You’re a barrel of laughs’,I thought,but said nothing,hoping this humour would be followed by some some intelligent proposition.
‘Accept this for what it is.It can’t be helped.
'Have you been doing any more school teaching or further studies? ‘
‘I completed a certificate in teaching English as a second language and I’ve been selling ‘The Forward to the Basics’ Education policy in N.S.W.’ I explained my mission to her and showed her a range of client comments.
‘Mrs.Chadwick, in your first parliamentary speech, you referred to the importance of the field of education. You said and I quote:‘I defy anyone to show me in this complex society a well-adjusted illiterate. I find it shocking that such such high levels of poor literacy are allowed to persist?’
‘Don’t we all?’
'In relation to problems you perceive as afflicting the New South Wales education system , you said: ‘In education you have the capacity to truly make a difference in your community, to make a difference on the world. And nobody goes into politics, or nobody should go into politics, unless they wish to make a real contribution to the community. And in education what you do and how you do it has a critical importance for the next generation.’So why don’t the Department and those on high allow teachers to contribute as people expect them to? If they can’t protect the integrity of the system, then there is no system. This is not simply a fifty million or fifty billion dollar question.It’s a question of freedom of speech. Teachers in Russia can now give their mind police a serve openly without fear of retribution. We should be allowed an amnestytoo? Is that too much to ask or what?'
You don’t in all seriousness compare teachers’ rights in Russia to those here,do you?That’s an accusation most would find extravagant.’
‘Take it anyway you like,Mrs.Chadwick, ‘that’s how many feel.We too need someone to tip the scales more in favour of greater democracy.’ ’
In the brief time allocated to me,she said in conclusion. ‘Mr.Davis, ‘We don’t have time to get into huge questions like this. You have to take these up these through the normal channels. What you want is a big order. With the best will in the world, there is a limit to what I can do. As I said because of the time lapse it’s outside my jurisdiction. I don’t have any magic wand.I have a strong
management focus and am guided closely by the Department’s rules and regulations.Enough said.End of story.’
‘I know,instructions are instructions,it’s not up to you.The buck stops somewhere else.'
‘This is the part where you leave,Mr.Davis.’
Yes,Virginia,there is a ruling class.It does things like this just because it can.You might at least play the following April Fools' Day joke on it. Send your Departmental executives a memo directing that every child be taught to read and write properly straight out of the chute.That would scare the pants
off them.Especially your predecessor’s,if he’s got any on.Perhaps I might visit you again to find if this has worked.When might that be convenient?’
‘How about never? Is never good for you?’
‘It’s good enough.May the farce be with you!’
‘This is the part where you leave,Mr.Davis.’
Yes,Virginia,there is a ruling class.It does things like this just because it can.You might at least play the following April Fools' Day joke on it. Send your Departmental executives a memo directing that every child be taught to read and write properly straight out of the chute.That would scare the pants
off them.Especially your predecessor’s,if he’s got any on.Perhaps I might visit you again to find if this has worked.When might that be convenient?’
‘How about never? Is never good for you?’
‘It’s good enough.May the farce be with you!’
Biting off more than I could chew,my eyes bigger than my brain,Mr.Bigstuff did it my way-the hard way. A vast backlog of material banking up, packed to the rafters.The devil was in all the details. As the years flew by I kept plugging away,in obscurity, either tucked in my inner sanctum, the wizard of Oz, burning the candle at both ends, the oil at midnight,wading around the cutting room floor,through piles of off cuts, consumed in in reams of meticulous bibliophilia,boiling down knowledge into bitesize chunks, funneling,filtering,classifying,comparing like with like,like with unlike, whipping it into shape and storing it. . Having laid out a simple basic structure,fleshing it out by putting in each new addition where it belongs-just as I do in writing this saga. Revving around town double-time in my turbocharged vehicle for hope,keyed up, going at it, stepping on it, full blast, on my tour de force,my
long hard race against time,knocking on doors, flogging my service, getting my point across, everything riding on it,getting way ahead of myself,giving it my all,considering all else a waste of time. So much to do, so little time in which to do it.
Hitting the switch, tromping on the accelerator, flat out, fast forwarding like fury just to stay in place, I couldn’t afford a backward glance.Working against nature’s timetable, fighting to get off the ground, bleary eyed, there were just not enough hours in the day.Phew! When would it break for me?
Flat out,fast forwarding like fury,fighting to get off the ground, bleary eyed, there were just not enough hours in the day.Phew!When would it break for me?
My wife advised me: ‘If you’re to last the pace,you have to get more solid shut eye. We humans are
designed to sleep around eight hours per night.If you don’t you’ll end up having an accident or a coronary.’
'There's no rest for the wicked. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.’
‘Do you think you have the ‘Thatcher gene’?’
"If you look at Margaret Thatcher - she had cat naps like me."
‘The aussie lifestyle’s not geared to siestas. Going without sleep won’t necessarily contribute to a
successful career. And don’t forget.The Iron Lady’s now said to be suffering Alzheimer’s disease.’
'Like Reagan who loved a good midday nap in the White House. He left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency,even if he was in a cabinet meeting.’
I learned the only way for me to double my money was to fold it in half and put it back in my pocket.Financially beleaguered,I was overtaken by events, riding out downturn after downturn, tightening my belt even more notches.I got to realise it would never have been easy
otherwise someone else would have already done it.
Less and less physically attuned,I was trying to outrun my life, careering towards the early death of this reluctant sanguine ‘salesman’-the Willie Lomax of self marketing.My work would either be my salvation or the death of me. There were hidden costs.Getting my money’s worth from the cars I hired for work meant too many hours spent in the killer sedentary seat.too few for a constitutional.This was a slow suicide.My achilles arteries were as overstretched as the system I was trying to improve on,as inflated as my sense of my capacity.
I really was on the verge of my paragon coming together pat,of reaching the critical mass,blowing away the resistance, being sought out and having the world beat a path to my door.Alas it was not to be.My blood beat a path to the wrong part of my brain. It was not the market I was aiming to crack wide open that got cornered.It was me.The tiger had left my tank.
Less and less physically attuned,I was trying to outrun my life, careering towards the early death of this reluctant sanguine ‘salesman’-the Willie Lomax of self marketing.My work would either be my salvation or the death of me. There were hidden costs.Getting my money’s worth from the cars I hired for work meant too many hours spent in the killer sedentary seat.too few for a constitutional.This was a slow suicide.My achilles arteries were as overstretched as the system I was trying to improve on,as inflated as my sense of my capacity.
I really was on the verge of my paragon coming together pat,of reaching the critical mass,blowing away the resistance, being sought out and having the world beat a path to my door.Alas it was not to be.My blood beat a path to the wrong part of my brain. It was not the market I was aiming to crack wide open that got cornered.It was me.The tiger had left my tank.
If I could have had a bit more time or capital-the vital missing link-things would have come to financial fruition.It takes money to make money. But that’s neither here nor there.What’s the use of wondering.I couldn’t and they didn’t.Fate had other plans.Within striking distance, on the home straight,unable to slam on the brakes,I overshot my aim,my blood smashed through the arterial wall cracking it wide open. That was that then. The point of no return and for me no turning back. Game over. I was snookered in.And the trap was set long before I realized it was one. Anti-climax.No skyrocket but a damp squib.Such is the final balance-sheet of my life, happening while I was making other plans, all part of it’s rich pageant.Striving but never arriving, always in pursuit of a time that never came. Way out in my reckoning,in over my head, I had lost myself completely in my work and overtaken by events, couldn’t find my way back.Ruefully, I realized the deep frustration I had been feeling at my immense effort and agonized hours, incommensurate with a result that had not fully jelled.The window of opportunity had slammed shut.As my bookshelves sagged and groaned
under the sheer pressure of my lode,threatening to give way,so too unbeknownst to me were the walls of my arteries. In this Battle of The Bulge,it was their seams that would first reach breaking point. My body couldn’t take it any more.Part of me snapped. My bubble was burst. My purpose defeated.The end of the road for the busted flush.
By the standards I had set myself,I fell depressingly short of my just reward.At the end of the day
we’re remembered not by what we didn’t do but by what we did.
Truth be told,unpurged,self-respecting,my identity submerged, I would have remained a never-wozzer, deadened soon or later by the stultifying effects of an unrepentant system which sedates consciences and encourages teachers to spend so much jaded time whinging plaintively about children ,so much tedious time crying out for resources. The way I see it it’s not so much a lack of resources– most of the material for these are at hand – but a stifling lack of freedom for teachers to act resourcefully and make any input creatively.
My response to this political control was shaped by it. I aimed to break out by outjockeying the right on their own turf, aware how they consistently play on an image of socialist teachers as rootless cosmopolitans who care strongly about other countries but don't give a tinker's about their own,and keep the populace ignorant about it. There is an element of truth about about the first part but nothing more. Personally I can’t but feel like a citizen of the world too never having considered myself particularly Australian, but understand for most people their national identity is what counts most.Celebrating
the soil rather than being exclusivist.
I focused on developing this sense as the gateway to that of reaching an international identity. You have to go where people are, emotionally and politically. It’s a gradual and slow process. You give them what they want and only then explain where it’s from. This was uppermost in my mind when I set out relentlessly on my own literacy crusade, filling the gaps in the system convinced that my will,underlying consuming passion and discipline would win through and carry the day.Having studiously kept to the unwritten protocol not to speak out against the Department’s dismal practices when employed by them,I had suspended disbelief in its role of co-opting conformity and reproduction of the class system, in a system where children learn their place in society and respect their social betters. Where they can’t
all learn to read and write, but can be taught to kill efficiently.
I focused on developing this sense as the gateway to that of reaching an international identity. You have to go where people are, emotionally and politically. It’s a gradual and slow process. You give them what they want and only then explain where it’s from. This was uppermost in my mind when I set out relentlessly on my own literacy crusade, filling the gaps in the system convinced that my will,underlying consuming passion and discipline would win through and carry the day.Having studiously kept to the unwritten protocol not to speak out against the Department’s dismal practices when employed by them,I had suspended disbelief in its role of co-opting conformity and reproduction of the class system, in a system where children learn their place in society and respect their social betters. Where they can’t
all learn to read and write, but can be taught to kill efficiently.
I set about advertising my wares with some hesitation.I feel it’s unbecoming and crass for a professional public worker to have to do this .Moreover after what had been pulled on me I would have to maintain a circumspect approach in my advertising.Some stories are too true to tell.While aiming to tweak the lion's tail without having to watch my back , I couldn’t put it past the edcons to try on something nasty in retaliation. Letting themselves draw attention to their inane shortcomings,I kept the door open to my future re-employment.I had no choice but to to wait out the political climate. The policy I have been selling is set out in my flyers which acted as talismans,affording me protection.A ‘Get Out of Jail Free card’. It says simply that all children should be brought up,that they should be valued as a resource and that all should reach their full potential intellectually. You would think that in a parliamentary democracy like that of Australia this would be for the asking, a given. My experience and the pronouncements and decisions made by bovine bloviating bosses and judgemental junketeers indicate why it’s otherwise. Why these make our only experiment with higher intelligence more likely to prove quite brief.
One of my goals was to create a salutary learning environment very different to that of the eugenists and to slay their misconceptions. The German eugenists had shown that an elite of young people from different backgrounds could excel physically together. In my model I wanted to demonstrate that all children can excel intellectually through competition and cooperation. My approach was to create a nucleus of families whose “unteachable children” would make clear and rapid progress, where class achievements were seen as equally important as one’s own individual attainments.To create a hive of activity where the better pupils helped those less able, passing on their skills and verve in a ripple effect to persuade the authorities to create a more level playing field of learning in which all forms of intelligence are recognized,all children seen as gifted in one way or the other.
I wanted to stamp my authority on popular education and therefore helping eclipse the culture that the eugenists maintain in NSW – one in which they promote neither intellectual excellence nor physical excellence for all children. Because as long as they maintain this culture, there will always be the desire by nascent fascists to rehash their more virulent version of the ‘born to rule’ ideology.
Driving through the Sydney some time after getting the push,I chanced to pass an earlier refugee from the Education Department walking along the street. Russel Ward was on one of his trips from Armidale.
Driving through the Sydney some time after getting the push,I chanced to pass an earlier refugee from the Education Department walking along the street. Russel Ward was on one of his trips from Armidale.
‘How are you?’ he asked.
‘All the better for seeing you,Russel. It’s a small world isn’t it.You must come home with me for a spot of lunch’.
When we got to Rozelle, he asked what I was up to,I told him of my tangle with the Blind Giant: ‘My name’s been scratched from the list of available teachers. So much for my brilliant career in the Department.You know how it is,Russel.’
‘That takes the cake’he replied, ‘Alas, that’s public school teaching for you. Join the club. If you wanted a rough time,you came to the right place.As for ‘fair fighting,no favours’,forget it. The standard of public morality hasn’t improved over the years. Those moral carcasses,those faceless guardians of our freedom to think proper thoughts don’t seem to let up’,he sighed. ‘In the years since my run in with them,the personnel have changed for the who knows how many thousandth time, but the real location of power has not.’
‘Go over your run in with them and the lead up,Russel’.
‘In 1950 I applied for a lectureship in history at Wagga Teachers College.The interview was conducted in the Department of Education.
‘Not at the College itself?’ I asked.
‘ No,the Department handled such matters. The grey,featureless,formal room I appeared at was reflected in the faces,demeanour and clothing of eight anonymous po faced males up in years facing each other across a long table,staring at nothing like a row of Easter Island statues.Not a smile,no flash of the whiteness of teeth.A ninth identikit geriatric occupied the chair at one end and an empty seat yawned for me at the other.
‘Were they alive?’I asked.
‘When I sat down,none of them made any sign of recognizing me.They asked the usual inane questions customary on such occasions and my replies were equally fatuous.’
‘Did you get the job?’
‘Well I do declare,a few months later I received a departmental memo appointing me to Wagga subject to confirmation by the Public Service Board and ordering me to report at the beginning of the 1951 college year.I had no sooner arrived than I was ordered to return.Had someone mislaid the rubber stamp?Of course not.Everyone knew I was being blackballed for having been a member of the Communist Party. In Menzie’s Australia,troublesome persons,irrespective of party labels or none were the quarry of the thought police.
Eventually I got to speak to an education representative of the Board,a former teacher of book-keeping,who explained I was too highly qualified for the job,that it was best left to another whose masters degree,unlike mine, was unhandicapped with any kind of honours,and who had served many long years in primary schools.
‘How long has this been going on,’I asked.
‘In 1816 William Broughton,an honest public servant,wrote from Van Diemen’s land to a colleague,Lachlan Macquarie in Sydney: --the roguery,which has been carried on at this ill-fated settlement is beyond all calculation---but how can it be expected otherwise when the very heads,with few exceptions,set the very worst examples.’
But unlike you,at least I was still allowed to work as a schoolteacher,as was one of the best known Communists Bill Gollan.Whenever I get plaints about Bill Gollan being a Communist,’ Harold Wyndham,the Director-General told me, ‘my answer is that he could bite a few other headmasters.’
I mentioned to Russel I had had a Communist headmaster at a primary school in London,a Mr.Luzio,and another,a nun,who was a Maoist.‘ Presumably they were too entrenched to ditch. Anyway,after this business’,Russel continued, ‘I was posted to Belmore Junior Technical High School.On entering,I heard familiar sound of a boy being caned:a swish followed by a crack six times.The head and all the male teachers wielded the rod freely every day.Canes and chalk were equally basic pedagogical instruments.the noise of thrashings echoed daily in the corridors. At school I had taken for granted a modest amount of beating and teaching at Geelong grammar and Sydney Grammar I had caned,or caused to be caned,myself-maybe three or four times a year.At
Belmore,after all the severity of the War,cold-blooded,calculated violence had become repugnant.It didn’t mean I would turn the other cheek and allow any deliberately provocative hoodlums to walk over me.Occasionally when goaded beyond endurance,I would grasp one of the offenders by the scruff of the neck and seat of the trousers and give him the bum’s rush out of the door.
‘For an act like this today,you’d most likely be dismissed from the service.’I said.
‘The trouble was these whelps treated you with open contempt if you were the only weakling who didn’t administer thrashings on demand'
‘A shiver looking for a spine to run up?’
Blessedly I was appointed to North Sydney high school,a selective one,a haven of sweetness and light.’
‘So how do you think I should move my case forward? How and when can I find my haven?’
‘Unfortunately my crystal ball is broken.Hopefully the winds of change will blow more cleanly.The N.S.W. Public Service is a bit like a rusty weathercock. It moves with opinion then it stays where it is until another wind moves it in a different direction.
Safe Haven.
“The best way to find
yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Gandhi.
“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”
As for my endeavour in reaching my professional goal,I’ve had to close the books on my acting independently.Trying to pick up where I had left off,I was left with no alternative but to enlist the co-operation of interested parties.The things I’ve planned need a helping hand.My resources need maintenance and based on public commentary merit development. To see my brainchild, my best laid scheme,my labour of love, lying idle or gone astray, has been a source of concern for me.In my darkest hours I never lost the plot but now looked like losing my whole library.I get the feeling in the shank of the night my work for twenty years was ineffectual, all for nothing. Of course objectively it doesn’t cancel it out.This work was only half of it. I enjoyed the hunt and when it all comes down to it I have a fine family . Surely any sensible guy can see that? However we can never underestimate how profoundly men put their careers at the centre of their identity..
If you are what you do, what are you if you’re no longer doing it? Dash it all, knowing I didn’t get the guernsey I sought has been to feel my hopes done for,down the drain, and me consigned to oblivion. I wanted above all to stay operational,to keep the materiel in my house but my family argued the unprocessed material in particular weighed them down.
Did they smell a pack rat,unable to let go of his white elephant?Fair enough.They needed lebensraum and after all I had had my chance. Accordingly I spent many hours on the phone approaching any takers, schools and community organisations who might value the importance of a collective and collaborative effort on this educational undertaking and who could help me get back on my feet again in the process. It would have been ideal to hit it off with some local body for reasons of accessibility.
The head at my son’s high school visited to inspect it,but like her primary school colleagues, couldn’t see how it fitted into in the curriculum.It couldn’t of course because being global in approach, it doesn’t fit neatly into any officially sanctioned academic pigeonhole. It’s one size fits all all the family.
One of the managers of nearby Tranby Aboriginal College came but couldn’t see how his College could accommodate such resources emphasising our aboriginal heritage.Like in all schools and institutions, the waves emanating from the digital revolution had seen it emptying it’s shelves of books, unwilling to retain collections.Even one with a unique coverage of indigenous life.
I addressed a meeting of the Lions Club in Burwood but my offer wasn’t taken up.
Everywhere I tried,I drew a blank.Ultimately I was directed to the Canterbury Bankstown Migrant Resource Centre in the urban fringe area where many overseas arrivals,fresh off the boat, make their first home.
It was here in the suburb of Campsie where Korean migrants a generation back met the challenge of re-establishing their livelihoods in Australia. Most of these professionally trained ‘container’ migrants would disappointingly find themselves in manual labour for want of English language proficiency.
The Centre responded full steam ahead.Custom made for this purpose my resources could now hopefully be directed at helping ease one of today's most pressing problems: immigration and its effects on our prosperous but divided country, there being no absence of conflict where newcomers are concerned. The Australian Prime Minister has declared a national emergency involving refugees. It has been made one. We must heed this and act.
Our task should be to smooth the harrowing experience of many newcomers – searching high and low for a better life in a country that’s often anything but welcoming, of finding new and unfamiliar facets of life. Being born in Australia is not a virtue, being born in Sudan is not a crime.
Sydney is one of the cities that has absorbed most of the latest wave of immigrants. The few remaining industries are concentrated around the city’s west. Whether in giant or small factories with a few dozen workers, the work force is now almost entirely composed of immigrants. The new inhabitants of the city are more often than not asians,arabs,
and africans.
This can be seen from the number of their children in the schools, which picks up exponentially every year.
The Centre brought me and samples of my materials to new arrivals and old hands to whom I talked about my life and times.I appear in public libraries,gathering places, and certain government primary schools where such children are helped with their homework.I showed them the contents of my sample bags and explained my approach to learning.Now there's a turn-up for the books.
I never cease to be amazed by the intelligence of children.One little Ashfield girl,Ayeesha,came up to us after one homework session and asked me why I had put together such an assemblage .I could only reply that it had to be done, because as she and her fellow pupils noted,this format doesn’t exist in schools.
I appeared with the Centre at The Peppertree Café.[see below]
A Living Book.
As a living saga- I appear both online and onshelf- I’ve become a living book myself at Campsie Library,in the thick of this new homeland for many newcomers.The library adjoins the Migrant Resource Centre.In the Canterbury Human Library scheme I am available to be borrowed by readers who borrow me for half an hour to read my mind. ‘No overnight loans!’I point out insistently.Readers listen to my experiences,ask questions about them and discuss them.These are great opportunities for people to meet safely and understand those they think might be different,to challenge stereotypes and prejudices.
When libraries launched a national campaign in 2012 to promote a culture of reading in the home,I hoped to take part.The State Librarian of N.S.W.stated the aim is for everyone ‘to have a real focus on reading [S.M.H.April 23,2012]. ''We're saying to the community, whatever you want to read, be it a cookbook or a work of Dickens, let's read for an hour','' Dr Byrne says.
Programs and events promoting reading and literature were held at public libraries throughout the state.As a fully fledged Living Book in the scheme ,I proposed that I hold workshops at Campsie library to further this aim. As a volunteer at the adjoining Migrant Resource Centre,renamed Metro Assist, I wanted to carry out this work in conjunction with it. It's premises are where the education material is stored and is ideally located close to the library. It urgently needs attention,to be rescued from being mothballed or oblivion.Being able to meet people with reading difficulties at the library would have been invaluable in this regard.
Unfortunately the Library already had 'a long list of events' to organise and promote, so it had no space for this type of program.This was deeply disappointing as people coming into the libraries will bring with them the reading skills they learned at school.Many Australians enter school unable to read and write satisfactorily and they leave that way. They would be more likely to visit the library if
they could be helped to learn how. Universal literacy has to be just that-nothing less.
Regrettably,it is as difficult to attack the problem of poor literacy in this state as a volunteer as it is as a professional in the education sector.Teaching vocational subjects and civics is one on one or directed to groups -it does this excellently-but not to the whole population. The literacy problem is shamefully systemic and can only begin to be resolved from a global approach,not piecemeal.
The encyclopaedic material is arranged and shelved in an office at the Centre.There is a large amount of printed material waiting to be processed. If steps are not taken,the material will become degraded.
I asked the language teaching college Navitas sharing the building with the Centre if they were interested in co-operation.They weren’t but referred me to Mission Australia in Parramatta whose CEO told me they have has difficulty coping resourcewise to do so -even if they are free.
A friend of a friend,a former TAFE teacher,reports all that jazz with the Jesuits in Parramatta. They have so many volunteers at their award winning Parramatta complex. that they don't want her in. They have a centre in Newtown which filters volunteers. This lady comments, ‘God knows what has happened that they are filtering so thoroughly.’They haven't replied to my e-mail to them.
I am grateful to the Metro Assist Centre for responding to housing the materials and for the friendly,co-operative manner of the staff.
I asked the language teaching college Navitas sharing the building with the Centre if they were interested in co-operation.They weren’t but referred me to Mission Australia in Parramatta whose CEO told me they have has difficulty coping resourcewise to do so -even if they are free.
A friend of a friend,a former TAFE teacher,reports all that jazz with the Jesuits in Parramatta. They have so many volunteers at their award winning Parramatta complex. that they don't want her in. They have a centre in Newtown which filters volunteers. This lady comments, ‘God knows what has happened that they are filtering so thoroughly.’They haven't replied to my e-mail to them.
I am grateful to the Metro Assist Centre for responding to housing the materials and for the friendly,co-operative manner of the staff.
My offer to the Centre of a vital service catering to the needs of the community started off well with visits to after school study activity groups and my arranging the processed material with work experience students.Our next step is to use the material as it’s designed to be.With a gathering of divers tongues engaged in a mutual exchange of ideas about their country and world in English, enhancing their understanding enjoyably, with minimal teacher intervention.
Towards this end I took part in the conversation support group that the Centre runs at the Strathfield Community Centre once a month, using my material to prompt discussion,reading and writing.
As writing my saga has taken over the place of my educational project,my eyesight going,I would like to get this operation up and running as quickly as possible, then take a back seat, assisting it’s direction from home .
As writing my saga has taken over the place of my educational project,my eyesight going,I would like to get this operation up and running as quickly as possible, then take a back seat, assisting it’s direction from home .
Things started encouragingly at the most centrally and pleasantly located building in Strathfield. I worked alongside Tony Tonnous,client service officer with Metro Assist helping newly arriveds. With a changing turnout of numbers, giving any comers all our attention,we were able to work on and
improve the education material.
We invited The Edmund Rice Foundation to work in co-operation with us.The Foundation is a non-government organization which supports programs for socially and financially disadvantaged children, youth and families, indigenous Australians, refugees and asylum seekers.It’s representative,John, took note of our details.
We made contacts with the Tamil community.The general problem turned out to be how to get their young members to come and learn about their new language and culture rather than something
directly vocational.Like a lot of young people they spend much time alone or with others talking only in their own language.As we are reminded every day on the news this is a recipe for disaster. One young Tamil man in his late 20s began our project but never made it back.
Janarthanan set himself on fire because his application for a protection visa was rejected by the Immigration Department.After finishing a three-hour cleaning shift at Balmain's shipping yards , he swallowed petrol went outside and doused himself with it and set himself alight. A number of workers from a nearby shipyard came to his aid, pouring water on him and trying to put out the flames.Janarthan ended up with burns to most of his body.
Janarthanan had left a suicide note saying he would rather die in Australia than die in Sri Lanka.
This followed hard on the heels of another Tamil refugee who died in the attempt,leaving a note describing Australians as a “very kind people” and his body parts to five Australians.
I helped our Italian student Paolo give a humorous account of his experiences on the road: The Truckie, the Tamil and the Teacher.[see below]
Tony and I had positive overtures from the principal of Homebush West Primary to involve parents after school.Then Tony exited and Maissa Swellam took over.We were just picking up the pieces when Maissa exited.Metro Assist pulled the
plug.So our co-operation was both promising but a little disappointing in that it didn’t go further.We had some difficulty getting a critical mass which didn’t reflect any lack of enthusiasm or ability on our part.It’s a challenge attracting people in educational activities that are more socially rather than vocationalIy oriented .
I must say I’m impressed and a little envious of operations at the Hannaford Centre which assists me with my computer skills.Their team of assistants work on a voluntary basis.They are doing what they want to do when they are back at the office.
Here they are using their skills to help people of whom there is no shortage.And they are adding to their own skills and experience at the same time.
Regrettably my hopes of operating in similar fashion with my project at Metro Assist [the renamed Canterbury Bankstown Migrant Resource Centre ] have been dealt a blow.This at a time when the need for such services are needed more than ever what with the exodus from the war zones.
I was told in 2014 that I would be informed by June 2015 as to my future participation in Metro Assist’s program.After not hearing further,I enquired and was informed that due to funding cutbacks,my services couldn’t be used.This was very disappointing.It was driven home hard then that nothing of this project would ever eventuate unless I argued more strongly.The material at Campsie would remain just a pile of paper,cardboard and plastic in the eyes of some and would deteriorate further.
I tried to comprehend the thinking behind this.One wouldn’t expect any resources based organisation subject to such measures to cut back on what resources are available to it at little cost if any.I operate on a voluntary basis and offer Metro Assist the opportunity to provide unique educational resources for it’s clients.They are well and widely attested to.
A resource based organisation can best adapt to these cutbacks by using it’s resources as they are supposed to be best.That way it can build a stronger user base from which to justify it’s operations.
All I have required so far is transport to it’s activities.Where this has been outside the Campsie Centre I have been provided taxi transport and I have offered my taxi vouchers for half the fare.When it has been to Campsie itself I have been given a lift by staff members.
I recommended to Metro Assist that it utilise both my services and the resources stored at Campsie in a more optimal way.The way I have been suggesting from the start of my association with it,one which I am yet to be taken up on seriously.
I repeated over a long period my concern for the material.It requires safe storage and maintenance.
My schedule is very flexible.My main obstacle is transport.As I live just a small deviation from the route from city to Campsie,surely there must be staff members travelling this route who can pick me up and take me there at their convenience.Then I could work with those requiring assistance with their English and local knowledge at the Centre.They in turn would help with moving materials which I cannot.Apart from some printouts and advice,this would involves little cost and can only bolster Metro Assist’s prestige as a provider of resources for migrants.
The objection raised to this has been that there were no staff available to work on this.None are needed. Where Metro Assist can’t,I can continue to attract learners as I did at Strathfield Community
Centre before this reach out operation was abruptly terminated.I realise this requires a collective community but it’s well worth it.
I can’t believe at a migrant resource centre in the hub of Sydney’s newcomer centre,there would be any shortage of people requiring such assistance.There’s certainly no shortage among the native born population.There’s a sea of migrants lapping up against the Metro Assist Centre but after five years of me waiting Metro Assist hasn’t been able to connect any up with me.
My involvement with Metro Assist has been tantalisingly frustrating.As the only organisation I found willing to co-operate with me in promoting popular education about our country,I’m appreciative of this and don’t want to sound critical. I’m very self critical and in the light of my physical breakdown attribute this in part to my former unrealistic expectations.I also bear in mind that Metro Assist’s ambit is not as a primary deliverer of educational services.I get along well with Metro staff and don’t threaten any one’s advancement.At the same time I must mention the fact that none of the ventures in which I’ve been involved have led to any development.
Centre before this reach out operation was abruptly terminated.I realise this requires a collective community but it’s well worth it.
I can’t believe at a migrant resource centre in the hub of Sydney’s newcomer centre,there would be any shortage of people requiring such assistance.There’s certainly no shortage among the native born population.There’s a sea of migrants lapping up against the Metro Assist Centre but after five years of me waiting Metro Assist hasn’t been able to connect any up with me.
My involvement with Metro Assist has been tantalisingly frustrating.As the only organisation I found willing to co-operate with me in promoting popular education about our country,I’m appreciative of this and don’t want to sound critical. I’m very self critical and in the light of my physical breakdown attribute this in part to my former unrealistic expectations.I also bear in mind that Metro Assist’s ambit is not as a primary deliverer of educational services.I get along well with Metro staff and don’t threaten any one’s advancement.At the same time I must mention the fact that none of the ventures in which I’ve been involved have led to any development.
For over the
past five years Metro Assist has been unable to link me up with any members of
the large migrant community near it’s Campsie centre.
The last I saw the processed material was several years ago.The unprocessed material was stored in an untidy pile in the Centre’s parking area.I was assured many times that it’s being protected although I would like to see this with my own eyes.I have a smaller store of material in my home which needs urgently to be united with the mother lode.It was to have been taken to Campsie soon after the mother lode but this never happened. It can be removed in one or two car bootfuls.All this material is reducible to a fraction of it’s volume when processed.
The last I saw the processed material was several years ago.The unprocessed material was stored in an untidy pile in the Centre’s parking area.I was assured many times that it’s being protected although I would like to see this with my own eyes.I have a smaller store of material in my home which needs urgently to be united with the mother lode.It was to have been taken to Campsie soon after the mother lode but this never happened. It can be removed in one or two car bootfuls.All this material is reducible to a fraction of it’s volume when processed.
I've asked Metro Assist to look on our joint involvement not as a business burden but as a project in which fellow human beings can work together to create a more harmonious country.It would be a great pity if we could’t give it a go, for all our sakes.
Eventually the CEO of Metro Assist reported the sad news that an amount of MRC materials and some of the unprocessed education material which had been stored in the basement were stolen a year previously. The theft was brought to Metro’s attention by the landlord and It appeared that entry was gained via the carpark shutter by propping objects in front of the sensor and keeping it in the open position.
Regarding whatever resources remain,and how much can be salvaged remains to be seen, Metro is said to currently experiencing an extreme shortage of space in it’s offices and is seeking additional space to accommodate staff.
The manager acknowledged the support I have given Metro’s clients through my volunteering and offered it’s humblest apology for not having noticed the loss and notified me earlier.He acknowledged the news was a shock for me.
It was but I wasn’t surprised. As I warned a number of times,it was only a matter of time before this happened.
Not that I’m giving any ‘I told you so’s.’ I could say the same thing about what happened to my life.As I write,it was a shock but no surprise.We live and learn,fortunately.I said to Metro ‘Let’s move on right away.’
While appreciating the difficult situation facing organisations such as Metro Assist, I underlined the fact that if nothing is done to use the remaining resources,they’ll become nobody’s.
I was very possessive of them before they came to Campsie but I now must co-operate more closely with others.I was happy that they found a home in a secular minded organisation carrying out an essential public service.
I outlined how my future service can be best used. With regard to me getting to and from the Campsie Centre or elsewhere, the Metro office only needs to know the movements of the staff and to stay in touch with me.I don’t need much space.I operated very productively with Tony and Maissa in a very tight office at Strathfield Community Centre the size of a prison cell.
At the Centre I explained to two students on work experience,two refugees from Africa, how the system was ordered.The room we worked in had been decked out invitingly with books selected willy nilly from the unprocessed material,.If the material had been processed as had been agreed upon,it would have fitted in a fraction of the space in that room.
I require minimal support from Metro staff.
Presuming Metro still doesn’t have any parties interested in participation,I shall step up contacting any interested parties in the area including and extending from Campsie.These would be of the same character as Metro has involved me with in the past.Participants would become involved helping me organising and processing the material.In light of future work being undertaken on the building,this should start soon.
I chose the material primarily to build an image bank.I saved every pictorial encyclopedia printed.Some are collectors items which may be irreplacable unlike the ubiquitous Encyclopedia Brittanicas which are mainly used these days for land fill.There were two copies of each National Geographic which is custom made for our purposes.Each picture has an accompanying text which roughly corresponds to the image.
There was also a store of plastic sheet protectors.
When the books were on my shelves I had them divided into subject areas.There was an amount of dross but most books were of high quality.When Tony and I worked together at Strathfield I believe he could see that the quality of images in the books are superior to what can be photocopied and also are not available online. But photocopies are invaluable in filling in gaps.
As someone who has lived and breathed online for the past decade researching my story,I would argue that the format of hard copy I compiled remains ideal for group educational purposes.One can observe the appeal of the encyclopedic material stored at Metro’s centre.I have the assignment material at home in two bags which was used at Strathfield Community Centre.Many people relate better to each other personally and more directly without the intervention of machines.
The format of the educational tool I’ve shaped is not one used in our schools.For starters, images are strictly rationed in our schools.Sure,all children have devices to download anything in the known world.But that is another world.They are not taught taking that one into consideration.The one they’re taught is academically based.Children are not encouraged to connect the two.The formal academic approach is to teach principally with words.That’s how the system works.That’s how teachers learn.
The other world,the cyber world,is exciting and alluring for the less literate..You can see and hear anything imaginable.For writers it’s a dream come true.The end of writers block.
But for the less literate it can be a dangerous and stupefying world,especially for children.
Children in our schools are told what to look for and what to look out for in the real world.
They need also to see for themselves under the guidance of teachers what to look for,and what to look out for.
I have been well assured the vast visual material I’ve compiled complies with widely approved community standards.
My approach assists members of the family to engage in general studies of their choice informally, at their own pace.
Now that we face being forced into greater depths of austerity,I recommend that we react positively to losses and blows. In the way most Greeks have been doing over recent years and like all Cubans have been doing for over half a century.While the Greeks survive co-operatively now, the Cubans have done so by lifting literacy levels of the total population,not just of most. Without the wealth of educational resources available in our country they have little but human resources and a strong will.They lost much material wealth but preserved their dignity.
I chose the material primarily to build an image bank.I saved every pictorial encyclopedia printed.Some are collectors items which may be irreplacable unlike the ubiquitous Encyclopedia Brittanicas which are mainly used these days for land fill.There were two copies of each National Geographic which is custom made for our purposes.Each picture has an accompanying text which roughly corresponds to the image.
There was also a store of plastic sheet protectors.
When the books were on my shelves I had them divided into subject areas.There was an amount of dross but most books were of high quality.When Tony and I worked together at Strathfield I believe he could see that the quality of images in the books are superior to what can be photocopied and also are not available online. But photocopies are invaluable in filling in gaps.
As someone who has lived and breathed online for the past decade researching my story,I would argue that the format of hard copy I compiled remains ideal for group educational purposes.One can observe the appeal of the encyclopedic material stored at Metro’s centre.I have the assignment material at home in two bags which was used at Strathfield Community Centre.Many people relate better to each other personally and more directly without the intervention of machines.
The format of the educational tool I’ve shaped is not one used in our schools.For starters, images are strictly rationed in our schools.Sure,all children have devices to download anything in the known world.But that is another world.They are not taught taking that one into consideration.The one they’re taught is academically based.Children are not encouraged to connect the two.The formal academic approach is to teach principally with words.That’s how the system works.That’s how teachers learn.
The other world,the cyber world,is exciting and alluring for the less literate..You can see and hear anything imaginable.For writers it’s a dream come true.The end of writers block.
But for the less literate it can be a dangerous and stupefying world,especially for children.
Children in our schools are told what to look for and what to look out for in the real world.
They need also to see for themselves under the guidance of teachers what to look for,and what to look out for.
I have been well assured the vast visual material I’ve compiled complies with widely approved community standards.
My approach assists members of the family to engage in general studies of their choice informally, at their own pace.
Now that we face being forced into greater depths of austerity,I recommend that we react positively to losses and blows. In the way most Greeks have been doing over recent years and like all Cubans have been doing for over half a century.While the Greeks survive co-operatively now, the Cubans have done so by lifting literacy levels of the total population,not just of most. Without the wealth of educational resources available in our country they have little but human resources and a strong will.They lost much material wealth but preserved their dignity.
We will have lost some valuable resources which took a lot of effort to accumulate.If we can build a
successful project out of what is remains, we can build up our stocks in the future if so desired.The key lies in getting enough people involved.
My aim is not to nail my colours to any service provider’s mast but to add an extra sail.
We all have a responsibility to counter the growing divisions being sowed around our global village.Agencies not directly subject to to the stultifying mental restrictions imposed by political and bureaucratic directives have a crucial role to play in this respect.
I remind them of the imperative, ‘Free your mind and the rest will follow.
The future is unwritten.
I've asked if Metro would be prepared to to supply me with names and numbers,preferably landline,of any people in the community who might be interested in becoming involved in this project.
successful project out of what is remains, we can build up our stocks in the future if so desired.The key lies in getting enough people involved.
My aim is not to nail my colours to any service provider’s mast but to add an extra sail.
We all have a responsibility to counter the growing divisions being sowed around our global village.Agencies not directly subject to to the stultifying mental restrictions imposed by political and bureaucratic directives have a crucial role to play in this respect.
I remind them of the imperative, ‘Free your mind and the rest will follow.
The future is unwritten.
I've asked if Metro would be prepared to to supply me with names and numbers,preferably landline,of any people in the community who might be interested in becoming involved in this project.
Processing the Material.
My aim is to create a nucleus of volunteers who would make their way through material of interest to them,at their own pace, developing their reading,writing and spoken skills,then helping those less
able, radiating their skills and enthusiasm on in a ripple effect.
This allows all participants to interact as citizens through not only the medium of electronics but personally.
Of volunteers,I need just a few to start with. They are invited to help collect and classify quality images of all manner of things in a marriage of onshelf and online resources.
Hard copy is imposed with putty-like pressure sensitive adhesive on A4 sheets.A text is then written whose content is drawn as far as possible only from the information given in the image . This becomes a encyclopediac unit in which the text coincides with the images,each unit enclosed in a plastic sheet protector and stored alphabetically in jumbo binders.Each unit is cross referenced to others. This allows shuffling text and images around, inserting new material and continuous editing.Each unit forms part of an emerging jigsaw puzzle, producing an increasingly more complete picture of the state in which we live and the world beyond.
Participants can assist this project by writing, compiling and assembling the material.They can do this
both onshelf and online, with or without photoshop. They may wish to write about something they’re interested in or to supply printed matter of good visual quality.Photographs, drawings, cartoons, paintings, illustrations and so on.Our country is is rich in it’s abundance ,much of which get’s wasted.Much is in the hands of booklovers many of whom would wish their supply help others read and write.Much ends up in recycling bins.Much may be broken and only good for our purposes.Much ends up in charity shops where most of our’s came from. All are welcome to drop in operations and see what needs to be done.
Yet More Delays.
‘ Everyone counts.Every single person has something to contribute and sometimes being a leader is about ensuring that everyone gets the chance to show their talent.
‘ Everyone counts.Every single person has something to contribute and sometimes being a leader is about ensuring that everyone gets the chance to show their talent.
Mike Baird,Premier of N.S.W.
Metro’s CEO was delayed in his response to my proposal after ‘meeting after meeting all week long’ and told me he would discuss the possibility of a project,re-emphasising the lack of space as a constraint.
Construction work would soon
commence on the building .
I thought the loss of material would have been followed by an attempt to redress the loss. The CEO’s reply was to once again remind me the material has to be urgently removed.
If he had time and interest to look at what I’d written, he’d have known this is impossible. He’d have known of the difficulty I had in getting it to Campsie in the first place due to my circumstances.
Adding a tin ear to the equation, he suggested libraries might be interested.Like Campsie library,they are not.The material is partly derived from books they,like schools, throw out. Leichhardt Library only stores education material of historical value.
I spoke with the manager of the building .I told him of the material’s value.He knew of the break-in and understood what a blow it was for the project.He gave me an outline of the building schedule and assured me the material would be cared for and there was no urgent rush.
I told him I had the interests of both his business and of Metro Assist at heart.
The activities I envisaged at Metro Assist would have only contributed to a greater public respect for the property’s security.
People generally go out of their way to protect property where good things are seen to be going on.
Such activities could bring his company nothing but a boost in prestige.
The degradation of the material at Metro Assist,the loss of it’s integrity and it’s ultimate rejection by Metro Assist makes it even more difficult to offer.
In terms of the project proposal,he said that new funding arrangements in which Metro would be sub-contracted by another agency,a consortium which also determines the scope of the work it does and the activities it takes on.
Due to these ‘funding cuts’,my services as a volunteer were no longer affordable.
Was that the best he could come up with?
I don’t need to point out the black joke here.
I am not a cynic.I’d like to believe Metro Assist helps a good number of people in practical terms.
But in terms of offering a comprehensive and imaginative range of services to newcomers to Australia,it is sadly lacking.It’s scope is very narrow.
Such wasted opportunities.
I carried out the handover of the material originally in a gentlemens’ agreement. It was to be used for the public benefit under my guidance. It was agreed it was a compilation of resources to be shared and used as designed.
The processed material was to be maintained, gradually upgraded and developed.I was assured the binders would be housed in specially provided and secure shelving.The last I saw them they were in an office,seemingly secure, but certainly not accessible in the manner proposed.
The project was to be advanced by drawing upon the voluntary talents of the sea of migrants surrounding the Centre.It would have incurred very little cost in office supplies.The ones used in presenting the processed material cost me little except thousands of man hours. God only knows where all the unprocessed material and the office supplies accompanying them have ended up.
I had placed my total trust in what I had considered to be a secular public agency,working in the interest of the community.
I had envisaged the attraction of working with professionals not overly blinkered by mind controllers, in a challenging social environment. I had hopes of taking part in a a vibrant,exciting social experiment,where my dream of putting to use the resources I had built up over a period of twenty years could finally be realised.
I know now part of them have been degraded,pilfered, stolen or lost.
The CEO now declares them to be mine alone and to be removed.
Giving me the feeling my efforts to put them to good use has been otiose.
Is the Minister of Justice or the Minister of Immigration looking over his shoulder or is he just being censorious for fear of his job?
Is it that what I teach is so strictly prescribed or because I’m so strictly proscribed ? Or am I missing something here?
Because of the CEO’s willingness to discuss or negotiate the matter,these must be considered possibilities.
I asked his predecessor, the spokesperson of the consortium of migrant resettlement groups in N.S.W. to which Metro Assist belongs, for advice regarding this treatment.
She complimented me as ‘a person of great talent and a professional who knows his work’. ‘I remember you and your great contribution through your educational resources, your teaching and your role as one of our living books at Campsie library.’
However no amount of sugar can sweeten the bitter pill I’ve been offered.While I appreciate any praise that comes my way,at this stage of my life I’m not interested any more in adding to my C.V. I want to contribute to solving a challenging social problem. She put the rejection of the resources I compiled down to obsolescence.She said, ‘ Unfortunately it's the way of the world now that the preference is for digital storage of knowledge and resources.’ She says because of funding requirements, ideas for activities have to be kept ‘under a tight rein’,that the strategy and tools used by resettlement agencies have ‘very prescriptive outputs’.
I accept that this is the preference.I knew that over a decade ago.I began assembling this educational tool in hard copy before the digital revolution took off in a big way.It demands continual working on.
If he had time and interest to look at what I’d written, he’d have known this is impossible. He’d have known of the difficulty I had in getting it to Campsie in the first place due to my circumstances.
Adding a tin ear to the equation, he suggested libraries might be interested.Like Campsie library,they are not.The material is partly derived from books they,like schools, throw out. Leichhardt Library only stores education material of historical value.
I spoke with the manager of the building .I told him of the material’s value.He knew of the break-in and understood what a blow it was for the project.He gave me an outline of the building schedule and assured me the material would be cared for and there was no urgent rush.
I told him I had the interests of both his business and of Metro Assist at heart.
The activities I envisaged at Metro Assist would have only contributed to a greater public respect for the property’s security.
People generally go out of their way to protect property where good things are seen to be going on.
Such activities could bring his company nothing but a boost in prestige.
The degradation of the material at Metro Assist,the loss of it’s integrity and it’s ultimate rejection by Metro Assist makes it even more difficult to offer.
In terms of the project proposal,he said that new funding arrangements in which Metro would be sub-contracted by another agency,a consortium which also determines the scope of the work it does and the activities it takes on.
Due to these ‘funding cuts’,my services as a volunteer were no longer affordable.
Was that the best he could come up with?
I don’t need to point out the black joke here.
I am not a cynic.I’d like to believe Metro Assist helps a good number of people in practical terms.
But in terms of offering a comprehensive and imaginative range of services to newcomers to Australia,it is sadly lacking.It’s scope is very narrow.
Such wasted opportunities.
I carried out the handover of the material originally in a gentlemens’ agreement. It was to be used for the public benefit under my guidance. It was agreed it was a compilation of resources to be shared and used as designed.
The processed material was to be maintained, gradually upgraded and developed.I was assured the binders would be housed in specially provided and secure shelving.The last I saw them they were in an office,seemingly secure, but certainly not accessible in the manner proposed.
The project was to be advanced by drawing upon the voluntary talents of the sea of migrants surrounding the Centre.It would have incurred very little cost in office supplies.The ones used in presenting the processed material cost me little except thousands of man hours. God only knows where all the unprocessed material and the office supplies accompanying them have ended up.
I had placed my total trust in what I had considered to be a secular public agency,working in the interest of the community.
I had envisaged the attraction of working with professionals not overly blinkered by mind controllers, in a challenging social environment. I had hopes of taking part in a a vibrant,exciting social experiment,where my dream of putting to use the resources I had built up over a period of twenty years could finally be realised.
I know now part of them have been degraded,pilfered, stolen or lost.
The CEO now declares them to be mine alone and to be removed.
Giving me the feeling my efforts to put them to good use has been otiose.
Is the Minister of Justice or the Minister of Immigration looking over his shoulder or is he just being censorious for fear of his job?
Is it that what I teach is so strictly prescribed or because I’m so strictly proscribed ? Or am I missing something here?
Because of the CEO’s willingness to discuss or negotiate the matter,these must be considered possibilities.
I asked his predecessor, the spokesperson of the consortium of migrant resettlement groups in N.S.W. to which Metro Assist belongs, for advice regarding this treatment.
She complimented me as ‘a person of great talent and a professional who knows his work’. ‘I remember you and your great contribution through your educational resources, your teaching and your role as one of our living books at Campsie library.’
However no amount of sugar can sweeten the bitter pill I’ve been offered.While I appreciate any praise that comes my way,at this stage of my life I’m not interested any more in adding to my C.V. I want to contribute to solving a challenging social problem. She put the rejection of the resources I compiled down to obsolescence.She said, ‘ Unfortunately it's the way of the world now that the preference is for digital storage of knowledge and resources.’ She says because of funding requirements, ideas for activities have to be kept ‘under a tight rein’,that the strategy and tools used by resettlement agencies have ‘very prescriptive outputs’.
I accept that this is the preference.I knew that over a decade ago.I began assembling this educational tool in hard copy before the digital revolution took off in a big way.It demands continual working on.
The spokesperson either forgot or didn’t know that one of her staff had helped me begin to store it digitally at Strathfield Community Centre.The cost of this transfer would have been less than a cup
of coffee.That’s when Metro put a stop to this.
She didn’t pick up the fact that I had spent the last decade starting to digitalise my story although I referred her to my blog.I am not an information storage luddite.I find the world wide web as exciting and revolutionary as books.They are complementary.
The computer allows precise indicators of performance to be calculated, itemised and displayed.
Funding sources for resettlement agencies use the terms KPI’s for the indicators they see important..
The indicators I see as important are the ones I outline above in my methodology.
They are displayed in each student's inventory of items of knowledge about the state of New South Wales and it’s culture.
This is a measure of what each student learns about their homeland.
It lists the educational outputs prescribed by it’s people.
The computer allows precise indicators of performance to be calculated, itemised and displayed.
Funding sources for resettlement agencies use the terms KPI’s for the indicators they see important..
The indicators I see as important are the ones I outline above in my methodology.
They are displayed in each student's inventory of items of knowledge about the state of New South Wales and it’s culture.
This is a measure of what each student learns about their homeland.
It lists the educational outputs prescribed by it’s people.
What's not to like about these?
Could these not be in consonance with those of the public funding sources?
Could not those who monitor or oversee the actions of professional staff approve of these?
It’s important to appreciate the value of books for groups.Their rejection by Metro management was brought on not by any technical reasons but by the wastage of the books stored at the Centre.
Could these not be in consonance with those of the public funding sources?
Could not those who monitor or oversee the actions of professional staff approve of these?
A
national audit office report found the
Immigration Department wasted taxpayer money by breaking the rules on how
contracts are awarded.
The insistence on indicators that can be easily measured rather than those leading to a better educated society comes at the same time that it was revealed to be failing the education system. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results released in August 2016 show Australian students are making few gains in literacy and numeracy despite record expenditure and greater access to digitally based knowledge. National average performance scores in grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 have barely shifted since the standardised tests began almost ten years ago.This obsession with a narrow definition of success maintains an unacceptable link between low levels of achievement and education disadvantage, particularly among students from low socioeconomic,indigenous and migrant backgrounds.It’s important to appreciate the value of books for groups.Their rejection by Metro management was brought on not by any technical reasons but by the wastage of the books stored at the Centre.
Books still play a vital part in the educational arena.Such groups as those of refugees in particular can benefit from the greater personal approach books allow.Newcomers can bond better with others through
human contact than electronically.A refugee from Syria won’t be fussy whether he or she reads from a book or an electronic screen.The quality of printed images is still superior
and less deleterious to one’s eyesight.The knowledge contained in books and digitally is obviously interchangeable.What’s pumped into a computer gets spat out again.
The question arises ‘What do the Gatekeepers really want?’
It’s not that Metro Assist has a thing about hard copy.It’s premises,like those of any hardpushed organisation or my own remaining office space are choc a bloc with paper.
The question arises ‘What do the Gatekeepers really want?’
It’s not that Metro Assist has a thing about hard copy.It’s premises,like those of any hardpushed organisation or my own remaining office space are choc a bloc with paper.
My whole point of processing the printed material was to demonstrate that one can cut down on the amount of paper so profligately wasted in this effluent society.
The spokesperson can’t comment on the unpleasant situation with the new CEO of Metro Assist. She pointed out it is a separate organisation and she cannot influence there.
I include here a sampling of definitions of consortium by the best known online dictionaries. As far as I can see the notions of ‘influence’ and ‘co-operation’ run through them all.
The internet definition: ‘Short-term arrangement in which several firms (from the same or different industry sectors or countries) pool their financial and human resources to undertake a large project that benefits all members of the group.’
I emphasised the importance of this sense of mutual benefit to the spokesperson as well as her successor at Metro Assist: ‘Humanitarian settlement and migrant service providers must stop to consider their resources carefully. They must liase with each other in terms of resources and priorities.This is a time of great national uncertainty.
Merriam Webster : ‘ an agreement, combination, or group (as of companies) formed to undertake an enterprise beyond the resources of any one member.’
If Metro Assist finds it difficult to continue storing educational resources,couldn’t the others in the consortium share this ‘load?’
The Free Dictionary : ‘A cooperative arrangement among groups or institutions’
How can Metro Assist be co-operative with others but cannot with me? A person whom they have thanked for my services. I appreciate their praise but I don’t need it.I’m not about adding to my C.V.I want to get results in an area of social importance.
To the extent it cannot discuss with me what I write to it.I cannot move forward without it’s co-operation.Without mine,I believe it cannot move forward as it could.
It knows that the assurance of effective educational outcomes for refugees has been thrown into question.
:‘An association of financiers, companies, etc, esp one formed for a particular purpose.A partnership.’
Surely the agreed purpose of the one Metro Assist is in partnership with is to provide resources to ease the entry and resettlement of newcomers.Why can’t a comprehensive education program embracing the perfect marriage of onshelf and online resources be considered of value? Does
measuring the proportion of onshelf versus online resources matter when the urgency of achieving harmonious resettlement is so great ?
Cambridge English dictionary: ‘an organization of several businesses or banks joining together as a group for a shared purpose’.
What purpose could be more necessary to share than promoting knowledge of one’s homeland to shattered newcomers?
As for having to keep ideas ‘under tight rein’ ,my response is ‘Free your mind and the rest will follow!’
I want to continue working with Metro at least 'til the material's in shape to be passed onto some other agency seriously interested in furthering the interests of the people of N.S.W. I can’t do anything without the help of other volunteers.I need someone to begin with to help me organise the material,assess the loss, start the salvage operation and kickstart the educational process .
“The crimson thread of kinship runs through us all"
Henry Parkes
Fellow citizens and residents of New South Wales:
A cloud has gathered over the arrival of refugees in our land . We did not always welcome refugees in this fear-ridden way. In 1947 the Commonwealth of Australia began to bring thousands of Displaced Persons from Europe to Australia.This policy dramatically changed the face of Australian immigration because the tuition of these refugee newcomers in English was seen as a key factor in immigration policy.
Why did we abandon this program of teaching English to refugees? Instead today our politicians give dire warnings to Australians today about those who are fleeing the war zones of the world. And the restlessness and despair among the alienated refugee youth and young among these newcomers are a matter of concern to us all.
The smooth and harmonious passage of those escaping the bombs into our peace-loving country requires a forward looking vision and approach. looking vision and approach. No Australian can any longer ignore these young people. Addressing this situation requires the vision of Sir Henry Parkes, long term respected premier of and father of Australian Federation.
He spoke of forming “a new society based on equality, fairness and justice for ordinary people”.“If life’s chances are seen as fair and open, there is hope. Without hope, anger and violence breed from despair”.
More than this Parkes believed that all children, regardless of religion or social status “sit side by side” in free, compulsory and secular schools. Newcomers to Australia of all ages and backgrounds deserve an approach like this today, and Their needs are not to be ignored. We can do something about it.
That is why I am offering my services in a voluntary way to the Metro Assist Community Hub at Campsie, a migrant resources provider. I am making a proposal to it and the consortium it partners regarding education of refugees in English and in knowledge of their new homeland. I am urging Metro Assist to bring to bear all the educational resources at it's disposal towards resettlement.
If you or anyone you know would like to hear more about this and take part in this project, please contact me, Allan Davis, former teacher of English and general studies.
Contact the Metro Assist Community Hubs: Ashfield: (02) 9798 1701 Address: Ashfield Civic Centre, Suite 1, 260
Liverpool Rd, Ashfield,
OR Strathfield: (02) 9746 8217 - 1b Bates Street, Homebush
measuring the proportion of onshelf versus online resources matter when the urgency of achieving harmonious resettlement is so great ?
Cambridge English dictionary: ‘an organization of several businesses or banks joining together as a group for a shared purpose’.
What purpose could be more necessary to share than promoting knowledge of one’s homeland to shattered newcomers?
As for having to keep ideas ‘under tight rein’ ,my response is ‘Free your mind and the rest will follow!’
I want to continue working with Metro at least 'til the material's in shape to be passed onto some other agency seriously interested in furthering the interests of the people of N.S.W. I can’t do anything without the help of other volunteers.I need someone to begin with to help me organise the material,assess the loss, start the salvage operation and kickstart the educational process .
My next thought is to circulate the following
appeal to the public:
“The crimson thread of kinship runs through us all"
Henry Parkes
Fellow citizens and residents of New South Wales:
A cloud has gathered over the arrival of refugees in our land . We did not always welcome refugees in this fear-ridden way. In 1947 the Commonwealth of Australia began to bring thousands of Displaced Persons from Europe to Australia.This policy dramatically changed the face of Australian immigration because the tuition of these refugee newcomers in English was seen as a key factor in immigration policy.
Why did we abandon this program of teaching English to refugees? Instead today our politicians give dire warnings to Australians today about those who are fleeing the war zones of the world. And the restlessness and despair among the alienated refugee youth and young among these newcomers are a matter of concern to us all.
The smooth and harmonious passage of those escaping the bombs into our peace-loving country requires a forward looking vision and approach. looking vision and approach. No Australian can any longer ignore these young people. Addressing this situation requires the vision of Sir Henry Parkes, long term respected premier of and father of Australian Federation.
He spoke of forming “a new society based on equality, fairness and justice for ordinary people”.“If life’s chances are seen as fair and open, there is hope. Without hope, anger and violence breed from despair”.
More than this Parkes believed that all children, regardless of religion or social status “sit side by side” in free, compulsory and secular schools. Newcomers to Australia of all ages and backgrounds deserve an approach like this today, and Their needs are not to be ignored. We can do something about it.
That is why I am offering my services in a voluntary way to the Metro Assist Community Hub at Campsie, a migrant resources provider. I am making a proposal to it and the consortium it partners regarding education of refugees in English and in knowledge of their new homeland. I am urging Metro Assist to bring to bear all the educational resources at it's disposal towards resettlement.
If you or anyone you know would like to hear more about this and take part in this project, please contact me, Allan Davis, former teacher of English and general studies.
Contact the Metro Assist Community Hubs: Ashfield: (02) 9798 1701 Address: Ashfield Civic Centre, Suite 1, 260
Liverpool Rd, Ashfield,
OR Strathfield: (02) 9746 8217 - 1b Bates Street, Homebush
Email: communityhub@metromrc.org.au
Phone 98183052 during business hours. email: allanwdavis@hotmail.com Thanks for your interest.
Pass this flyer on!
I’ve worded this as diplomatically as possible,trying not to alienate Metro management but win them over.I’ve emphasised honesty and a common sense of urgency rather than alarm in order to get people’s attention.
Where and how do I propose distributing it you might ask?
Plan ‘A’ involves conveying it via phone contacts, virtual communities and networks sounds the way to go.I don’t have any experience in social media but hopefully should get helped along the way.
Plan ‘B’ involves handing it out outside the offices of Metro Assist in Campsie.The flyer would take up a third or quarter of an A4 sheet.
Plan ‘B’ involves handing it out outside the offices of Metro Assist in Campsie.The flyer would take up a third or quarter of an A4 sheet.
This approach would involve logistical considerations that in my circumstances I’d rather avoid.
Obviously with Plan ‘A’,I can use more words and images,although brevity is still an important imperative.
I have also considered a lighthearted illustrated message online as it would be costly to hand out by hand.I feel this serious situation demands a degree of cheek.I guess it depends who I’m sending it to.Church groups might be less impressed than others:
Obviously with Plan ‘A’,I can use more words and images,although brevity is still an important imperative.
I have also considered a lighthearted illustrated message online as it would be costly to hand out by hand.I feel this serious situation demands a degree of cheek.I guess it depends who I’m sending it to.Church groups might be less impressed than others:
‘Fellow Citizens and Residents of New South
Wales,
As things get
tighter and tougher,it’s ever more urgent that all living here in Australia
respect each
other’s differences,
and
adapt to our way of life.
It’s ever more urgent that all are able to communicate with each other
clearly in English.
Official
figures show that many ,including both native born and new
arrivals,cannot.
To address
this issue, an exciting educational project is underway in the heart of Sydney.It
offers everyone the chance to become totally immersed in our culture and
language.Operating out of downtown
Campsie,it is organised by ‘The ‘Between the Lines’ Education
Consultancy.’
Participants make their
way through educational material of interest to them at their own pace,
developing their reading,writing and spoken skills. Even
if they only like the images, they might get in deeper and find out more.They
can then pass this on to others.This project is
dedicated to easing the passage of those fleeing the war zones.It is equally
dedicated to addressing the concerns of citizens.
It is inclusive and
aims for social cohesion.
Both migrants and old
hands are invited to take part.
Check with the
Consultancy beforehand to arrange a
suitable meeting time.
You who are now reading this , as an individual or member of a group,
have a role to play and can make a difference.
You can help make your country more secure. You can help enable other
people to get through to each other without undue difficulty.You can help others learn the lingo and the layout of the
land. .
It's all up to you and me.
You could assist this project as outlined below .
You could assist by passing this
message on to interested individuals,organisations and businesses.
Contact:Allan Davis 98183052 during
business hours. allanwdavis@hotmail.com
A Decisive Moment
‘You must realize that today in Germany
anything can happen,even the improbable.and its just the beginning,Friedrich.
Personal morals are dead.We are an elite society where everything is
permissible.These are Hitler’s words. Even you should give them some thoughts.’
SS officer Aschenbach in ‘The
Damned.’
As indicated in the flyer,this clampdown on imagination occurred during a rapidly changing global situation.One in which both our Premier and Prime Minister talk of greater numbers of Syrian arrivals.Yet while the human flood spreads and washes on ‘safer’ shores,our educational authorities acknowledge they have not yet been able to further the educational possibilities of children at Walgett High School.
This is where our national security lies.In these,our children.In people who live and somehow survive in very harsh Australian conditions.In our refugees who if taught our language and culture and can communicate it well to others will want to protect it.
It doesn’t lie in any mad monastic damascene conversion.In any coterie of human props in uniform, a plethora of Australian flags and references ad nauseam to the “death cult” coming after us.That reworking of the old Yellow Peril line.The one that brought us boats from Vietnam.
It doesn’t lie in any so called “Team Australia”, our saviours in this ‘ new Dark Age” upon us .
Our new urbane Prime Minister understands this and must resist further the appeal of these latter- day ‘Crusaders’.
Their war grows worse more and more.Shock and awe spreads hate and scatters the poor.
How will we cope with the influx? How will we cope teaching the new arrivals English and our culture if we cannot further the youth skills of one community who have been in this land the longest?
Professor Peter Shergold the NSW Coordinator-General for Refugee Resettlement says that education is crucial to this. Professor Shergold says the NSW Department already has very effective programs to help and integrate the children of refugees and migrants who come from non English speaking backgrounds.
Michael Keenan, a key member of the Federal Government's National Security Committee, declared ‘we can have confidence in our education system.It is very robust.’ [Wed oct 7.]
Granted our education system is robust,but as we have seen, in doing what?
Just days earlier a fifteen year old Kurdish Australian schoolboy gunned down a NSW police civilian before being killed himself.
Granted our education system is robust,but as we have seen, in doing what?
Just days earlier a fifteen year old Kurdish Australian schoolboy gunned down a NSW police civilian before being killed himself.
A national summit to co-ordinate security, policing and education programs across the country was called to counter the threat posed by so called radicalised children .
The Foreign Minister said it was time for the whole Australian nation to take stock .
While Federal Minister of Education,she suggested that there was a prevailing Maoist agenda amongst education bureaucrats. An advance media kit for a 2006 speech claimed parts of the contemporary curriculum came ‘straight from Chairman Mao.' [FN 76A]
The leader of her party,Prime Minister Howard,famously declared that left wing ideologists had led to curriculums that were ‘incomprehensible sludge’.
Their party had carried out a purge of so called left wing teachers.
This raises certain important questions:
Is there really a Maoist agenda at work amongst teachers?
Is Australian history taught as a litany of Marxism, feminism and so on?
Just how incomprehensible is the curriculum delivered?
Is the maoist dictum really being taught in our schools?
What happened to the hundred flowers campaign ? Not even one has been seen to blossom.
Neither 'Team Australia' nor the 'Death Cult' can claim real power.
It doesn’t grow from the barrel of a gun.
Any system that fears knowledge and education, any system that closes the mind to moral and intellectual truth, will prove in the end to be impotent.
Mr.Keenan was interviewed by the ABC reporter Brendan Trembath.
Brendan Trembath: As the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on counter terrorism, how concerned are you - not just a radicalised teenager shooting killing a police employee outside a major building, but supporters praising the boys actions on social media?’
Michael Keenan: Well it's very concerning to me, but we know what has been going on in Australia, particularly over the past year, and that is that there is a diabolical terrorist outfit that's taken over parts of the Syria and Iraq. Whilst they exist they will continue to export terror into Australia.
Me:‘Gee golly jeepers,Mr.Keenan.I never knew that.You must be the caped crusader,fighting for Truth,
Justice and the Australian way! How long has this been going on? Does it happen in other countries?’’
Keenan: ‘This is not a phenomena that is unique to us, it's a global phenomena.’
Me: ‘What about the Latin American states? They didn’t take part in invading the Baathist states.They’re not directly involved in the ‘ war on the ‘death cult’. Of course they have enough of their own organised criminals to deal with,haven’t they.What has our response been like?’
Me: ‘Please,pretty please Mr.Keenan.Save us from The Death Cult.Scout’s honour?’
Keenan: ‘We're working very closely with affected communities, who are going to be, who are really on the front line of this, to do all that we can to help them identify radicalisation.We need to make sure that our teachers, our families, other community service providers, can get a sense about what it looks like in terms of the changes in people's behaviour and can then help us to divert people away from this very dark path.’
Me: ‘We don’t want it to spread,do we? We have to watch for all the danger signs.What happens
when we spot them?’
Keenan: ‘We are working to try and divert people if we think that they are falling under the spell of ISIL and the Middle East.’
Me: ‘Dear me,am I in that category?
Like many young Australians I fell under the spell of the Middle East as a young person.As I did under that of the Wild West.I read ‘The 1001 Nights’ and loved ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.I write about my passage through part of it.
Am I considered a ‘sleeper’ due
to my naptaking?
I discovered Led Zeppelin, bringing the soul of the West and Islam together. It told us we can produce a musical force powerful enough to break through the barricade dividing the two civilizations.
Does that make me susceptible?’
And what about Jabar.Born in that vast expanse to a desperate people.
How would anyone in the community identify someone in the group seen below as suspect?
Jabar is pictured on the bottom left.
Keenan: ‘Now when people radicalise, it's not a one size fits all, people do it in different ways.’
Me: ‘Gee whiz,Mr.Keenan,thanks for those words of wisdom. They take me back to the sixties.Back to those of the Director.The former head of the ‘Enemy Alien Control Program. [See: inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com Find: ‘The Boss’]
Watching ‘radicals’ do it in different ways.And making notes.
Acting in the belief that ‘justice is merely incidental to law and order.’
Now according to ‘The Daily Telegraph’ [Oct 6,2015],the police believe Farhad Barsad was no ‘lone wolf’ but part of ‘an extremist pack’.
Anyone who has worked in a western Sydney school knows the boys photographed don’t belong in
any such category.From Arthur Phillip to Boxhill Boys,there are others who look much more menacing,hard boiled and curried .
The newspaper doesn’t quote any particular source.It is essential for the police not to be identified with such simpleminded and mischievous bull's wool.
Could I too be considered a Deadhead? What if my letter from a certain Faisal was to be scrutinized by the ‘ experts’ ? Faisal was eulogized by lyricist Robert Hunter in the title track of the Grateful Dead's 1975 album Blues for Allah.
Let’s look at who Farhad Barsard Jabar really was.We’ve got to read the wider media.We have to listen to those who had contact with him.
These facts are not disputed:
Jabar was a quiet, cheerful student who vigilantly attended the mosque but was not considered extremist and was not on any police radar before the tragic conclusion.
A week after the death of the police accountant, students at Arthur Phillip High School remembered Jabar as quietly devout,a talented basketballer and a friendly but private classmate.
What drove the teenager, a timid, withdrawn 15-year-old with no history of violence to commit such a reckless,fatal offence?
Let’s consider the witness of an adult fellow worshipper.
‘Jabar, in his school uniform, “stuck out” in Parramatta mosque the first morning he met the friendly man. “He was just hanging out there, reading books, praying,” said Isaac.
“It was 9 am, he should have been in school … It’s not normal behaviour to isolate yourself.”
Their first encounters were frosty, but gradually the 15-year-old opened up. “He told me things weren’t going well at school, he wasn’t interested in school any more, that he was being bullied. He said he didn’t like it any more. He wasn’t interested because he wasn’t feeling good.
“He spoke about it with a sense of sorrow,” he says.
The man became concerned about the boy’s mental health. “Sometimes he would be quite bubbly. Sometimes he would be quite withdrawn. And those are typical signs of all sorts of mental health conditions, especially young people,” he said.
“I presented my concerns to psychologists and other professionals and got some feedback. And the feedback was, these were depressive symptoms, these were symptoms of trauma, of anxiety.”
“It was a shock to the core,” “[Jabar] was soft-spoken, really gentle, you got a really innocent boy-like feeling about him.
He had seen Jabar as a young man looking to be guided. “He was so vulnerable and so mentally confused or unwell that he was so easily susceptible to any figure of acceptance or group acceptance,” he says.
“As a young person growing up in Australia, especially if you’re of an ethnic background, what are you looking for? Acceptance, identity.”
Mental illness is still poorly understood within some Muslim communities, as it is in many other parts of society.
“[We] need to understand the religious and cultural implications that mental health has. A young Muslim person battling depression isn’t going to go out and talk about it.
“It’s seen as something, within the context of the community, it doesn’t feed into the notion of being a man, of being resilient.”
So he was in fact open game.A not atypical Australian teenager.
How in heaven could he have ended up serving such a terrible purpose?
The speculation is that Jabar was groomed by others to carry out the attack because they were under such heavy surveillance they could not do it themselves, and that the gun used was obtained through a “Middle Eastern crime gang”.
Only after the tragedy did police learn from other worshippers at the mosque that Jabar had recently begun keeping bad company, sitting with a group of men known allegedly for their rudeness and considered to hold dangerous views.
Of course, the questions of how it happened are important, as it is important to bring to justice those who planned it. But the bigger question is why it happened. And how to stop it happening again.
This much is clear: all the punitive and draconian legislation introduced by the Federal government could not have stopped it, and the billion-odd extra dollars committed to law enforcement in the past year produced no intelligence relevant to the case.
How could it have? The signs are in the classroom right under the teacher’s nose. They have ways to counter the symptoms exhibited by Jabar.They are the ones who can attract children to school.They can fill the intellectual vacuum left by a political policy of making school unpleasant for a certain category of student.They can fill their students’ brains with mathematics, science and humanism,areas the Arabs have left their mark on .Under the sweeping powers brought in by the state government they are constrained.
As are the police.
While Jabar was on the periphery of the Operation Appleby group, Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn denied police had dropped the ball, saying it was impossible to monitor everyone.
“(Jabar) has not been a target of ours and is not somebody we would have assessed as a threat,” she said.
“We did not know of him and having either that intent or capability on Friday.
“It is just a sad unfortunate reality of the environment that we are now in that we are not necessarily able to be everywhere at all times.”
Me: ‘The good news is that the police don’t have to be.They could concentrate on the need to capture criminals,not getting on wild goose chases involving children.Children who could and should be in class learning.Children subject to the same governmental constraints but without the ability to express it appropriately. To articulate it through the English language,not through that of the gangsta from the hood but Standard Australian .To express it through acceptable civilized behaviour.
Fellow students told Fairfax Media he never spoke openly about religion and was more concerned with The Simpsons, playing basketball and joking around. It was only a few weeks ago that he was drawn into the extremist circle by the 16-year-old Wentworthville boy, one of Jabar's year 10 classmates at Arthur Phillip High School.
The pair regularly attended the same sessions at Parramatta Mosque and school lunchtime prayer groups.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named, was charged last year for driving past a Christian school in Harris Park, yelling death threats and waving an IS flag.
His Facebook page reveals odd connections with extremist preachers in Canada, Sydney and Lebanon. His older brother spoke to Fairfax Media online just hours before Wednesday's raid, saying the killing of Muslims overseas was more important than Mr Cheng's death.
"Why don't you do something useful," he wrote. "And talk about real events occurring in Palestine. The killing of Muslims all ova [sic] the world."
Sadly he is partly right and partly mistaken.The killers include other Muslims.If he were taught to read such intrepid journalists as Paul McGeough,he would learn Fairfax Media have excellent coverage of these events as well as of the Islamic State,that company front operating under various franchises, cashing in on it’s so called connection to a god and getting all the attention it can get. "Some of them might have been wanting to do an attack but were concerned. They've managed to radicalise a poor vulnerable person to do it instead," a police source said. "It's almost like they've groomed him like paedophiles to do something for them."
Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn did not rule out further arrests and said it was an "unfortunate reality" that undetected lone wolves will continue to launch attacks on home soil.Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan said authorities were in "an unprecedented time of operational tempo".
"The threat level remains high and that means a terrorist attack is likely. That's not going to change in the foreseeable future," he said.
As is the governmental policy of neglecting the basic skills of our young people.In June 2016 A 17-year-old Sydney teenager was charged by counter-terrorism police for allegedly posting on social media about killing police.However just to confound any of the neat simplistic theories about terrorism being spread, the police acknowledged he has a serious mental illness and was not believed to be motivated by religious extremism or Islamic State ideology.As a matter of fact he’s not religious and is from a Greek Australian background. The police allege the boy was planning a random public stabbing in Sydney.
The teenager's father said his son had "anxiety, depression and Aspergers". "He hasn't been to school, he's not educated," he said.
"They've kicked him out of school. He hasn't done Year 7, he hasn't been to high school." The father said the teen "now he looks like an idiot, like he is".
The boy had gone missing from his home on at least two occasions and is described as having special needs. On one occasion , he had to be rescued from the bush by PolAir. He then posted a message online thanking the police.
Military strategist David Kilcullen predicts that terrorists would successfully strike a target on Australian soil. Dr Kilcullen, former special advisor to the US secretary of state and chief strategist for the US state department's counter-terrorism bureau says that the chances on an attack in Australia was "one hundred per cent".He points out government agencies cannot guarantee the public's protection.
"The question is: how bad will it be, how will we respond, how will we focus on consequence management and on recovery from that kind of attack?" he says.
One could add more questions: ‘Why can’t we focus on prevention management? Why do we still have to put up with the baleful levels of literacy imposed on society?
How do we protect ourselves in this situation ?
How can the conservatives continue to both constantly impugn the competence of teachers and tackle so called radicalised children successfully?’
Mr. Keenan is keen to remind us: the teachers of today are on the "frontline" of this ever-evolving global battlefield.
"ISIL is targeting people younger and younger," he warned - while baulking at the notion the government was ‘securitising’ schools.
He assures us: "We are not changing the nature of teaching, but we're giving them [teachers] an extra skill-set to be able to identify it and say there is something of concern here that we need to look in to."
Minister Keenan assures us the strategy of monitoring children's inclination to take up arms against the state is on the right track. ‘It can happen very quickly.’
After Farhad Jabar shot dead police worker Curtis Cheng outside the force’s Parramatta headquarters, police arrested a student on his way to Arthur Phillip High School. In a Facebook post , a little more than an hour after the slaying he wrote: “Serves you right I hope them lil piggies get shot”.
He later posted a video of Police Commissioner’s press conference from the night of the shooting.
Military strategist David Kilcullen predicts that terrorists would successfully strike a target on Australian soil. Dr Kilcullen, former special advisor to the US secretary of state and chief strategist for the US state department's counter-terrorism bureau says that the chances on an attack in Australia was "one hundred per cent".He points out government agencies cannot guarantee the public's protection.
"The question is: how bad will it be, how will we respond, how will we focus on consequence management and on recovery from that kind of attack?" he says.
One could add more questions: ‘Why can’t we focus on prevention management? Why do we still have to put up with the baleful levels of literacy imposed on society?
How do we protect ourselves in this situation ?
How can the conservatives continue to both constantly impugn the competence of teachers and tackle so called radicalised children successfully?’
Mr. Keenan is keen to remind us: the teachers of today are on the "frontline" of this ever-evolving global battlefield.
"ISIL is targeting people younger and younger," he warned - while baulking at the notion the government was ‘securitising’ schools.
He assures us: "We are not changing the nature of teaching, but we're giving them [teachers] an extra skill-set to be able to identify it and say there is something of concern here that we need to look in to."
Minister Keenan assures us the strategy of monitoring children's inclination to take up arms against the state is on the right track. ‘It can happen very quickly.’
After Farhad Jabar shot dead police worker Curtis Cheng outside the force’s Parramatta headquarters, police arrested a student on his way to Arthur Phillip High School. In a Facebook post , a little more than an hour after the slaying he wrote: “Serves you right I hope them lil piggies get shot”.
He later posted a video of Police Commissioner’s press conference from the night of the shooting.
“Bahahja f*ck you motherf***er Yallah merryland police station is next hope they all burn in hell,” he wrote blasphemously alongside it.
Yalla, with variants Yallah and Yala, is a common expression denoting "come on", "let's get going", and mostly meaning "hurry up" in the Arabic language. It comes from and is an abbreviation of classical (traditional) Arabic words "Ya Allah" (in Arabic يا ألله) literally meaning "O God".
The boy describes himself as “A.W. A” or “Arab with attitude” and allegedly has a long history of uploading content taunting and mocking NSW Police.
This language of the American gangsta is not what you’d expect from a fanatical student of The Koran.It’s possibly even a bastardised version because in standard gangsta, "bahaha", the sound a sheep makes when it's getting shot with a machine gun, has no ‘j’.Those who talk of cultural clashes or seek answers to Islamic terrorism in Islamic texts or a ‘maoist’ N.S.W school curriculum are barking up the wrong tree.
This type of language springs a great deal from long term governmental failure to inculcate adequacy in the English language.There is no excuse for this.
He is typical of many young men both in the Middle East and to a certain degree in Australia.With bleak futures, either unemployed,underemployed or heading that way., from working-class families, and not religious at all. They do not know the Qur’an very well. They are not religious zealots who are willing to die for Islam and are not recruited in mosques. They join because their buddies joined. They saw stuff on social media. They all have mobile phones.Like many young American men who fire drones they have played military games on Play Station. And they have all seen the ISIS videos and believe like many young men with a built-in resentment against the West that it’s better to live large for a couple of years with the power and the so-called glamour that comes of carrying a gun, and then worry about what happens in the future two or three years down the road. These motives are more akin to why somebody might join like an inner-city gang or why in Mexico they might join a narco gang. It’s this kind of despair at seeing any sort of future. But it’s not political, it’s not religious. It’s just this impulse to, it’s awful to say, in terms of ISIS, adventure.
Brendan Trembath: The Federal Government has been spending millions of dollars on this radicalisation problem, combating online propaganda, countering violent extremism. There's a recently released Radicalisation Awareness Information Kit for schools. This was a school student, is this program not working?’
Michael Keenan: Well it is a very multi-faceted program and as I heard when I was in the US talking to like-minded countries, Australia's program is world leading and we are doing an enormous amount to make sure we're equipping communities with the tools that they need to work with the Government to address this.
Me: ‘The police were equipped to cut down the young assailant. Wouldn’t that have been as far as that particular tragic event went?’ Barsad had paid with his life doing the dirty work of others afraid to stain their own hands with blood.
The NSW Premier: ‘I wish to acknowledge “the bravery of some very special men.We strongly believe they saved many lives,” he said,referring to those who cut down the young assassin.
Me: ‘No one doubts the bravery of these men.But let’s not fool ourselves.They didn’t save any lives other than their own. Just as anyone else couldn’t have .
How could they have acted otherwise? Who could anyone have expected any typical looking Australian kid to do such a thing?
And a Kurdish boy of all things.Someone from the same ethnic group as Aylan Kurdi,from a community targeted by the so called ‘Death Cult’.
Someone the sight of whose fate caused the Premier profound shock and sadness.
Police Commissioner Scipione:“There is no way you can describe the hurt inside that building and right across the NSW Police force at the moment,” he said outside Charles St headquarters.
Me: ‘The Commissioner speaks of the loss of a ‘ much loved’ worker.
My family and I have a much loved friend working in that building and would dread such a loss ourselves.’
The Australian government's focus on national security and the war on terror to tackle Islamic extremism, rather than social cohesion and inclusion,
has helped create an environment for radicalized Muslim youth to emerge in disproportionate numbers, experts say.
Shooting and bombing people may focus minds but not in the way education can.
What skills
Since stimulation and excitement are basic human needs, it behooves us to channel them in beneficial directions. If we expect people to consume leisure intelligently, we had better start teaching them the necessary skills. Consumption skills do not occur naturally and, according to Scitovsky, people who are "devoid of those skills tend to restrict their choice to sources of stimulation and excitement that require no special skills, such as sex, rape, drugs, violence, and crime."4 That's not a pretty picture.
Robert
J. Stonebraker, Winthrop University.
The Joy of Economics: Making
Sense out of Life
Dr.Anthony Bergin from the Federal Government financed Australian Strategic Policy Institute: ‘A key priority should be to provide the critical consumption skills to our kids so they're able to see through extremist propaganda independently. That requires a greater focus by schools on teaching critical thinking as a measure to prevent radicalisation.
Typically, of course, schools take it as their core mission to teach critical thinking anyway. Learning to think clearly is one of the reasons for educating students in the first place.
But we shouldn't ignore the benefits of that core mission in the counter-radicalisation field. Extremists see things in black and white; if students are able to think critically, they'll be more resilient to extremist messages.[ABC The Drum,june 3,2015]
Me: ‘It’s not typical that schools in the state of New South Wales take teaching critical thinking as their core mission.
The results in terms of universal literacy indicate otherwise.
And the benefits of that core mission in the counter-radicalisation field.Who gets them?’
The Baird government announced a $47 million package to pay for so called experts to be deployed across NSW schools to help counter ‘violent extremism’ in them.
Specialist teams and trained counsellors have to identify students at risk of ‘radicalisation’. Five expert teams will be deployed across NSW schools to respond to incidents of violent extremism and help schools that have been "identified" as being at risk.
The teams include former principals, psychologists and student support workers and will help schools to develop strategies.
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said school staff would be given “awareness training’’ in radicalisation and encouraged to report “concerning student behaviour’’ to authorities.
Why not get the authorities to become aware where school children are and bring them back?
The federal Education Department hosted a series of community youth forums across Australia in early 2016. Such events ' provide young people with the opportunity to explore this complex problem and consider how we can work together to help reduce marginalisation and further support young people,’ Senator Birmingham said.
The teacher training will be based on research by the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University. The centre’s former international director, Greg Barton, who now leads the Australian Intervention Support Hub at Deakin University, said young Islamic youth workers should visit schools to help troubled Muslim teenagers.“Often the imams are too busy or too old and disconnected from the youth cohort,’’ Professor Barton said. “A lot of the practical expertise in terms of a grassroots response will come in the form of Muslim youth workers.’’
He said principals, counsellors and teachers should be taught to recognise the potential signs of radicalisation.
“The changes they might be concerned about is if a student breaks off old friendships and forms new ones, lock themselves away from friends and family, and begin to express strong convictions,’’ he
said. “They might be acting more aggressively in a way that’s out of character. That’s a warning to pay attention.’’
Professor Barton said schools should be a “safe space’’ for students to question international politics. “Giving a safe space in school for kids to ask angry questions about foreign policy — like ‘why has
the war in Syria been going for five years?’ and ‘why did we invade Iraq?’ — means they’re less likely to go into hidden discussions online where they’re much more vulnerable,’’ he said.
Me: ‘Well put,Professor Barton.And one can add the angry question of why we are helping bombing the bejesus out of Syria’
Professor Barton:“We’ve had more people radicalised in the last 18 months than in the last two decades.’’
Me: ‘As more people have been butchered and blown up,mainly in the Middle East.’
'The Australian' revealed last year that a student at Epping Boys High School in Sydney had been preaching extremism.
A subsequent audit of school prayer groups by the NSW government found that barely half had been supervised, as required.
‘Violent extremism is a willingness to use or support unlawful violence to promote a political, ideological or religious goal,’ Premier Mike Baird says.
Me: ‘Many if not most would say the ultra violent attempts to overthrow the Baathist regimes and the barbaric ‘mowing the lawn’ strategy in Gaza fall into this category.
Will Mr.Baird's government attempt to stifle discussion of the war as did Howard?
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said school staff would be given “awareness training’’ in radicalisation and encouraged to report “concerning student behaviour’’ to authorities.
Why not get the authorities to become aware where school children are and bring them back?
The federal Education Department hosted a series of community youth forums across Australia in early 2016. Such events ' provide young people with the opportunity to explore this complex problem and consider how we can work together to help reduce marginalisation and further support young people,’ Senator Birmingham said.
The teacher training will be based on research by the Global Terrorism Research Centre at Monash University. The centre’s former international director, Greg Barton, who now leads the Australian Intervention Support Hub at Deakin University, said young Islamic youth workers should visit schools to help troubled Muslim teenagers.“Often the imams are too busy or too old and disconnected from the youth cohort,’’ Professor Barton said. “A lot of the practical expertise in terms of a grassroots response will come in the form of Muslim youth workers.’’
He said principals, counsellors and teachers should be taught to recognise the potential signs of radicalisation.
“The changes they might be concerned about is if a student breaks off old friendships and forms new ones, lock themselves away from friends and family, and begin to express strong convictions,’’ he
said. “They might be acting more aggressively in a way that’s out of character. That’s a warning to pay attention.’’
Professor Barton said schools should be a “safe space’’ for students to question international politics. “Giving a safe space in school for kids to ask angry questions about foreign policy — like ‘why has
the war in Syria been going for five years?’ and ‘why did we invade Iraq?’ — means they’re less likely to go into hidden discussions online where they’re much more vulnerable,’’ he said.
Me: ‘Well put,Professor Barton.And one can add the angry question of why we are helping bombing the bejesus out of Syria’
Professor Barton:“We’ve had more people radicalised in the last 18 months than in the last two decades.’’
Me: ‘As more people have been butchered and blown up,mainly in the Middle East.’
'The Australian' revealed last year that a student at Epping Boys High School in Sydney had been preaching extremism.
A subsequent audit of school prayer groups by the NSW government found that barely half had been supervised, as required.
‘Violent extremism is a willingness to use or support unlawful violence to promote a political, ideological or religious goal,’ Premier Mike Baird says.
Me: ‘Many if not most would say the ultra violent attempts to overthrow the Baathist regimes and the barbaric ‘mowing the lawn’ strategy in Gaza fall into this category.
Will Mr.Baird's government attempt to stifle discussion of the war as did Howard?
Will students such as the boofhead student hooning the Christian school be free to discuss these matters and hopefully arrive at a less frightening conclusion?
Will they be free to ask why we are bombing the so called ‘Death Cult’ while one of our so called allies is bombing the Kurds, those most actively fighting it?
Will they be encouraged to discuss the so called Cult’s simpleminded and mischievous nonsense, to separate out any valid arguments?
As we know, the Department has the power to suppress information relating to alleged violence in schools.Those said to be involved in it have no right to appeal.Will this power countermand the right of the expert teams to know the facts? Will these latest powers bring about a spiral of violence as the Department claimed with the previous ones.
Will the Islamic youth workers brought in include young Sunnis,the main concern of the Government?
Another counter-terrorism expert, Andrew Zammit from University of Melbourne, also recommends programs that encourage ‘critical thinking’ among students rather than suspicion by teachers.
Will the Islamic youth workers brought in include young Sunnis,the main concern of the Government?
Another counter-terrorism expert, Andrew Zammit from University of Melbourne, also recommends programs that encourage ‘critical thinking’ among students rather than suspicion by teachers.
Mr.Zammit,who has been consulted by the federal government on deradicalisation in schools, said asking teachers to spot the signs of radicalisation was likely to be counter-productive.
‘The resulting stigmatisation and atmosphere of fear could feed extremist narratives,’ he wrote.
‘The false leads generated by teacher guesswork could divert attention from the small number of genuine threats. The distrust bred could inhibit cooperation in the cases where it is really needed.’
Me:What we need are teams of experts coming to schools at risk,not because these schools have children from the Muslim faith,but because they are have so called ‘staffing difficulties’.We need teams coming not to gather ‘intelligence’ on children but coming to develop the children’s intelligence.
What we need are teams of teachers free to
teach all children how to read and write .
Which brings us back of course to our black and white image.Highly offensive to many because while employing the acceptable caricature of the enemy representing Death, crudely characterises a formation of mindless Muslim Australians. Bloodthirsty zombie sleepers switched on by the musical [sic] charm of the Pied Piper of Radical Islam.And brought to attention on such a sensitive,sad occasion.‘Who’s protecting who? And what is this big business about being ‘radicalised’
Basard was ‘radicalised’ in one sense.Being corrupted and sent along a dark path,not the shining one promised by so called maoist extremists.
However the original sense means going to the root of the matter. We musn’t allow the meaning of this term to be distorted and misappropriated by the simple minded and mischievous. The root of the matter is that this was a crime involving a child. He had gotten mixed up for various reasons,gotten behind in his studies and was highly susceptible to indoctrination and manipulation.In the first instance gun merchants took advantage of him.Whether they are in league with those transnational criminals who practise cruel and barbaric behaviour in the name of a god is for the police to acertain.
There are always those, whether on their devices or not, dumb enough to praise such senseless actions.They shouldn’t be seen necessarily as ‘supporters’.Some people have a negative thing about police and the law.But it’s not against the law to think that way.Most people don’t act on their primal impulses.That there is any number of those who think this violent way towards any others at all is a sad reflection of our social life but it would be a big mistake to exaggerate the actual menace and distort it’s nature.
We can respond without wasting millions of dollars for police to chase children.Children should be off the streets and in their classroom seats free to discuss openly and without fear the issues of the day.We have nothing to fear from our children.
Nicole Hasham, 
environment and immigration correspondent from The Sydney Morning Herald raised the important question about Syrian refugees in Australia: ‘Where will they go?’ [Sept 9,2015]
environment and immigration correspondent from The Sydney Morning Herald raised the important question about Syrian refugees in Australia: ‘Where will they go?’ [Sept 9,2015]
The next logical question is: ‘How will we fare’?
Nicole: ‘While Australia extends bombing raids deep into Syria, NSW is prepared to welcome at least 4000 Syrians from ‘persecuted minorities’ to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Officials confirmed planeloads of refugees would arrive by Christmas, 2015.
Resettlement agencies say they have the capacity to house, feed and care for the influx of 12,000 displaced people, which almost doubles the current annual humanitarian intake.
Syrian refugee Anwar Rostom (right) with his parents, wife and children. The family arrived in Australia last year. Photo: Brendan Esposito
For Syrian refugee Anwar,who arrived in Australia with his family in November last year after 18 months in a Lebanese camp, Australia is now his country, ‘Syria is gone’.
Although his[Anwar’s] family struggled with poor English skills in the early months, they are all happy to be in a nation that is ‘beautiful and peaceful’.
"I love Australia very much. It's a great country, great people. Day by day I love it more and more," he said. "I want to feel peace, I want to see my kids with a smile on their face. We must do our best [here], this is our country.’
Greetings Anwar,
Or as I said to Faisal, ‘ عَلَيْكَ’, Salaam alaykum'.Peace be upon you'.
Faisal is one of the real life characters in the story I blog ‘ inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com ’ Find: ‘A letter from the Desert Kingdom ’
Your children already have a lovely smile,Anwar and can only continue to have such.
I appreciate your feelings towards Australia,Anwar. Indeed Australia is now your country and it’s people your people.
Like most peoples,Australian people like to travel abroad but most like to return home.Syrians must be the same.Some will want to return when the war is over and reconstruction begins.It will happen.Other Australians will want to go there too.Australia should aim to facilitate this possibility.
I wouldn’t like to think of Syria as having ‘gone’.
Sadly it is being cindered just like the land of it’s present German protectors was. War is so terribly
sad for humankind.
None feel this more than the Germans.
Syria will awake like the Phoenix.Out of the ashes. Not for the first time.Syria goes back to antiquity,that which is shamelessly being destroyed.
It has been violently transmuted.Having divided, it lives on in other forms.Syrian Australians.Syrian Germans.And so on.
I’m hardly surprised you weren’t provided with that so called ‘very effective educational program’ to allow your smooth entry into our society.Many of our local born aren’t either.
Those in the influx in most danger of missing out that program are not happy families like yours.They will be mostly young single people,particularly men.They will live alone often,working long shifts or hanging around with others,talking their mother tongue.
They will fall under the radar of some of those official experts studying them. These ‘experts’are not interested in them from an educational perspective.they’re not interested in their difficulties in speaking Standard Australian.They will look for other 'suspicious' things, overlook these, leave the young adults to their own isolation and devices. Problems of communication will remain.
Australians should follow the lead of our trans Tasmanian cousins.The French military bombers who blew up ‘The Rainbow Warrior’ were observed by the local people and quickly detained.The word had spread.Everyone spoke the same language.
You might like to compare your success in picking up English with mine in Arabic. I welcome any
assistance of language support from speakers of Arabic. I’m writing about Faisal, that influential figure, both in English and Arabic.That’s the task he set me.
He himself spoke the Queen’s English.
Sans parler de sa connaissance du français.
Here is a question that arises.What would happen if I sought refuge in an Arabic speaking country?Would I have to struggle with poor language skills or would I proceed in leaps and bounds?
Would I be able to ask, ‘Take me to your leader!’And be taken as were my thoughts to Faisal.
NSW Premier Mike Baird, who had urged the federal government to do more for Syrian refugees, applauded it's ‘bold and generous decision".
"I am certain that people right across NSW will welcome our new Syrian neighbours with open arms and open hearts," he said.
How can you be so certain,Mr.Baird? I ask.What about their minds?What will they be holding at the end of those arms?Are the locals of Cronulla, Mackay or Bendigo so different than Buda or Pest? Lesbos or Athens.Heidenau or Bavaria. The list goes on. The many places where people express disquiet. Fears of being forced out of their jobs and homes.Fears of seeing their ‘ lebensraum’ shrink.Fears that have some basis in reality.
Sotto voce at first because so many understandably fear for their jobs.
Full bore if assembled in formation.
A fellow representative from your own coalition has said they are not welcome in his electorate owing to paucity of jobs.He set the pace,opening the climate for the next such comments..Like those who argue that those of particular beliefs be favoured.A discriminatory policy will only sustain here the divisions people are fleeing from. It will create resentment and probable bitterness here.
It would appear many refugees have been forced to leave their country seemingly for good.
Syria must be recreated here in spirit,not it’s old divisions maintained.
Then there are comments like that of another representative who has a hypothesis about Aylan Kurdi’s fate.It’s that Aylan’s family risked the travel to Europe in search of affordable dentistry.
That’s hardly the point,is it.He should have a closer look at what washed ashore.And to think again carefully about what where desperation can lead .
Then again he says that he himself may have done the same thing in search of a better life.
Over the past decade, more than 34 per cent of new arrivals under Australia's refugee and humanitarian visa program have made NSW their home.
A spokesman for Mr Baird said this would translate to about 4000 Syrians from the emergency intake, "but the Premier has made clear NSW is prepared to take more".
"We will do everything we can to ensure that we have arrangements in place to assist with this," he said.
"We're looking at sites to house refugees and are working with the federal government to determine ideal locations."
The spokesman said NSW already had a variety of programs to help humanitarian entrants in areas such as health, education and transport.
A Victorian government spokeswoman welcomed the decision to accommodate more displaced Syrians.
"Victoria will play its part to help resettle these refugees, so they and their families can start new lives in our state," she said.
"We have a long history of welcoming people from all walks of life and we are proud to have them call Victoria home."
Senior federal government officials said the entire 12,000 refugee intake is expected by mid-2016, mostly from camps in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan. The measure is expected to cost $700 million over four years, plus processing costs.
Once refugees arrive in Australia,they will be provided cultural orientation, housing, health care, English classes and other assistance.
These would largely be provided by existing refugee settlement services, and it is understood the Department of Social Services is already preparing for an increased workload.
AMES Australia chief executive Cath Scarf, whose Victoria-based agency helps resettle refugees, said Australia was well placed to accept the increased Syrian intake, and the federal government decision had broad public support.
The chief executive of NSW-based Settlement Services International said humanitarian settlement service providers were "ready and willing to play [their] part, together with the community, to support people given humanitarian entry to NSW".
‘How ready?’ I ask in light of the difficulties of my involvement in this area. ‘How well placed are we really?’
Townsville MP Scott Stewart,a veteran educator, said there would be room to take refugees in his area.He has suggested wisely:“I think what we need to do is look at the current service providers and
see how many we can take and still provide the services.”
Townsville has welcomed a number at a time of great local economic uncertainty.
Could Sydney and NSW with their rich pool of human resources follow suit?
Many Australian people are ready and willing to assist those in this exodus.
Leichhardt council keeps a register of volunteers to draw upon.I am on it.
Humanitarian settlement and migrant service providers must stop to consider their resources carefully. They must liase with each other in terms of resources and priorities.This is a time of great national uncertainty.
Our federal government has declared a state of emergency.It has declared our children to be on ‘the frontline’ of the so called War of Terror.Asif!
Schools are to be further securitised,less liberalised.
The NSW government’s dragging the chain in accepting it’s promised quota is causing resentment in sections of the migrant community.
We should heed the sad but wise words of the Belgian Ambassador to Australia.
Those who conflate refugees with terrorists do so at our peril.
Others are adding migrants to the mix,calling their allegiance also into question.
This then becomes a really volatile mix,difficult to control.
It is the responsibility of all citizens to promote an informed and alert populace.
The question arises ‘Why did Anwar Rostom’s family have to struggle with poor English skills in the early months?’
Why can't the Sydney Morning Herald allow any follow up to this question?
How as a citizen and as a professional worker in this area can I not be concerned and motivated to participate?
How many more will have to suffer this if the problem is not solved immediately? How will we cope teaching the new arrivals English and our culture if we still cannot achieve it for all our own citizens?
Language shortcomings can lead to some serious misunderstanding between citizens.
We must take steps to ensure outcomes such as Anwar’s early one are not repeated? I invite support to offer all newcomers the best provision for community study of our language and culture. As a deeply satisfying procedure, not a burdenl.
see how many we can take and still provide the services.”
Townsville has welcomed a number at a time of great local economic uncertainty.
Could Sydney and NSW with their rich pool of human resources follow suit?
Many Australian people are ready and willing to assist those in this exodus.
Leichhardt council keeps a register of volunteers to draw upon.I am on it.
Humanitarian settlement and migrant service providers must stop to consider their resources carefully. They must liase with each other in terms of resources and priorities.This is a time of great national uncertainty.
Our federal government has declared a state of emergency.It has declared our children to be on ‘the frontline’ of the so called War of Terror.Asif!
Schools are to be further securitised,less liberalised.
The NSW government’s dragging the chain in accepting it’s promised quota is causing resentment in sections of the migrant community.
We should heed the sad but wise words of the Belgian Ambassador to Australia.
Those who conflate refugees with terrorists do so at our peril.
Others are adding migrants to the mix,calling their allegiance also into question.
This then becomes a really volatile mix,difficult to control.
It is the responsibility of all citizens to promote an informed and alert populace.
The question arises ‘Why did Anwar Rostom’s family have to struggle with poor English skills in the early months?’
Why can't the Sydney Morning Herald allow any follow up to this question?
How as a citizen and as a professional worker in this area can I not be concerned and motivated to participate?
How many more will have to suffer this if the problem is not solved immediately? How will we cope teaching the new arrivals English and our culture if we still cannot achieve it for all our own citizens?
Language shortcomings can lead to some serious misunderstanding between citizens.
We must take steps to ensure outcomes such as Anwar’s early one are not repeated? I invite support to offer all newcomers the best provision for community study of our language and culture. As a deeply satisfying procedure, not a burdenl.
I believe that any newcomers and their families who have food and shelter should be keen to study actively about Australia and it’s culture.They should be able to enjoy this and be involved in passing it on .
I invite you,Anwar and your family to take part.
I call on you and any others to help me,a volunteer educator in the community,assisting a settlement service provider,to help prepare the way for this influx.To offer the language skills the arrivals will need for negotiating their way.To teach them knowledge of local sites, customs and taboos.
I set out the nature of my mission, my methodology and Sydneywide professional experience in ‘ betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com ’ This includes coverage of my association and activity with a migrant resource provider. You can navigate to ‘Safe Haven’. If one were to look at the blog tagging this one,one that deals with my life so far, they would note my lifelong preoccupation with tackling wastage of resources. See: ‘inletterandinspirit.blogspot.com ‘
I call on all resettlement agencies to support a scheme facilitating rapid achievement of universal literacy and expansive knowledge of our land.A scheme that will ease their workload,not increase it.
Say Yes to migrant resources.No to endless meetings. No to austerity. No to war.
Say Yes to migrant resources.No to endless meetings. No to austerity. No to war.
I contacted the environment and immigration correspondent of Sydney’s newspaper of record regarding my quest, drawing attention to the glaring falsehoods uttered by the NSW Coordinator-General for Refugee Resettlement and resettlement service providers.She suggested this ‘micro’ matter would be better taken up by a local newspaper.
I was very disappointed interpreting this as a fob off. The matter is a serious national one Nicole brought to public attention and already has contacts about.When those with authority and responsibility try to put the fear of God into the populace while simultaneously trying to lull them into a false sense of security with self-satisfied platitudes,the journalist should expose this not evade it.His or her own integrity is on the line.My argument after all is largely substantiated by reading between the lines of scores of Nicole’s colleagues over a generation.
A Masterful Plan.
I was excited to hear the daring proposal of of Leichhardt Council for welcoming those fleeing the war zone.
Syrian and Iraqi refugees would be given temporary accommodation and support services at Lilyfield's Callan Park.
The park is a wonderful oasis of peace for those living in tiny houses and crowded local streets and provides wonderful walks and areas for recreation.
It’s calming natural beauty and pleasant parklands, it’s palms and and rainforest trees,sunken garden and bamboo plantation played a big part in my sons’ growth and well being over the years.
It’s an extension of our garden. We share it’s fauna and flora.
It’s where my sons and grandchildren played, learned and continue to do so.
We share it’s tranquillity with people from all corners and all quarters.
We aim to keep it that way.
The park is a wonderful oasis of peace for those living in tiny houses and crowded local streets and provides wonderful walks and areas for recreation.
It’s calming natural beauty and pleasant parklands, it’s palms and and rainforest trees,sunken garden and bamboo plantation played a big part in my sons’ growth and well being over the years.
It’s an extension of our garden. We share it’s fauna and flora.
It’s where my sons and grandchildren played, learned and continue to do so.
We share it’s tranquillity with people from all corners and all quarters.
We aim to keep it that way.
The Park should provide the latest wave with a much needed taste of a healing,refined place.
Leichhardt Council resolved to ask state and federal governments to fund a "refugee welcome centre" at the site, large parts of which have been disused for many years.
The Council controls and manages the 40 hectares of Callan Park under a 99-year lease.
Callan Park currently houses residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, a variety of mental health services and two universities.
The proposal, should funding be granted, would need to be in line with the Callan Park Act and the Callan Park Masterplan, which identifies Callan Park as a “future Centre for Excellence in Mental Health”.
The proposal complements the Master Plan Council came up with after carrying out extensive community consultation. It presented it to the NSW government but it remains in draft form, its recommendations yet to be acted upon.
This inaction has proved harmful to many of the site’s empty buildings and gardens, which have further deteriorated. Some buildings are boarded up to prevent vandalism, some have been damaged by water and vermin entering through broken windows and damaged roofs, others are infested with cats and have collapsed verandahs or rising damp.
The buildings were originally used for another group of ‘boat people’. The early psychiatric facilities were all waterfront. The reason for this was to protect public safety by not transporting patients and prisoners by road. They were moved via barges, hence the waterfront locations at places like Callan Park.
They presently act as a showcase of failed efforts to incorporate art into our school curriculum.They attract children who don’t go to school for one reason or another.
They’ve been a magnet for expelled children,lured by the lucre of copper down pipes.
{ See: betweenthelineseducation.blogspot.com Find: metal scavenging }
The buildings have been allowed to deteriorate and fall apart ,the reason given that asbestos removal
was too difficult and too expensive to fund.been allowed to deteriorate and fall apart due to deliberate neglect under the excuse that asbestos removal was too difficult and expensive to fund.
‘If the inner west of Sydney can't send a proud and clear message that we can accept some refugees in our own backyard, then what hope are we of overcoming the toxic, low-grade debate that has existed in this country for 15 years?’said the Mayor,Darcy Byrne .
He said a permanent mental health service for the wider community would also be established with the funding.
Refugee Advice and Casework Service executive director Tanya Jackson-Vaughan supported the plan and hoped people would give it consideration despite the terror attacks in Paris.
She said she was reluctant to put terrorist and refugee in the same sentence as she did not want people to conflate the two.
“They are fleeing what happened in Paris everyday.....the Opera House wasn’t turned the colour of the Lebanese flag.”
“Idiots commit crimes wheverever you are and it has nothing to do with refugees who are waiting to be settled,” Ms Jackson-Vaughan said.
“The Syrian refugees who are coming are hand-picked by the government and they will be given accommodation, Centrelink, and access to education which is very different from people who are seeking asylum.”
The plan is supported by Settlement Services International (SSI). It leads 22 organisations,including Metro Assist which delivers settlement support to new migrants and refugees across the state, within
the first five years of their arrival. They form part of a large consortium, the NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP), which is led by SSI. The NSP is supported by the Department of Social Services under the Families and Communities Programme (Settlement Services).
Some residents have opposed the Centre,claiming mental health patients and homeless people should be a priority for any services in the prime waterfront buildings ahead of refugees.
Police were called to a Council meeting in November 2015 after anti Islam protesters stormed the chamber,brandishing placards and shouting slogans,slamming the refugee proposal.
I passed my support for the proposal to the Deputy Mayor at a Christmas luncheon and am now registered for a place in the Council’s support team.
Whether we like it or not the Syrian influx is coming.It is vital for one and all that the resettlement be harmonious.
was too difficult and too expensive to fund.been allowed to deteriorate and fall apart due to deliberate neglect under the excuse that asbestos removal was too difficult and expensive to fund.
‘If the inner west of Sydney can't send a proud and clear message that we can accept some refugees in our own backyard, then what hope are we of overcoming the toxic, low-grade debate that has existed in this country for 15 years?’said the Mayor,Darcy Byrne .
He said a permanent mental health service for the wider community would also be established with the funding.
Refugee Advice and Casework Service executive director Tanya Jackson-Vaughan supported the plan and hoped people would give it consideration despite the terror attacks in Paris.
She said she was reluctant to put terrorist and refugee in the same sentence as she did not want people to conflate the two.
“They are fleeing what happened in Paris everyday.....the Opera House wasn’t turned the colour of the Lebanese flag.”
“Idiots commit crimes wheverever you are and it has nothing to do with refugees who are waiting to be settled,” Ms Jackson-Vaughan said.
“The Syrian refugees who are coming are hand-picked by the government and they will be given accommodation, Centrelink, and access to education which is very different from people who are seeking asylum.”
The plan is supported by Settlement Services International (SSI). It leads 22 organisations,including Metro Assist which delivers settlement support to new migrants and refugees across the state, within
the first five years of their arrival. They form part of a large consortium, the NSW Settlement Partnership (NSP), which is led by SSI. The NSP is supported by the Department of Social Services under the Families and Communities Programme (Settlement Services).
Some residents have opposed the Centre,claiming mental health patients and homeless people should be a priority for any services in the prime waterfront buildings ahead of refugees.
Police were called to a Council meeting in November 2015 after anti Islam protesters stormed the chamber,brandishing placards and shouting slogans,slamming the refugee proposal.
I passed my support for the proposal to the Deputy Mayor at a Christmas luncheon and am now registered for a place in the Council’s support team.
Whether we like it or not the Syrian influx is coming.It is vital for one and all that the resettlement be harmonious.
One of the ladies at the luncheon,a migrant herself, expressed the feeling that her childrens’ generation would not get the same 'preferential treatment' as the newcomers.We discussed this in a congenial atmosphere and Carmen was very amicable.
Peter,a proud ex-serviceman, assured her how successful and relatively smoothly the Vietnamese influx had been handled.
Darcy’s proposal led to the inevitable outpouring of criticism from some.As well as the offensive and ignorant,some are sincerely concerned about the lack of decent housing prospects for young native born Australians.
My sons are faced with the same dim prospects but know it’s not caused by refugees.They marched with Darcy to protest the abortive, pre-emptive and illegal attacks on the Baathist states.They know the Nimby ‘silent’ supporters are not about campaigning for better housing for all Australians .
Those officially overseeing the resettlement lost no time drawing attention to the deficiencies and weaknesses in their operations.
Once again in history it falls to those who stepped out against the war to come to the fore.
To pick up the pieces.
To secure the home front.
This is the task taken on by the leader of the British Labour Party.
This was task undertaken by Harry Perkins, steel worker. and trade unionist from Sheffield.
Disarmament is where our kismet lies.
Not in any military arsenal.
These support operations must involve those who stepped out, taking to the street against shock and awe, scattering the poor.
They could involve middle class,educated people who have the time and are potential volunteers.They would have refugees on their doorstep they could help without having to drive for an hour .
The proposal for Callan Park could provide a model in which Australians keep up with their
Canadian cousins and regain that relative moral ground lost to, must I say it,the Germans.
The new arrivals could become totally and rapidly immersed in Australian language and culture here before fanning out to their allocated places of resettlement.
They could then pass on this knowledge to others, including our many homegrown semi-literates.’
‘They won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English,' Immigration Minister Dutton warned of humanitarian refugees.
If that were true,why should that be an objection? They should feel right at home.
And if that were true,how does that justify restricting their knowledge of English?
The Minister’s word echo those of the leader of Australia’s populist,nativist parliamentary bloc of whose views he is ‘ respectful’. Besides “the privileges Aboriginals enjoy over other Australians” and the threat of being “swamped by Asians”, one of the many concerns they’ve raised in Parliament is that ‘we are being swamped by Muslims’,who have bore ‘a culture and ideology that isincompatible with our own’. Like their counterparts abroad,this new bloc wants Muslim immigration to cease, a
ban on new mosques in which hatred against Australia is preached.Huh!No kinds of Australians would dare tolerate that. The leader of the bloc has declared, ‘We are a Christian country and that's what I'm saying. John Howard said we have a right to say who comes into our country and I'm saying exactly the same.’
What kind of Christians are these?
Australia is a secular country and should stay that way.
They want a royal commission into Islam and climate science.
Their demands seem to be being met to some extent.
In spite of Premier Baird’s expressed humanitarian impulse and what he says is NSW's focus on
settling Syrian refugees,the expected surge of migrants from Syria is now believed to have slowed to a trickle. Priority is being given to families and children and those considered to be vulnerable. Just over 20 people have arrived here in February 2016 as the Federal Government ramps up its security checks. A document leaked to ABC Lateline includes a warning about the 12,000 Syrian refugees coming to Australia and argues in favour of increasing monitoring.
The document states"... it is expected that some refugees from this conflict will bring issues, beliefs or associations that lead them to advocate or engage in politically motivated or communal violence." It cites links between terrorist attacks on Australian soil and Australia's humanitarian intake, pointing to,among a few well known others, Parramatta police shooter Farhad Jabar.
New South Wales is a State of Reluctance.
Those responsible for public education are still reluctant to encourage all children to read and write about their homeland.Those responsible for community services seem reluctant to encourage all newcomers to read and write about their new homeland.
In April 2016 a meeting organised by the local Council was held in Balmain Town Hall to explain the progress on establishing the Welcome Centre at Callan Park.I handed out flyers expressing my wish to make contact with other volunteers who would like to collaborate on the education project I started.I stated how it could be employed for the Centre.I discussed this with the representative of SSI and the Council’s Manager of Community and Cultural Services.
The latter had answered a volley of critical questions from one unsympathetic resident who asked why so many people had not been informed about the meeting.
In June the democratically elected Councillors informed me that the Welcome Centre had been opened.Importantly it also has the support of the government imposed administrator of the amalgamated councils. I could see in our local newspaper that it had attracted a large crowd which would have been an ideal occasion for me to leaflet again.Alas I was not informed.
I spoke to the Council’s Manager of Community and Cultural Services asking for the timeline of commencing operations. I was told that although the Centre had been opened,so much renovating work needed to be done and that operations were several months down the line.That at least gives me time to make contact with someone else seriously interested in working with me.
I spoke to the the Manager about my difficulty with the resettlement ‘consortium’.I forwarded to her my toned down message to the public with it’s references to Henry Parkes.She said this made her feel ‘ uncomfortable’.Goodness knows what she would think if I mentioned what I really wanted to say about timidity,slackness or whatever it is that stops resettlement bureaucrats carrying out their social responsibilities.
They should approach this epochal resettlement as more than just part of a job.
It requires dedication,involvement of the community and most importantly co-ordination of resources.
Canadian cousins and regain that relative moral ground lost to, must I say it,the Germans.
The new arrivals could become totally and rapidly immersed in Australian language and culture here before fanning out to their allocated places of resettlement.
They could then pass on this knowledge to others, including our many homegrown semi-literates.’
‘They won't be numerate or literate in their own language, let alone English,' Immigration Minister Dutton warned of humanitarian refugees.
If that were true,why should that be an objection? They should feel right at home.
And if that were true,how does that justify restricting their knowledge of English?
The Minister’s word echo those of the leader of Australia’s populist,nativist parliamentary bloc of whose views he is ‘ respectful’. Besides “the privileges Aboriginals enjoy over other Australians” and the threat of being “swamped by Asians”, one of the many concerns they’ve raised in Parliament is that ‘we are being swamped by Muslims’,who have bore ‘a culture and ideology that isincompatible with our own’. Like their counterparts abroad,this new bloc wants Muslim immigration to cease, a
ban on new mosques in which hatred against Australia is preached.Huh!No kinds of Australians would dare tolerate that. The leader of the bloc has declared, ‘We are a Christian country and that's what I'm saying. John Howard said we have a right to say who comes into our country and I'm saying exactly the same.’
What kind of Christians are these?
Australia is a secular country and should stay that way.
They want a royal commission into Islam and climate science.
Their demands seem to be being met to some extent.
In spite of Premier Baird’s expressed humanitarian impulse and what he says is NSW's focus on
settling Syrian refugees,the expected surge of migrants from Syria is now believed to have slowed to a trickle. Priority is being given to families and children and those considered to be vulnerable. Just over 20 people have arrived here in February 2016 as the Federal Government ramps up its security checks. A document leaked to ABC Lateline includes a warning about the 12,000 Syrian refugees coming to Australia and argues in favour of increasing monitoring.
The document states"... it is expected that some refugees from this conflict will bring issues, beliefs or associations that lead them to advocate or engage in politically motivated or communal violence." It cites links between terrorist attacks on Australian soil and Australia's humanitarian intake, pointing to,among a few well known others, Parramatta police shooter Farhad Jabar.
New South Wales is a State of Reluctance.
Those responsible for public education are still reluctant to encourage all children to read and write about their homeland.Those responsible for community services seem reluctant to encourage all newcomers to read and write about their new homeland.
In April 2016 a meeting organised by the local Council was held in Balmain Town Hall to explain the progress on establishing the Welcome Centre at Callan Park.I handed out flyers expressing my wish to make contact with other volunteers who would like to collaborate on the education project I started.I stated how it could be employed for the Centre.I discussed this with the representative of SSI and the Council’s Manager of Community and Cultural Services.
The latter had answered a volley of critical questions from one unsympathetic resident who asked why so many people had not been informed about the meeting.
In June the democratically elected Councillors informed me that the Welcome Centre had been opened.Importantly it also has the support of the government imposed administrator of the amalgamated councils. I could see in our local newspaper that it had attracted a large crowd which would have been an ideal occasion for me to leaflet again.Alas I was not informed.
I spoke to the Council’s Manager of Community and Cultural Services asking for the timeline of commencing operations. I was told that although the Centre had been opened,so much renovating work needed to be done and that operations were several months down the line.That at least gives me time to make contact with someone else seriously interested in working with me.
I spoke to the the Manager about my difficulty with the resettlement ‘consortium’.I forwarded to her my toned down message to the public with it’s references to Henry Parkes.She said this made her feel ‘ uncomfortable’.Goodness knows what she would think if I mentioned what I really wanted to say about timidity,slackness or whatever it is that stops resettlement bureaucrats carrying out their social responsibilities.
They should approach this epochal resettlement as more than just part of a job.
It requires dedication,involvement of the community and most importantly co-ordination of resources.
I attended a discussion day in Bankstown held jointly with the Bankstown Multicultural Youth Service.This was held one fine,sunny day at the not for profit Peppertree Café, a project of the Service.I was met by Nick,my handler from the Centre who escorted me inside. The Café, at Bankstown,is designed to help disadvantaged young people get a start in their hospitality career.It likes to be known for it’s do-gooder vibes and where one can simply sit back in it’s industrial decor and enjoy some contemporary cafe fare in a chilled environment.The café was set up to provide employment readiness training which includes being knowledgable and dealing with the widest variety of clientele. While the mornings business was being sorted out,I decided to put one staff member on duty to the test while I ordered an industrial strength brunch .
Unsure how kosher certain foods were and how politics went down in this neck of the multicultural woods, looking for clues,I jotted down down ‘Pork Eating’ on a serviette and asked her ‘How do you feel about serving this here?
She replied, ‘He’s welcome here at any time.’
She knew that this was the homeground of our former Prime Minister and investor in a piggery,Paul Keating.She knew this was how some locals pronounce his name.
‘When he came’,she said,we offered him the Magical Mystery Meal.’
After he finished,he wrote on a serviette, ‘Whale oil beef hooked-it’s gammon.’
I said, ‘Yes, it is gammon.But we don’t use whale oil and it’s not beef that’s been hanging at the at abattoir.’
'Mr.Keating is famous for his Irish wit,’I explained.What he means is that the meal was both a surprise and a pleasure.’Now I knew the menu satisfied my catholic tastes, I proceeded to the second part of the test.I suggested to her I play the part of a mute patron.Instead of wasting words,I then asked for precisely what I wanted. I wrote on the serviette:‘F U N E M N X?’
Without blinking an eyelid,she came back immediately with the reply: ‘S, V F M N X.’
'F.U.N.E.T.?’I wrote and held up.
‘S.V.F.T.’she wrote in reply, adding more to check my order was correct.
‘O.K. M.X.N.T.4.1.’,
‘What kind of code is that?’asked a puzzled patron next to me. I translated for her the exchange.The first was my question:
‘Have you any ham and eggs?’
The final order she wrote on her pad was ‘O.K.Ham and eggs and tea for one.’
During my meal I thanked my fellow creatures for what they had sacrificed. A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.
After a nourishing meal, treated to the highest standards of hospitality service, I met up with a charming group of levantine ladies to show my work and tell of my experience.We talked about the specific shortcomings of the education education in Australia and the tragedy deepening throughout the Levant and beyond. I told them how this was an area I’d travelled through during happier days and now write about.We talked about the connection between all the problems, both here and at the eye of the storm. We talked about how our capacity to maintain social harmony here is being stretched along orthodox lines and the need by everyone to raise the level of literacy in our populace in a global way .The inevitable question arose: How can we teach a working knowledge of English and our culture to those escaping the storm if we cannot to our own? Mercifully the ladies understand that those escaping come from traditional cultures and are mostly highly respectful of the educational process, something we can learn from.
The Truckie, the Tamil and the Teacher.
Paolo needs to improve his English so as to be able to carry on his work as a truck driver in Australia. I made up a conversation group with him and Kodees,a Tamil refugee at Strathfield Community Centre.After
hearing Paolo speak,I realised my
knowledge of cinematic Italian American English would provide a bridge
to communication. We were interested in finding out about his work and
experiences in this area.
experiences in this area.
‘iamo – let’s go!’I
declared.
‘You must have interesting stories to
tell about this,Paolo.About you and others.’
‘About much others.’
‘Paolo, much
means ‘a lot of’. ‘Many means ‘a large number of.’
‘I always get these mixed up.Thanks
for explaining it to me.It means a lot.’
‘Could you tell us some of your stories ?’
‘Now where can I start?’he said,scratching his
head.
‘O.K.What kind of goods did you carry?’
‘All kinds of stuff you name it, I’ve carried
it.Cement,tiles,food et cetera.’
‘What were some of your most interesting assignments?’
‘Well,there was the time I was pushing this 18-wheeler along the Autostrada. At every red light, I had to get out of my cabin, run back and bang on the truck door.Other motorists were very puzzled to see me doing this. Can you guess what I had on board?’Neither Kodees nor I could guess what he was carrying.
‘I give up,’ I said.
‘Me too’, said Kodees.
‘I had twenty tonnes of budgerigars and a ten tonne limit, so I had to keep half of them flying at all times."
‘Minch’ – wow!You have to be aware of the cargo’s weight.Did you ever carry any heavier loads than this aviary?’
‘I did.You won’t believe what it was.Neither did the police.’
‘Was it an elephant?’asked Kodee.
‘Listen.One day I was heading along the road. A sign came up that read ‘Low Bridge Ahead’'.I
didn’t see any police so I drove on. Before I knew it, the bridge was right ahead of me and muggins me got stuck under it.This was a real pain in the---.
‘Pain in the neck’,I added discreetly. ‘A real scorchamend’.
I-malano-miau! – I couldn’t believe it! Cars were backed up for miles.
Finally, a carload of carabinieri pulled up. One cop got out of his car and walked around to me put, his hands on his hips and said, ‘What is this? Ma che quest’? Got stuck huh?”
“No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of diesel.”
‘You always have to calculate how much space you have before you drive under bridges and through tunnels,’I said.
‘You always have to calculate how much space you have before you drive under bridges and through tunnels,’I said.
‘What about dangerous cargo?’I asked.Did you ever carry anything more dangerous than a load of buzzing budgies ?’.
‘Yes. radioactive waste.I used to deliver it for the local reactor.’
‘That sounds risky.’
‘Si.Molto pericoloso.Como se dice—dangerous. ,This is stuff is disgust---
‘--disgusting.Schifozz’.
‘This stuff is disgusting.’‘Did it affect your health?’
‘Maronna mia! Oh my God!I began to be taken sick after some time on the job.’
‘What did you do about it?’
‘I decided to seek compensation for this ailment. Upon my arrival at the workers' compensation department, I was interviewed by an assessor.He said: ‘I see you work with radio-active materials and wish to claim compensation.’
‘ Indeed, I feel really sick.’
‘What do your employers have to say about their responsibility?’
‘They say, 'How do you know? What you can't see, can't hurt you.’
‘It’s easy to say that.’
’That’s what my colleague was led to believe. He died of radiation poisoning a few months back’
‘Alright then, Does your employer take measures to protect you from radiation poisoning?
‘Yes, he gives me a lead suit to wear on the job.’
‘ And what about the cabin in which you drive?’
‘That's lead lined, all lead lined.’
‘What about the waste itself? Where is that kept?’
‘The stuff is held in a lead container, all lead.’
‘Let me see if I get this straight. You wear a lead suit, sit in a lead-lined cabin and the radio-active waste is kept in a lead container.’
‘That’s right. All lead.’
‘Then I can't see how you could claim against him for radiation poisoning.’
‘I'm not. I’m claiming for lead poisoning.’
‘Truck driving is really is dangerous,Paolo.Did you ever have any accidents?’
‘Once I crashed the tanker I was driving. I spilled its load onto the motorway.The police stopped all oncoming vehicles and warned the drivers to stick to the inside lane.’
'What were you carrying?
‘A consignment of glue.’
‘Some people have the wrong idea of truck drivers.Have you had any trouble on account of this?’
‘You come across all kinds of people out on the road.Once I was sitting down in a small roadside cafe, at a table in a corner reserved with a grimy Campari sign.I was minding my own business, looking forward to a plate of spaghetti and a beer. As I was about to eat, three of the nastiest, meanest looking hoons come roaring in to the parking lot.They entered the café boisterously, taking over the tiny place.Two of them squeezed next to a woman wearing a leather jacket, eating a hamburger and drinking a milkshake.One hoon said to her rudely, ‘Make room, you silly cow!’
The capitan noticed little old me in the corner sitting opposite an old man and came over to mark the territory. Capish’?
‘I understand.He sounds like Christopher Moltisanti-someone who’ll go out of his way to make trouble.What happened next?’
He towered over the old man and said, ‘Old feller,I’m giving you fair warning. Anything you do to that chicken, I’m going to do to you.’
So the old man put down his knife and fork, picked up that chicken and kissed it.
He then turned his attention to me, looking at the seat next to me and asking ‘Is anyone sitting there?’
‘It doesn’t look like it,does it.’
‘Sitting down,he started giving me a hard time-he put his fingers in my pasta and slurped it into his faccia brutta, his ugly face,’said Paolo, screwing up his own face and pointing to it.This stupido had a face like this.
‘Faccia questa cosi!’
The waitress came over crying ‘Leave him al—
--one! Lascialui!’
‘Leave him alone’. She asked ‘What the,what the—
‘What the hell are you doing? Ma che cozz’u fai?!’
‘Fatti gatti due!’he shouted, ‘mind your own f—ing business! Staizii! -be quiet!
‘Then this good for nothing sc---
‘Scumbag.’
Then this good for nothing scumbag spat in my meal and asked ‘Are you hungry”
‘Sesenta fame?’
‘He ordered Mangi!Eat!’
‘Just like the old man,I didn’t let myself be provoked’,Paolo continued.I wanted to shout ‘Ffangul’!- go f— yourself !’ but held my tongue.I remembered what my papa told me once:Never pick a fight with an ugly person.they've got nothing to lose. Soon this pazzo-idiot- got frustrated by my lack of response and dumped my spaghetti plate right on my head. I was covered with noodles and sauce was dripping down my face.I told this bad dude,this sfacimm’ I didn’t want any trouble and cleaned away the mess. The buttagot-idiot- wasn’t done trailing his leather coat-- he told me I’m a ‘lily-livered cissy’ and dumped my beer right in my lap. I thought ‘watch out, you’re gonna get hurt!
‘uarda la ciunca! And then---‘
‘I jumped to my feet.The room was silent. The bikers thought they were finally going to see some action -- but I just sauntered over to the cash register, settled the check and strode out the door.
‘What happened after that?
‘What happened after that was recounted to me later by the waitress:
‘ A minute or two passed and the head hoon decided to have the last word, "That guy sure isn't much of a man!" About ten seconds of silence followed. The silence was shattered by the sound of mangled metal and the words of the waitress... "And he sure isn't much of a driver either. He just backed his 18-wheeler over three motorcycles.’
‘Bada bing!’,I cried,banging my hand on the table. ‘Bam!Do you have any more stories for us?’
‘Un altra volta.’
‘Un ada oda’,I translated, ‘another time’.
Unless stated otherwise,all footnotes refer to the Sydney Morning Herald.
1.Sydney Morning Herald(S.M.H.) 04/11/2002 ( journalists Gerard Noonan and Anita Catellano ) According to the Federal Education Minister illiteracy is costing Australia billions of dollars a year in lost productivity and is promoting social and economic inequity.
(S.M.H.) 15/03/1991 (Paul Chamberlin) and 21/06/1996 (Stephanie Raethel) According to the Federal Education Minister, up to twenty percent of children fail to master literacy and numeracy skills by the time they leave primary school.
S.M.H. (Tina Diaz ) According to a Federal Pariamentary Committee up to 25 percent of primary school children go on to high school without being able to read and write adequately.
2. This is according to a statement by the Coalition Science spokesman .
3.S.M.H. 19/04/1990 (Peter Hughes )
4. Sun Herald 16/12/2001 (Alex Mitchell )
5.S.M.H. (Robyn Willis ) After the release of this study the N.S.W. State Employment Minister said 8% of NSW workers believed their inability to read and write stopped them from achieving their full potential at work.
6. The Age April4,2011.
7.S.M.H.( James Robertson)page 13, April 23,2012]
The Core Skills Framework identifies five levels of literacy and numeracy performance. Level Three is held to be the "minimum required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life", yet at least 40 per cent of Aborigines are estimated to rank at or below Level One. That dismal statistic helps to explain why Australia ranks below Cuba on some world literacy tables despite being 10 times richer on a per capita basis.
8. Sydney Morning Herald 24/1/2004. Report: “Class Divide”.
9. The Henry Parkes Foundation. Cremorne. SMH 20/1/04
10.[SMH obituary to Rex Jackson5/1/2012]
11.To be determined.
12. 29/01/1985.30/01/1985.02/12/1987.17/04/1991.
13. Daily Telegraph .16/02/1997.
14. To be determined.
15. 01/07/1987.Sunday Telegraph 29/12/1996 p.7. 22/07/1987. Daily Telegraph 23/04/1994.17/03/1997.
16. Daily Telegraph. 05/10/1989 p.1
17. CHECK.23/10/ .11/06/1996.06/06/1998.CHECK.17/07/2000.20/06/2004.19/07/2003.
18. 16/11/1987.(Ross Coulthart)
19. 24/05/1989 p9
20. (Luis M.Garcia )
21. 28/07/1990 (Paola Totaro )
22. 26/06/2004 (Linda Doherty)
23. 13/05/2002 (Linda Doherty )
24. 17/08/1988 p17
25. 26/03/2003 (Linda Doherty )
26. D/T ? 05/08/1988 (Jacqui Hocking )
27. D/T 01/07/1988 p1
28. D/T 17/07/1988 (Sarah Harris & Nick Yardley)
29. D/M 26/08/1987
30. D/T 29/08/1988 (Peter Grimshaw)
31. (Robert Wainwright )
32. 04/08/1988 (Richard Macey )
33. 31/05/1990 (Matthew Moore & Julie Lewis )
34. (Richard Macey )p.235. 02/09/2002 p4
36. 05/01/2004 ( Linda Doherty )
37. S/T 15/10/200 p22
38. 18/12/1991 (Kathleen Hickie )
39. 25/10/1999
40. D/T 10/03/1997 p1
41. 15/09/Year ? (Stephanie Raethel )
42. (Check )
43. From the Address given to the Architecture,Engineering and Science Graduation by the Hon.Rod Cavalier,Minister for Education,on May 3rd 1986
44. 27/10/2001 (Robert Wainwright )
45. The Minister for Education Mr Cavalier,speaking at a graduation ceremony at the NSW Institute of Technology. (Anne Susskind )
46. 09/04/1990 (Paola Totaro )
47. 17/07/1991
48. 15/08/1991 Spoken by Minister Mrs Chadwick
49. (Paola Totaro ) Spoken by Minister Mrs Chadwick
50. 15/12/1989 (Richard Macey )
51. 18/10/2004 (Kelly Bourke )
52. 07/02/2004 (Kelly Bourke )
53. 08/04/2000 (Gerard Noonan )
54. 17/08/1988 p17
54b Queensland Media Club,August 1,2013
55. 04/01/1992 Minister Metherell interviewed by John Doyle.
56. 22/06/Year ? ( Anne Susskind and Luis M .Garcia )
57. 11/12/1991 ( Mike Stekatee )
58. Punch Magazine 12/01/1990 p21
59. 13/05/1992 (Mark Coultan)
60. Check Minister Rod Cavalier
61. (Judith Whelan )
62. 16/12/2001
63. A statement made on ABC’s “ Focal Point “ by the Department’s PR Officer,Frank Meaney.
64. See entry Eugenics in Encyclopaedia Brittanica
65. Robert Manne.
66. Statement by Mr Frank Meaney (Margaret Harris,Medical Reporter )
67. Ditto
68. 17/06/1988 ( Bernard Lagan )
69. ( Jim Pollard )
70. 23/11/1989 ( Anne Susskind )
71. 11/02/1989 ( Anne Susskind )
72. Source to be determined. Comment by Minister Cavalier about his policy statements, copies of which were distributed to all schools.
73. Check source. Minister Metherell in statement to the Herald.
74. 17/08/1988 p.9
75. 01/07/1988 (Anne Susskind )
76. Ditto
77. 29/05/2004 ( Linda Doherty )
78. (Luis M. Garcia & Philip Clark )
79. 19/06/1989 p4
80. 18/06/1989 p37
81. Daily Telegraph (Darren Goodsir )
82. 02/02/2004 (Cosima Marriner & Mark Metherell )
83. Ditto
84. Source to be determined.
85. Source to be determined.
86. 22/01/2004 (Mark Metherell ,Cosima Merriner & Aban Contractor )
87. Ditto
88. 22/03/2005 (Damien Murphy )
89. 03/05/2004 (Linda Doherty )
90. 13/05/1992 (Tony Stephens )
91. 07/12/1996 (David Luff)
92. 15/08/1989 (Philip Clark ) Deputy Premier Murray addressing a banker’s lunch.
93. Source to be determined.
94. 22/06/1988 (Anne Susskind ) 17/02/1990 Spokesman for Premier Greiner commenting on the Premier being pelted by food snd empty drink cans at Lithgow High School.
95. 02/11/1989 (Mathew Moore ) p.2
96. 18/08/1988 p.1
97.Source to be determined.
98. 9/11/2004 (Kelly Bourke )
99. 13/11/2004 (Kelly Bourke )
100. 29/01/1987 p.10 (Armstrong ) on politics
101. Statement by the Dept of School Educaion’s assistant director-general for Human Resources, Ms Jan McClelland
102. (Luis M. Garcia ) Comments made in an interview with the Melbourne Sun News Pictorial.
103. Ditto
104. (Anne Susskind ) Minister Cavalier announcing a dramatic rise in the number of expulsions and suspensions.
105. Spokesman for Justice Minister Terry Griffith.
106. Minister for Corrective Services Michael Yabsley.
107. Report by the chief executve of the PMS ,Dr Frank McLeod in response to Minister Chadwick’s policies.
108. Statement by Minister Chadwick following chronic staff shortages at Minda ,the states highest security institution for juveniles and the closing of Endeavour House at Tamworth.
109. 31/10/1987 (Graham Williams )
110. Statement by spokesman for Corrective Services Minister Yabsley.
111. 15/12/1991 Letter to the Editor by Tony Vincent ,Dean,Faculty of Professional Studies,Uni of NSW.Referring to statement by the present Minister of Corrective Services.
112. Statement by Minister of Police Pickering .
113. Ditto.
114. 04/10/2004 (Michael Pelly )
115. ( Paola Tortaro ) article “ Free schooling gets to be costly “ (Stephen Long )
116. 12/04/1989 ( Luis M. Garcia )
117. 20/05/1989 ( Philip Clark & Mathew Moore )
118. ( Lynnette Cassells & Alex Mitchell) Announcement by Minister for Family and Community Services Chadwick in a joint initiative with Minister Yabsley.
119. Statement by Minister Pickering.
120. 07/03/1991 p.2 (Karin Bishop ) This is the offensive language provisions of the Summary 120. Offences Act.”. A sixteen year old high school student from south west Sydney was charged with this crime and appeared in Minda children’s court.
121. The comment about being thrown in jail was made by Queensland Coalition “ Minister for Everything “Russell Hinze when he told a lawyer Mr Waterhouse to “f--- off
122. NSW National Party Leader,not happy about the prospect of three-cornered election contests in the bush.
123. Mr Murray called out “Jeez I’ll have another sausage on the strength of that “ on election night as another Labour minister fell.
124. SMH,29/2/2012,Phillip Coorey.
125.Queensland Deputy Premier and National Party Leader Mr Gunn.
126.Premier Greiner referring to Education Minister Metherell.
127.Minister Metherell described as bull… claims reported by by teachers and principals in a Herald survey.The survey found an increase in unsupervised classes in senior high school,but the minister denied this whole admitting the Dept. had no hard data.
128.7/11/1990 and 25/06/1988 Premier Greiner according to a ministerial adviser is prone to pour out a stream of conscious invective where he repeats this vulgarity.08/07/91 Premier Greiner’s self styled “ordinary man”,the member Bob Graham ,who revealed that there were sweeping powers against teachers talks about “the wind’ that comes out with the sh… released by his opponents.5/10/1991 A spokesman for Minister Tim Moore described Minister Metherell’s description of the decision making process as horse…
128a.Tony Abbott, Oct 31,2007.
129.01/03/1990 Deputy Speaker of the NSW Parliament, Ms Wendy Machin.
130.17/11/1990 Referring to the Labor Party strategy towards him.
131.Daily Telegraph 09/06/2000 p.12 (David Penberthy).
132.17/05/1991 ( Mike Seccombe ) Mr Wilson Tuckey told the Parliament “You can all piss off”
133.Premier Greiner referring to his Minister for Transport,Mr Baird.
134.11/03/1989 Premier Greiner talking about his ambitions.
135.Premier Greiner referring to the Newcastle earthquake.14/12/1991 (Mike Coulton )
136.Referring to his inability to understand his Minister for Education.
137.T/A p5 20/10/1999
138.Sun Herald 04/09/1988 p1
139.Victorian Liberal Party Leader Kennett on his carphone to Andrew Peacock
140.Mr Peacock warning the T/A journalist Paul Kelly.
141.19/01/1992 Tasmanian Coalition Premier Gray referring to female Parliamentarians.
142.07/03/1991 Secretary of the Police Association,Mr Lloyd Taylor.
143.04/06/1981 (Anne Suskind)
144.D/T 22/06/ ? (Nick Yardley )
145.Ditto
146.Statement by Minister Metherell (Luis M. Garcia )
147.D/T 16/06/ ?
148.9/10/1989 (Adam Connolly )
149.NSW Police Minister ,Mr Pickering addressing the Australian Police Ministers Council in Canberra,according to the “Australian Senior Citizen” column 8 26/03/1992
150.These powers are in the Public Disorder section of the Summary Offences Act.
151.06/01/1989 Acting Premier Wal Murray talking about the manning of some NSW police stations
152.Police Minister Pickering speaking to the “Liverpool Champion “ in answer to a question about the drug problem. (Bernard Lagan )
153.Premier Greiner’s suggestion for solving problems in Redfern.
154.The Deputy Premier Mr Murray was referring to a curfew self imposed by aboriginals in Moree and conducted by the Moree Lands Council.
155.D/T ( David Armstrong ) Warning by Minister Cavalier.
156.Ditto
157.08/02/1990 P3 (Luis M. Garcia )
158.14/04/1990 (Alicia Larriera )
159.18/12/1990 (Alicia Larriera ) The NSW Dept of Family and Community Services admitted that it had lost 17 of its state wards .
160.16/03/1997 (Alex Mitchell )
161.Sun Herald 01/12/2002 (Mathew Bens) According to former NSW Director General of Education Dr Ken Boston
162.Sun Herald 23/02/1997 Editorial
163.28/02/1997 (Morgan Ogg)
164.Sun Herald19/04/209
165.Headline “Greiner :we have failed on welfare “ Family and Community Srevices Minister Virginia Chadwick refused to discuss the Premier’s aassessment.
166.National Party shadow minister John Sharp.(Tom Burton & Pilita Clark )
167.03/01/1991 p3 (Paola Totaro )
168.(Brad Norington)
169.S.M.H.Quick learner aims high May9 2011
170.17/07/2010 p5 ( Heath Gilmore)
