EDUCATIONAL POINT TO PONDER

There is one problem and one main problem only that underpins indigenous education. It’s that of school attendance. I have been connected directly and indirectly with remote education (both as a school principal and an interested follower in retirement) and can tell you that non-attendance, disrupted schooling and “gapped” education is an issue of a half century or longer. It is the most enduring problem confronting indigenous education.

It stands to reason that with so much missed education, particularly in early years when key learning takes place, that aboriginal students are not going to succeed either within their communities or if they’re taken away into boarding contexts.

The problem can be fixed but people won’t bother. Take it from me that I had success in overcoming issues of school attendance.

For years I was principal

of Angurugu School on Groote Eylandt and we overcame the problem; Angurugu now has the worst record for school attendance of any indigenous school in Australia. It’s not alone for chronic non-attendance is a problem everywhere but is one that educational systems will not confront.

EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

A number of remote communities in East Arnhem are losing their funding for the provision of after school hours care programs. Some disappointment has been expressed at the curtailment of services, but the change is totally understandable. These programs are only relevant if children attend school. Chronic non- attendance and truancy make the provision of such services totally farcical.

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Denise Cahill ( A lesson on how not to be a leader, Sun. Territorian 25/10/20) makes some salient points on what elevates and deflates leaders in the eyes of beholders. The power of personal example is ever so important bin determined respect held for leaders. Good leaders are also people who learn about how to lead, by learning (often from observation) about what not to do as a leader. Leadership based on respect cannot be transcended.

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Parents need to be on guard and absolutely aware of the online sites their children visit and the online games that can be so absorbing. Schools play their part, but awareness, education and the shaping of young attitudes has to start in the home. Parents discount this issue at their peril, for it is one of clear and distinct danger to children.

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EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

I hope many of our students who are facing situations of phyrric and compromised year twelve results, elect to revisit their final year of secondary school in 2021. COVID-19 has played havoc with and destabilised the 2020 educational year, largely trashing learning opportunity that should be satisfying and rewarding. Revisiting year 12 next year could provide the fulfilment stripped from students this year.

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It is a shame that the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has seen fit to cut the interest rate on the Dollarmite accounts of children who are learning to save through school banking. Saving money is becoming an increasingly rare skill and children need to understand the importance of saving against the future. The CBA’s reduction of what was already a small interest reward for a very important attitude is disappointing. Hopefully children will not be discouraged from saving.

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Congratulations to Bryce Fullwood our home grown Territorian, who has debuted on the Supercar stage. He has done the hard yards and worked assiduously to claim the status he is now earning. He is an example to all young Territorians and has proven that hard work and dedication pays off.

EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION – A LAMENT

How good it would be if I could ever have a conversation with the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs on matters to do with Indigenous Education. That of course will never happen because the way things were managed and met in past times, together with strategies that were tried and which worked are of no interest to present leaders.

It is little wonder that in so many ways we get stuck

on Genesis 1: 1.

The shame of turning away from the history of Indigenous education is that there were many things done that were good in terms of both approach and outcome. Peer mentoring is a strategy that could have been employed but never has been used. Sadly, remote education goes around in circles, gaining little ground. And that is both a terrible shame and a sad waste of human and material resources.

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EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

Clearly, there needs to be a stringent examination of the financial accounting processes that have operated at the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE). It may be wise to draw a line under tenuous operational processes and start afresh. What has happened historically seems to have muddied the waters, making it hard for the Institute to get a firm grip on future directions. Going forward, there MUST be full financial accountability based on clear accounting processes.

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Matters surrounding the Remote Aboriginal Teacher Education (RATE) program (NT News 4/1) are somewhat unclear. The program described as ‘groundbreaking’ ran in the 1980’s and 90’s, helping qualify Indigenous staff to work as teachers in classrooms. If the program was so successful, why was it then dropped for the best part of 25 years and is only now being reinstated? This is a question that deserves a response from the NT Education Department.

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It’s time for Australian Universities to put off the crawl to overseas students for the sake of dollars. To regard students as cash cows and to count them as money bags rather than considering them as people is so wrong. Nor are our domestic students second class citizens.

The ICAC report and recommendations on the Milingimbi School funding situation and monetary use, raise two very important points. Firstly, school principals and finance managers have to be scrupulously circumspect in the way priorities are established for the use of funds. Secondly, the Department of Education audit processes must involve an examination of school accounts and not be about rubber stamping without checking. A situation like Milingimbi reflects badly on the budgetary management of all schools and that is not fair.

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The decision by the Charles Darwin University Board to reinstate the Diploma of Nursing is very good news. Hopefully the revamped program will have a strong focus on practical skills including bedside manner and relationships with patients. Too often, modern training has a clinical focus but not one that includes the way nurses interact with those being treated.

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Educators and those who place a high level of emphasis and importance on NAPLAN tests (NT News 25/8) will be delighted at the upturn in NT competencies confirmed by the May 2021 results. This is great news and helps confirm the benefits of ongoing face to face teaching in our schools. Opportunities for many students in other states have been hindered by school closures and forced online learning.

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EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

Thank you for the 2020 educational highlights package in the NT News (28/12). The resilience, resourcefulness, creativity and coping strategies developed and practised by school staff and students in countering this most challenging of years deserves high praise. One can but hope that 2021 will be a less challenging educational year.

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The year in education has been an Australian and indeed a worldwide educational year with significant difference to those of the past two or three decades. Students, staff, schools and their communities have had to cope with forced change like never before.

Some have coped better than others, but for all there was a significance that made this year one that stood out. For the most part, the standing out was for all

the wrong environmental reasons.

Well done on coming through and all the best for 2021.

EDUCATIONAL POINT TO PONDER

It seems to me that more and more students, particularly those at secondary level, are confronted with homework tasks that are well and truly over the top. Students are being handed massive assignment requirements, requiring countless hours of time, where the teaching that should be associated with units of study have not been offered. This requires students to tackle topics without a sufficient and class taught understanding of what is required.

Homework is increasingly being used as a means of transferring teaching obligations straight onto students and also their parents. The curriculum is widening and deepening in terms of content that has to be taught. A lot is extraneous and b opted onto requirements at the whims of government and ‘experts’. What does not help is a system that says, “yes, yes, we can take on board more and more”.

So it is downloaded as new learning , without prerequisite classroom teaching, onto students. This is not the way to go for outcomes will be web based constructions handed in for assessment where the work has been mechanically prepared, under obligation, and with little understanding and love for these conscripted responses.

Modern educational approaches are too often scarce on meaningful teaching and destructive of a love for learning.

EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

The way on which children and students have been ‘batted’ between home, school and care centres must be very disconcerting for young minds trying to understand matters about the coronavirus and its consequences. It is to be hoped they don’t succumb to feeling unwanted and unloved.

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The (almost) 1000 teachers who stayed in remote communities during the recent school holiday in order to void possible COVID-19 contamination and virus spread, deserve special commendation. To surrender one’s holiday (and that of family members) takes extraordinary dedication and special commitment. This is an example of people who are members of the teaching profession going well above and beyond the call of duty.

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One can empathise with remote area police being required to remain within communities because of COVID-19 imposed restrictions. Limitations on travel and movement apply equally to other government employees resident within these communities. I think especially of teachers who were required to stay put during the recent holidays and who, by the end of term, will have been in their locations for six months. Thank you all for your efforts.

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EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

I recently conducted a week long online survey. The question asked was “Should handwriting be taught as part of the primary school curriculum?” There were 701 respondents. 93% said ‘yes’ to the question and 7% ‘no’. That is a resounding rebuff to those believing handwriting is no longer important.

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AT LAST children aged between 12 and 16 are to be vaccinated against Covid. Thanks to our Health Minister and CMO for this determination and for the common sense that is prevailing in the NT’s virus management program. School outbreaks in southern states and the ACT confirm absolutely that the virus is virulent among persons of all ages. Our young people deserve the protections afforded by vaccination as much as those of us who are older.

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I believe that principals, the Education Department, Catholic and Independent Schools Associations should report in public the damage and vandalism being inflicted on schools by those with nefarious intent. Staying silent and leaving the community unaware of this problem is counter productive. Those who desecrate our schools and destroy the work of students with wanton acts of vandalism should be called out.

PURPOSE:

This familiarisation and awareness education will (would) support graduate teachers by providing insights into the dynamics of interaction likely to occur within schools and their communities and also between teachers and students in the classroom context.

It would consider singular schools and communities along with the wider interface of the Northern Territory community.

It would take account of the social and cultural elements likely to impact upon and influence the three-way relationship co-existing between teachers, students and parents/primary caregivers. Included could be the wider factors impinging upon and influencing relationships.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To help students construct a teaching program and teach in a manner which takes into account the strengths, needs, ambition and their potential contribution to Australian society of:

* Traditionally oriented and urbanised Indigenous Australians from communities, outstations, camps and towns.

* Ethnic minorities.

* Displaced and resettled children and families.

* Defence Force Families and others who regularly transition between states and territories.

* Students with special needs.

2. To consider the broader cross-cultural issues and relationships inherent within Northern Territory (and indeed Australian) society: To canvass optimum economic, political, social and cultural developments of all community sectors, with emphasis on caring, sharing and mutual harmony.

3. To engender confidence, awareness and understanding needed to approach members of minority groups, including capacity to empathetically hear and understand their concerns and interests

STRUCTURE:

To pose the following questions and situations and engage with students toward answering them:

1. How can teachers communicate the importance of schooling to students and parents in remote community settings?

2. Why is schooling important in cross-cultural contexts?

3. How much flexibility on the teacher’s part is reasonable when working in

cross-cultural contexts?

4. How can female teachers best adapt to male/female role expectations in remote communities and when working with minority groups?

5. Strategies available for coping with extreme behaviours including understanding and management.

6. The need to adapt or maintain one’s own mores when teaching in cross-cultural situations.

7. Truancy impacts in remote and urban schools.

8. The need to fully consider and be aware of child abuse issues, including mandatory reporting, in all community (remote and urban) situations. This will take account of legislation, within school communication, possible parent/carer response to reporting outcomes, supporting victims and so on.

9. The need for ethnic groups to be aware and understanding of the wider (majority) norm of expectation.

10 . The issues of disparity between the number of males and females in teaching and teacher leadership positions. Background and reasons for this evolution.

11. Consideration of equal opportunity and affirmative action as it could or might apply on the basis of gender and ethnicity. The considerations that teachers need to take into account around these matters.

12. The attitudes likely to be held by parents, students, existing staff toward new teachers coming into schools to teach. The potential of graduate teachers to contribute to the school/community ethos.

ORGANISATION

Depending on what CDU and our DoE wanted from a focussing viewpoint, there are a number of ways in which this study could be developed.

This is a suggested framework.

With the onset of global budgeting for NT schools from 2015, money or lack of it seems to have become the number one preoccupation for school principals and administrators. This is somewhat paradoxical. In the final week of term four, school leaders should be rejoicing in the accomplishment of students and celebrating the year that has been. Instead, many seem to be focussed on coming to terms with the impact of global budgeting.

This new funding model has created a lot of angst and uncertainty among some school principals and councils. They are having difficulty reconciling the rhetoric about global budgeting with what seems to be the way it will actually impact upon school operations. Everything from program curtailment to staffing cuts seem to be looming.

On the face of it, global budgeting should be straightforward. A simple change of one allocation method to another should not create the negative reaction being generated. The concern seems to be that schools are being asked to maintain and even grow programs from a shrinking financial base. This is raising many questions and creating problems.

Training and understanding

I believe one of the issues is the change to budget accountability that has taken place within the education system. This began with devolution of management responsibility to schools in the late 1980’s and has continued since that time. In the beginning the school’s business was managed for the school, These days schools have become businesses. What used to be centralised functions have been outsourced to schools.

This has to do in part with accountability handed to schools and in part with the desires of principals and councils to take responsibility for decision making and money management. Global budgeting extends an outsourcing process that has been transitioning to schools for many years.

Managing money has become a complex and time consuming occupation. Schools have become businesses and this occupies the principal’s time. Matters of educational leadership are increasingly delegated to senior staff members. Principals and School Finance Managers are often under-trained for work in this field and battle to keep up with changing funding models. School leaders who trained to be educators are finding that bookkeeping is their major function. Many school finance managers have minimal training in this operational field. However, financial planning and full economic management is absorbing the time of both principal and finance manager. I suspect too, that the Department’s finance officers and those in schools are ‘learning together’, meaning that system help is evolving rather than being offered with full confidence. There may well be more confusion before clarity prevails because advisory staff have to learn about the new system.

Maybe it is worth looking at a model practised in Indonesia. Some schools have administrative as well as professional staffing streams. Issues of financial and budgetary management are separated from curriculum and teaching. The finance administrator and principal roles are separated, enabling both to concentrate of their specific areas of responsibility. This sharing of leadership and management may have drawbacks but it means that the principal’s focus is not totally consumed by monetary concerns.

Our system is now placing huge emphasis on business acumen and financial accountability. That has the potential to distract from educational leadership and classroom attention. Maybe the time will come when the business of schools dictates that those in charge are number crunching administrators rather than educational leaders.

I recently conducted a week long online survey. The question asked was “Should handwriting be taught as part of the primary school curriculum?” There were 701 respondents. 93% said ‘yes’ to the question and 7% ‘no’. That is a resounding rebuff to those believing handwriting is no longer important.

AT LAST children aged between 12 and 16 are to be vaccinated against Covid. Thanks to our Health Minister and CMO for this determination and for the common sense that is prevailing in the NT’s virus management program. School outbreaks in southern states and the ACT confirm absolutely that the virus is virulent among persons of all ages. Our young people deserve the protections afforded by vaccination as much as those of us who are older.

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I believe that principals, the Education Department, Catholic and Independent Schools Associations should report in public the damage and vandalism being inflicted on schools by those with nefarious intent. Staying silent and leaving the community unaware of this problem is counter productive. Those who desecrate our schools and destroy the work of students with wanton acts of vandalism should be called out.

EDUCATION’S BRIEF SEEMS SKEWED

The Northern Territory Government is 42 years old. So too, is the management of NT Education. Education was the first portfolio handed over by Canberra to the self-governing Northern Territory. This was supposed to mark the start of a new educational beginning.

In March 1979, all school principals were invited to a conference to meet with Education Director, Dr Jim Eedle.

In 1977, Dr Eedle had been appointed as director and oversaw the transition of education as a department becoming responsible to the NT Government.

Dr Eedle likened this to the dawning of a new day. He told principals to never forget that “schools are for children”. His other advice was to remember that structure and organisation should always be about reinforcing this key message.

To school leaders of the time that enduring advice was a prime focus.

Four decades later I believe education emphasis has drifted from the simple sincerity and unambiguous intention of Eedle’s advice. Educational organisation has broadened, deepened and become extraordinarily complex.

During Dr Eedle’s time at education’s helm, schools were supported by a single support section of the department. This has grown to six supporting educational divisions generating a plethora of directors and managers, many with their own group of support staff.

Some of this growth has been demanded by Canberra – because education at territory and state level is still quite centrally controlled. Some ideas about what schools should provide seems to come from “off-the-cuff” and poorly thought through politically or socially motivated suggestions. Other demands come from a community which seems to expect schools and teachers should be responsible for every aspect of child development.

This might be justified if the focus as urged by Dr Eedle meant that we were preparing students for the whole of life.
However, it seems that Eedle’s exhortation has disappeared into the ether of change.

Focus on over-the-top accountability and compliance demands, have been responsible for growing the support arms of education. Increasing volumes of paperwork and accountability requirements are educational distractions. The monolithic departmental structure enveloping school education seems to be primarily focussed on data analysis and justification.

By YB TV It appears that educational authorities now regard system organisation as being more important than the students it was designed to support. Structure is important, but not to the extent of students being in its shadow. It is time to revisit the intent and message from Dr Eedle who said 42 years ago that “Schools are for children.”

Learning in Hindsight

For many years, we worked in remote communities in both WA and the NT. On many occasions we had advisers, education consultants and specialist teachers visit, in order to provide assistance and support.

During our twelve years in communities, we stood hundreds of meals for visitors and provided significantly for accomodation needs.

Student teachers always contributed to their accomodation and meal costs. So too did any supervising staff visiting from training colleges.

As for departmental personnel, we learned many years later that they were given travelling allowances for accomodation and meals. We were never ever offered payment for any assistance we provided these visitors. Over the years people visiting from town would have saved in the bank quite a lot of money. As for us, we were substantially out of pocket and over the years of estimate by some thousands of dollars.

Whenever in later years I visited communities on behalf of the department, I always took fruit, vegetables, the newspaper and generally some delicious cake that had been cooked by my wife.

People in remote communities did not and do not have the same benefits as people living in towns and it’s good to remember them by taking useful gifts that can help them in their living situations.

From when I was a very young man my back was always very, very itchy and very, very hard to scratch. Getting the itch out of my back was very, very hard. I the hard part was getting to those sections of my back door out of reach of my hands. I didn’t know what to do.

When we were living at Nhulunbuy, buffalo used to wander about the community. One night, our house which had upright posts began to shudder and shake.

It felt like a major earth tremor. On investigation, I discovered a buffalo which also had an itchy back. It was relieving the by rubbing it self the grossly against the poll supporting the overhanging eve of our house.

There in was a clue! If I backed up against the post or against the corner formed by two walls coming together the right angles, There was a place where I could scratch my back including the whole of my back there of.

The buffalo taught me about backscratching 40 years ago. I still employ the methodology with which the Buffalo educated me all these years later. And the scratch is always dissipated.

And who said we couldn’t learn from animals.

There is a lot more negative and unruly behaviour in our schools, including threats to teachers by students and parents, then ever comes to light. There is also a greater feeling of insecurity felt by remote area teachers and principals than is ever publicly revealed. Teachers and many school leaders are tolerant, long suffering and forgiving of those who threaten and in some cases inflict them with injury. What is reported on these issues is the tip of the iceberg.

Dr Jim Eedle was the first secretary Of Education in the Northern Territory. That was after we took over from the Commonwealth. He met with principals at a conference in Katherine in March 1979.

He told us to always remember that schools were for children. he told us the departmental structure should serve that function and should never supplant the purpose of education.

I often wondered as the years went by how far we were drifting from that wise advice. In my retirement years and watching systems, particularly our system, I still wonder why it is that that advice seems no longer to be a primary driver.

I wanted to raise an idea that was discussed with me a couple of years ago. It transpired that we (the other person and I) were both concerned about the number of new beaut ideas for Territory development being articulated, that are a revisitation of what has already been tried and discarded.

The Issue

The rebirth ‘as new’ of old and dispensed with ideas occurs in large part because of ignorance about our history. One of the standout examples to illustrate my point is that of the CBD and particularly the mall having been re-visited at least four times during my time in the Northern Territory. There are other examples to do with our infrastructure development that have been similarly revisited.

Within departments, the same sort of thing happens. I’m most familiar with education. The idea of regionalising (decentralising function) educational management has been tried at least three times. When revisited nobody takes account of what has gone before. They often don’t know that ideas have been previously tried. That’s because we have a very poor record of recording history in the NT.

Another reason for regurgitation is that people in high level decision making positions often come and go after fairly short periods of time. People new to these positions often don’t know what has gone before. As well, they are often interested in adding their own “personal touch” for the sake of building curriculum vitaes. which will then be used to gain positions elsewhere and generally not in the Territory. The Territory is used as a stepping stone.

The Fix Idea

It seemed as we spoke about this issue, that the Northern Territory Government might give consideration to establishing a group of people who are long-term residents in the Northern Territory. This group might be asked if there is any previous history about ideas being flashed out as “new beaut schemes“.

Our thought was this group might comprise people with background into the operation of various departments and with experience in life and living in the Northern Territory in general terms.

Neither might it be necessary for people to meet physically to consider every issue, rather being asked for feedback by email or by phone on occasion. This will enable people living out of Darwin and Palmerston to be involved.

Our thought wasn’t that this group should be remunerated; that’s not the motivation of everybody who wants to support our territory and see it is a better place. The thinking was that in the interests of avoiding mistakes, particularly where those mistakes might arise from revisiting previous policy that had been discarded, a group of such a nature could lend itself to the betterment of the Territory.

I wanted to share this and wonder what people might think about such a development.

There is a lot more negative and unruly behaviour in our schools, including threats to teachers by students and parents, then ever comes to light. There is also a greater feeling of insecurity felt by remote area teachers and principals than is ever publicly revealed. Teachers and many school leaders are tolerant, long suffering and forgiving of those who threaten and in some cases inflict them with injury. What is reported on these issues is the tip of the iceberg.

To suggest that preschool for three year old children is a ‘trial program’ (NT News 11/8) is a somewhat misplaced statement by NT education authorities. Preschool for three year old children was in place in many indigenous communities as far back as the 1970’s. The 2021 programs may be extensions but they are hardly trials.

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“Teachers living in fear” (NT News 10/8) at Umbakumba in 2021 is due in no small way to the non application of key policies on working and living in remote communities developed and endorsed by the NT Government 40 years ago. Titled ‘The East Arnhem Document’ this policy offered a recipe for harmony between education staff and residents within communities. Like so many policies it was not actioned, so problems addressed continue to be manifest.

We are invariably quick to look for weaknesses in others and to find fault with things that they might be doing. We often find it very easy to criticise. What we don’t do is consider ourselves and our performances in the same zealous way. We tend to be outward looking. We need to be more inwardly examining. We need to fix our own faults and shortcomings rather than letting them pass through to the wicket-keeper, preferring to look at others rather than self examining ourselves.

Working with others to help them improve performance is fine. But let’s make sure that we’re working on ourselves and not ignoring our own faults and things we might do better. To do so (that is self ignored) is little short of hypocrisy.

I hope that today and every day provides each of us with the opportunity to rejoice in the good things that happen. Around us these days there is misery and challenge, some would say like never before. It is important to appreciate others and to let others know that we appreciate them. May we all be uplifted during these times.

The road to the house of a friend is never long.

Laughter is a tranquilliser with no side effects. Arnold Glasgow.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

When developing people, remember to offer commendations as well as making recommendations.

When evaluations are being done, point out the good things as well as things that might be done differently and better. Consider that in terms of personal self-evaluation.

The Letters Editor
‘The Australian’
GPO Box 4162
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Dear Editor

I am deeply concerned about ‘The Australian’s’ “Gripping new podcast (which) captures murder trial of the year”, revealed as an intention on August 8. I believe the podcasting intention by our national newspaper to be presumptuous and out of order. The intention is obviously aimed at boosting the paper, but the strategy of podcasting and serialising the matters pertaining to Constable Rolfe’s trial is questionable.

There is a fair chance that the trial of Constable Rolfe will be impacted by the amount of noisy conversation around the issues this podcast will raise. By its very nature and because of the way court matters will be bounced from commentators to those offering opinions, the podcast could well promote tensions within the wider NT and Australian community One can imagine that the glare of premature and inappropriate publicity will raise the spectre of the Rolfe Trial on other media platforms in an unhelpful manner.

If process is to be fair and if justice is to be done, sensationalisation of this trial is not what is needed. Kirsten Shorten will be one of the designated investigative journalists commenting on the trial.  She states her reporting intentions as including providing podcast listeners “ … with context, background and enough detail to make an informed judgement.”

The ‘judgement’ does not belong to the public.  This is a jury trial and it is the jury members who must consider evidence and make a judgement based on evidence presented.

I believe the intentions of ‘The Australian’ need to be examined for the Rolfe Trial must not be prejudiced by the swirling of media supported opinion that could be detrimental to legal process  and prejudicial to outcomes.

Sincerely

Henry Gray
Leanyer NT

Far too many school students do not know who their principal is, and sadly the principal doesn’t know them either. I always worked hard as a school principal to get to know the children and for them to know me. I made every effort to learn their names and for me that became a necessary convention.

I never went all out to be liked by children but rather to be respected because from respect grow other dimensions of regard.Part of knowing the children was to read and write a comment on each report at the end of semesters. This took time but paid rich dividends in terms of children, their parents and myself building mutual respect and understanding.

One of the hardest words to teach, particularly when it comes to the application of its meaning through behaviour is “no“. Teaching people to say no to things that are wrong when they are tempted to do those things that are wrong takes some doing. They may have to stand alone and on their own two feet, being rejected by so-called friends who shun them because they won’t go with the crowd.

By saying no when that’s appropriate, grows strength of character. It can help people as they grow up to do the right thing and not be tempted to fall by the way side.

“No” is such an important word to teach and with it the meaning that it conveys and the circumstances in which it applies.

THE LAST DAY

CEO’s, Directors and top level leaders and managers in private and public organisations faithfully tow the party line. Many of them are faithful adherents to the party line for decades and decades. They discourage dissent from persons lower down the organisation by putting clamps on their ability to speak up on issues.

Come the day of their retirement and many speak up, often critical of the directions being followed by their organisations over years of operation.

One can but wonder!

And also wonder why those who declare that if they reach the top they will change things but when they get there, work to ensure the organisation becomes more impervious and harder to penetrate than before.

Maybe that has to do with lack of confidence and insecurity.

It takes until the last day for unfettered and unqualified ‘honest’ reflections.

Happy school is a school where everybody is there for each other. It is an “we” place where the collective comes first. It’s a place where everyone is happy to contribute for the good of all. It’s an organisation based on synergy, that is collective energy which translates as pure and true group ship. So often that type of thing is talked about but not practised because people hold to selfish individuality. A good organisation one that is synergetic’s is the best. That’s the way schools should be.

Whenever there is footage of individuals or groups on television where those people are holding pencils or pens, it becomes patently obvious that the vast majority do not know how to hold the writing tool.

Fingers and thumbs are everywhere, usually imparting a ferocious grip on the pencil or pen. Discomfort and distaste for writing is mirrored on the faces of many of those who are trying as hard as they can to produce written words or indicators on the paper.

Whenever I observe the huge challenges writing is imposing on those using traditional writing tools, I think back to the time when handwriting lessons for children in primary schools were compulsory. Children were taught how to hold pencils comfortably how to sit when writing and how to position paper onto which they were imparting text.

Those skills are long gone; in fact it’s unusual to see people at work or students at school who are comfortable when it comes to handwriting.

The justification for the sad change is that keyboards and computers are now the way to the future. Computers and iPads have replaced pencils and pens and therefore the handwriting school is redundant. What is unavailable, is the ability for people to use traditional writing tools and there are many situations where this is still demanded.

It may be somewhat amusing but it is literally quite sad to see students and adults who can no longer hand write with comfort and confidence.

EDUCATIONAL POINTS TO PONDER

There is a lot of asbestos in the structure of government (and I suspect) private schools. Following a major scare in a northern suburbs school 20 years ago, the Education Dept undertook to review the asbestos registers of all schools, necessary because of errors in the asbestos records of some schools. This was never done and the issue remains. Government reacts to asbestos issues but does not take a leading role in managing the issue.

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Happy Australian Primary Principals for your special day of remembrance this coming Friday, August 6. May the day be one where you can reflect on the good things about your schools and the positives of the educational system of which you are leaders. Be proud of all you do.

There are plenty of challenges about education and criticisms come easily. Make this a day to reflect upon the good things and celebrate and rejoice in the roles that you fill.

There is a lot of debate these days about whether or not handwriting should be taught at school. In some countries, including Finland and the United States, handwriting has gone by the by. Rather than being taught how to use a pen, all students are given the opportunity to learn keyboard skills including touch typing.

While trying to understand why this change has occurred I would be the very last person to advocate that handwriting should become a skill of the past. Rather I believe that it should endure forever.

I am certainly not down on keyboards and computers. But for children to have both handwriting and keyboards is optimal. To become mono skilled with handwriting going out the door would be altogether wrong. There are many many occasions in life when handwriting is important and indeed the only written communications method available.

When teaching handwriting, the “3 P’s” rudiments immediately comes to mind. That has to do with the methodology of writing. It is about;

* pencil or pen hold

* paper position

* posture – the way we sit in order to write most effectively and comfortably.

Stressing these things over and over again until they become habitual is important.

Part of handwriting is teaching children how to hold a pen or pencil so that it is comfortable and their fingers and wrists don’t ache. Watching people write these days can be quite a torturous experience because of the way in which writing tools are held. It’s obvious from observation that many people have never been taught how to write. That is an absolute pity.

The size (diameter) of pencils and then transition from pencil to pen is a part of writing graduation. Initially pencils are thick and as children grow older with more dexterous finger management the diameter of the pencil become smaller. When a reasonable agree of writing skill has evolved, then is the time to move onto pens. That is usually around year four to year five. Children love graduation to pens and having pen licenses issued to them by teachers.

Line size is a part of learning to write. The younger child the bigger the line. 1 inch lines (30mm) are generally the starting point going down to around 12 mm by the time children get to the end of middle and the commencement of the upper primary years. Handbooks and exercise books can be purchased where lines are divided into thirds. This helps children when it comes to tall letters (t, f,) and letters having tales (g, y q,). The dimensions associated with writing can be trained with children developing that discernment over time. Over time, the one third divisions can be left and children go to straight lines for their writing activities.

These days specific handwriting lessons are often not offered in class. Or it may be that there is a handwriting text where children simply open and copy what’s written for them. I believe that those texts are enhanced by use of a transcription book and also with teachers demonstrating letter formation, joins, words and so on the whiteboard. The idea of children learning by copying really helps when it comes to handwriting development.

The way paper or writing books are positioned helps when it comes to the slope of letters. Writing from left to right is part of this and can be difficult particularly for left-handed children. Left-handers tend to “drag” their arms across pages as they write from left to right meaning that dog ears and crumpled pages become the norm. Train children as they finish a line of writing to lift their arm going back to the start of the

And then working across the page from left to right that overcomes the shuffling of arm on paper that can occur if this is neglected.

Steadying the paper or page onto which writing is being done helps. For this purpose the spare hand can be used. So often it is seen propping up children’s heads as they write where that writing is the task of one hand alone. Rather than the spare hand being a head prop, metaphorically describe it as an anchor which holds the boat (paper or book) steady against the wall so that it doesn’t rock back off fourth, or similar. This will involve a lot of reminding and correction, easily seen as necessary when teachers are walking around classrooms.

Support children with lessons as a transition from printing to writing script style. Linked script is part of this and it does take time to teach. Little and often is important and I would suggest a handwriting lessons every day.

Remember to comment on handwriting and praise the effort that students put in to the script. Be they printing or writing this praise will help.

Handwriting is so important. It to be revived not neglected.

KEEP IT SIMPLE AND KEEP IT FOCUSSED

In this day and age the increasing complexities that fit around education, deny or overlook two vital criteria: ‘simplicity’ and ‘focus’. I believe that we need to keep education simple in terms of message clarity and focused in terms of it honing in on key learning and developmental needs of young people. ‘Keep it simple’ and ‘keep it focused’ need to be absolute priorities.

Too often in these modern times, we can’t see the wood for the trees. Embedded within the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework there are eight key learning principles to which teacher attention is drawn. Those learning principles should underpin everything taught in terms of planning, preparation, teaching then testing, measurement and data analysis leading toward follow-up. What happens, however, is that these key learning strategies and focus principles are set to one side with people being invited to explore, explore and explore further a veritable cybernet forest, like unto all the rainforests of the world rolled into one!

The area, depth and density of resource and support materials is absolutely mind-boggling – there is also a huge amount of reduplication or, at best, a minor alteration from one precept or suggestion to another revealed to educators trawling through this infinite resource selection. The exercise of travelling the resource internet trial in the sky is inordinately time-consuming. Quite often, the journey reveals little more and offers little more than teachers already have in resource compilations that may be more readily and more simplistically available.

A point I sometimes suggest to people is that when they begin to surf the web looking for resources, they record time started and time finished. They will find quite often that an absolute time fortune has been spent in searching for resources. Time committed is goes well beyond the value of what they download. (In terms of downloading, a supplementary issue can be that what is brought onto the hard drive desktop for use is not really understood anyway! This helps to create a sad differential between what a teacher program looks like and how useful and relevant it really is from the viewpoint of statements into teaching translation.)

However, trawl educators do, because imprinted into the mind of every teacher is the absolute imperative that he or she will give of their absolute best, to bring children out the other end of the teaching / learning journey fitted up to satisfy testing criteria set around the data gathering strategies on which systems are built.

I worry that teachers are often frightened that what they do in terms of teaching will not be good enough. It seems they feel the weight of superordinacy, believing people are looking down upon them ready to pounce, criticise and condemn if things are not good enough. They tend to rejoice little and worry a lot about whether they’re contribution is appreciated or otherwise. This means that they become super self-critical and very rarely take time to rejoice and celebrate their teaching successes.

This first point needs urgent correction! I often urge on teachers the fact that they need to rejoice in the good things they are doing, trying my best to convince them that they aredoing good things. Leanyer is the teaching school developing preservice teachers who work with us in our classrooms supported by mentor teachers and a Professional Learning Leader (PLL). A document we have developed and urge our preservice teachers to follow is one suggesting simple evaluation of outcomes taking into account celebrations as well as points for further consideration. I can offer it to anyone contacting me athenry.gray@ntschools.net.

In Australia we have the Melbourne Declaration of Education developed a number of years ago. In the very first part of the declaration is a statement exhorting teachers to be holistic in their approach to teaching and learning processes. While academics are stressed, so, too, are the social, emotional and moral spiritual aspects of development. This declaration follows on earlier statements of principle and intent.

It seems to me that we are then urged to prioritize our attention away from this position and toward the point of recognising far more limited aspects of development as having priority.

In particular, the focus is on literacy and numeracy. In Australia we have what might be termed ‘Four May Days each year’, coinciding with nation-wide testing of children in years three, five, seven and nine in literacy and numeracy. Tests are taken three days with a catch up day being allowed for children and students who have missed out on sitting tests on the days designated. Data comes back to schools, universally evaluating them on the outcomes of these tests. That information goes on to the ACARA managed ‘My Schools’ website, which records for public digestion information relating to outcomes for children in all Australian schools.

From there, media picks up on schools that are well below average to well above average across the spectrum of tests and years. They then produce colourful tables showing schools from very deep pink (well below average) to very deep green (well above average); some newspapers delight or have delighted in talking about “Seas of Red” allowing readers to draw a personal metaphor about what often seems to be the more occasional ‘Oasis of green’.

While the freneticism around online publication of what amounts to an Australian League Table has declined a little from sensationalistic launch, focus most certainly remains firmly fixed on the importance of teaching, strategies and data collection leading toward the annual NAPLAN program.

Four ‘May Days’ each year

With this focus in place, everyone and everything tends toward preparing students to sit the tests each May. Then comes a rather nervous and anxious period of wait, for results to come through in preliminary then final form. As the results are uplifted onto school websites the analysis begins, including evaluation of areas in which children have done well and study of domains needing further work.

The public scrutiny tends to come later. Results are released to parents of children in schools where tests are sat, with data distributed to parents looking at their child or children by comparison to the school, State or Territory, and Australian averages for competency in each area tested.

After completion of the test cycle, people tend to sit back and relax for a while before beginning the ‘girding up’ process toward tests to take place the following year. In Australia, we are now into the business of comparing the progress that children in years nine, seven, and five made compared to their results were not initially sat tests in year three, five, or seven. Again, this comparison embraces schools and systems.

The emphasis and the ownership of this program, vested in the Australian Government which drives the program is an absolute universal system priority.

This paper is not a forum piece in which further discussion of NAP testing should take place. Rather, I am seeking to show that macro determined programs coming from the Australian Government can and does have the effect of taking us away from a focus that aligns with holistic development and the preparation of children for the whole of life. ‘If literacy and numeracy challenges are satisfied than the educational job is done’, seems to be an underpinning paradigm.

A local focus

At my school, Leanyer, and Darwin’s northern suburbs we most certainly believe in and focus on literacy, numeracy and other key academic areas. However the social, emotional and moral spiritual emphases that should be in place, are taken into firm account. I want to offer a couple of illustrations.

Earlier this year we had the opportunity to welcome into school leadership for 2012 our house captains and vice captains together with our student representative council members who had been elected to office. We had an altogether significant ceremony of induction which took place in the nearby Apostolic Church Hall.

(We were not able to use our own school assembly area because it was being redeveloped under the Building Education Revolution Program, an Australian Government initiative on capital works extension.) At this ceremony elected children were welcomed into school student leadership in a very dignified and formal manner.

I sat and reflected, feeling sad that these sorts of programs are so often undervalued and undersold as being almost meaningless by those whose focus seems to be about more narrowly defined aspects of teaching, strategies and data.

More recently and toward the end of term three we had a brilliant night at our school, attended by well over 1000 people. The focus of the night centered around the Expressive Arts, engaging all our children from preschool to year 6in dancing, singing and playing to reflect ‘Dancing through the ages’. I was ever so proud of our children, my staff and our community and particularly moved by the fact that the whole night, including the MC role was in the hands of children – done by children, with children for children. Not once during the evening did anything remotely related to purist academics come into the frame. (Application of learning and translation toward audience most certainly did.)

Again, I felt sad that in this day and age ‘learning in the hands of students is often dismissive of this type and level of engagement. I wondered how appreciative those in high Australian Government places might be of a program like this – or whether indeed they would see it as being relevant! (It is important to add that on the night our Northern Territory Government Chief Minister and the leader of the Country Liberal Party Opposition were both in attendance and I believe understood and appreciated just how relevant and meaningful these practical manifestations by children and students happen to be.)

The ‘LSRW’ factor

‘Learning in the hands of students’ is often just that! It’s about putting into the hands of children technologically developed gizmos that enable them to communicate ‘by finger’, engaging in everything from games and internet study to the transmission and receipt of messages . . . and so on. The onus and emphasis is more and more on technology and less and less on skills that used to be considered important.

What doesn’t happen when learning is placed ‘into’ the hands of students, is taking into account of the need for children and students to be listeners, speakers, readers, and writers. The ‘LSRW’ factor is missing!

I state this without apology, as reference to the old-fashioned way. Communication skills in a very primary sense of need and confidence building are, these days, sadly muted: The interfacing of people with each other is becoming remote. The sending of texts, e-mails and, more recently, Facebook engagement, Twitter entry and other device-supported communication has taken the place of old-fashioned listening and speaking. Increasingly, reading and writing are also being committed to the technological domain. We have entered the world of the e-book; in some American states handwriting texts are no longer prescribed, with tablets being the new way forward.

I am personally saddened by the fact that education for children seems to be distancing itself from primary communication skills. The ability of people (young and old) to look each other in the eye, speak up with confidence and to listen with uninterrupted cognition is nearing extinction. If young people are to develop skills and confidence in communication then I advocate a return to the era in which these primary communication skills were considered paramount.

I am not for one minute suggesting that there is no place for technology in promoting learning opportunities for children. What has to be avoided is the situation where technological takeover depersonalises both communication and teaching-learning contexts. In schools these days huge amounts of learning originate online, generated through the computer via the Smart board then outreaching to students. Teachers meantime busy themselves in rubric recording of data that offers comment on the perceptions of what children are learning. This is hardly about teaching and learning in a primary context of engagement.

Concluding thought

In our age of modern education, it is of concern that tools which can support teaching and learning are taking over. Resources in cyberspace surely should be no more than just that – resources – to be drawn on carefully and possibly scarcely. We can overdo it on the research and downloads, particularly when so much of what’s out there is essentially reduplicative of what has gone before. The tools we use for data access and to facilitate teaching can be enriching but again should not be replacing that idiom of relationship contact which develops between children and teachers during prime learning time.

Learning in the hands of students should not focus on downloading material to be placed through technological devices, quite literally, into the hands of children. Surely learning in the hands of students should be reminiscent of and carefully reflective about development and preparation of young people for the whole of life. Part of this is a need for them to be in command of support devices with teachers ensuring the ‘human side’ of education does not sell out to technological trappings.

‘Keeping it simple’ and ‘keeping it focused’ has served us well in the past; these precepts should not be discarded in the 21st century.

You get born.

You grow up.

You become old.

You go dead.

Around Earth is a layer of atmosphere, sometimes more breathable than others.

Around the layer of atmosphere is a layer of ever thickening dust.

Around the layer of dust is layer of ever sickening disease.

This is the story of Earth.