What a difference a generation or two makes!

I know - I've said it before. I say it often actually... but I'm going to say it again - I love Assembly! Friday mornings are just great. It's the end of the week, the school is buzzing, everyone troops excitedly up to the Indoor Sports Centre, and for that one time a week, we are all together. 

And then there's the class item. This is my favourite part. There are dress ups, music, dancing, humour, and usually a multimedia presentation all cued up. Last week we also had placards and protests!

The messages in the presentations are often familiar as teachers cleverly link the performance and the practice it takes to perfect the choreography to the curriculum. This week's message was about reducing, reusing and recycling.

4M dressed in sixties and seventies flamboyant fluoro gear and staged a mock protest encouraging us all to take a good look at our environmental practices. I was horrified at some of the statistics 4M have unearthed - like 1000 sheets of paper equalling one tree and six billion plastic bags ending up as landfill EVERY YEAR. 

During their performance I reflected on and compared the issue with some of the placard protests of mid-to-late last century. In those days such protests focused on wars, the draft, free speech, and land rights. We still protest on those issues and we've also added a few others about caring for our planet. 

We are unlikely to solve those issues with placards - these days we teach children to be social activists. Protests are most effectively staged with information and communication skills. And it doesn't hurt to add a bit of fluoro and placard waving to get attention to start with. Good job, 4M!

I'm sorry... such a powerful phrase when we mean it

It has been six years since the Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples was delivered on 13 February 2008 to Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for past laws, policies and practices which affected the lives of Australia’s First Nations Peoples and Stolen Generations.

The department has marked the occasion with a display of the National Apology in the Education House foyer, which is also available to read here.  I have reprinted the transcript of these historic words below.

Aboriginal Mosaic In Forecourt Of Parliament House, Canberra, Australia*

The apology has enormous significance for Indigenous Australians and every year at this time there is discussion in the media about whether we as a nation and as individuals really have embraced these words and moved closer to resolving the injustices of the past and harnessing the determination of all Australians to close the gap in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity. Many would argue that no, we haven't. In six years we haven't moved any closer to this goal, and one has to wonder how long it will take.

The education of children is instrumental in achieving this goal. At Peregian Springs we have only a small population of Indigenous children - and many would question what the plight of Indigenous peoples has to do with us. It has everything to do with all of us. Understanding the Apology and acting on its principles is about the health and prosperity of all Australians, no matter where they come from or for how long their families have resided in this country.


We acknowledge country at Assembly every week and I long for the day when one of our Indigenous children will feel they can welcome country. We assess and check the educational achievement of every child; we monitor absences from school; we teach the cross curriculum demands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures; we recognise and celebrate Indigenous peoples' special days and we are trying to do our bit.

Is it enough? Probably not - in fact almost certainly not. It's an area that requires constant attention and development. We've said we're sorry and these are powerful words. Powerful words can lead to even more powerful intentions - but they are only powerful if we mean it and being sorry translates into actions.

The transcript:
 I move:

That today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.
The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.
We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.
We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

* Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. http://year3history.edublogs.org/indigenous-art-forms/

Stop dragging my heart around...

This week for the first time in the history of our school I watched students walking past rubbish and litter on the ground. I watched adults doing it too. Well, that's a small thing, you might say - especially in a week where EVERY class settled quickly including Preps, where (nearly) EVERY kid was smiling about being back at school, and EVERY child was learning by 9.20am on Tuesday morning.

Actually, it's not a small thing. It's a big thing.

I talked about this on Assembly on Friday morning. If we are going to start walking past rubbish on the ground, are we also going to start walking past someone who is lonely in the playground? Are we going to stop insisting everyone uses common courtesies? Are we going to stop standing up for a friend and helping them if they are bullied? Are we saying it's okay to ride bikes and scooters and skateboards all over the school ignoring the safety of all?

Bystander behaviour is well documented in print and online literature. A bystander is someone who is present at an event without participating in it. It's dangerous behaviour as it leads to a tacit acceptance of the less desirable behaviour or values. Research shows that the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is than someone will take a stand. We have 793 children in our school, over 550 families and more than 70 staff - we can't afford for even some of us to just 'walk past'.

Image courtesy of Deposit Photos (see end note)

I loved 4H's Assembly performance last week. It was a clear demonstration of a simple sentence that can change a child's whole day - come and play with us! So simple and so powerful. The large heart being dragged around on stage was symbolic of how a lonely person feels. We encourage our kids to notice the children who are dragging their hearts around and work to include them - not simply leave it be.

Equally we encourage children (and adults) to pick up rubbish as they walk past.  Leaving litter on the ground says we don't care, and if we don't care about the cleanliness of our playgrounds, the next step is not caring about any of the core values that make our school so special.

At Peregian Springs we wear our core values of respect, responsibility, relationships and choice on our sleeves - we model them, talk about them, reinforce them, explicitly teach them. As we continue to grow as a community, we need to take a stand when someone walks past rubbish.

Image courtesy of Deposit Photos ((http://static5.depositphotos.com/1014680/489/i/950/depositphotos_4892724-Heart-collage.jpg)

The Art of Persuasion ... Letters from 2B

For the past two years the writing task in the National Assessment Program in Literacy and Numeracy (otherwise known as NAPLAN) has assessed the ability of students in Years 3, 5 and 7 to write persuasively. And so it is, that at this time of the year our Year 2 students turn their sights towards learning and consolidating this important life skill.

During the week I received a package of beautifully presented (handwritten) letters from 2B. On top was a sticky note, 'Hi Gwen, 2B feel quite strongly about an issue and thought the best thing to do would be to persuade you to their point of view. It is our first go at persuasion and they had a bit of guidance. I know you're busy so thanks for reading them. The kids are looking forward to your response. Bec'

Hmmmmm... Well, firstly, I'm NEVER too busy to read a child's work, to listen to them read or see one (or more) that present to my office full of pride with a job well done. Secondly, I had a pretty good idea they were going to try and persuade me to say 'yes' to something I'd want to say 'no' to!

And so - what did they want? I read 24 letters imploring me to allow them to bring toy cars to school. They demonstrated true generic style by stating upfront what they wanted and then presenting all the reasons why I should say yes, and finishing off with a summary. It was priceless.

I was informed that playing with cars was better than fighting; that kids were allowed to bring a ball to school and didn't I know that a ball was a toy?; that playing with cars was cooler than running around in the hot sun; that they had lost their privileges to borrow equipment from the sports shed and had nothing to do (???); that they could play in the shade if they had cars; that small cars are a lot of fun; that being able to play with them would encourage them to play 'friendly' and share; that teachers 'needed to get over it' - this, I found somewhat less persuasive; that the adventure playground was too small for everyone; and so it went on.

The fact is, we prefer children don't bring toys to school, as a rule. Losses and breakages cause much angst, and parents and children are rarely happy with the outcome of an investigation which has usually taken up far too much of the teacher's time. But I've never been very good at saying 'no' to kids! Especially when they ask for what they want responsibly and through using a tool that is well recognised as purposeful in achieving social action. 'Yes, if..' can be a far more useful response for building responsibility and teaching important life skills without the interference of the resentfulness an outright 'no' often brings.

So, my reply to them was:
Thank you very much for your letters regarding being able to bring toy cars to school to play with at play time. They were very well written and I enjoyed reading them.

The fact is that we have a rule at school about not allowing toys because often toys get broken or taken and the time it takes to sort out the problem means students are missing out on learning – and most times people can't agree on how the toy was lost or taken.

I agree that we have let children bring the balls they won at the Lap-a-thon to school. This was on the understanding that if they went missing, then it's sad but the teachers are not going to chase around looking for it. Other sorts of toys must be left at home.

So, as your letters were very good at persuading me to think about this more I have decided that if you would like to bring your cars to school you must have a plan that describes things like who can bring cars, how many, where you will play, what happens if one is lost or broken. The plan must have agreement from Ms Brian and all the other staff who do duty in the area where you play. The other teachers need to agree because their children will want to bring cars too.

Let me know what you decide and thank you for being so respectful in asking for what you want. If you can learn to do this well then you will have learned a very useful skill for life.

I remembered belatedly I hadn't included that the plan must state how they will play with the cars without digging up the grass and gardens! I ventured into the playground shortly after pressing send (my reply was an email) and was besieged by students from 2B excitedly informing me they were writing me another letter. I'm assuming it will be the plan and I'm expecting it to be VERY persuasive!

Meanwhile, that evening I was watching Better Homes and Gardens and the handy presenter built a gorgeous sandpit seat - is there a Dad out there who would like to build us one of these? Seemed like the perfect solution to me!