So I am going to preface this post with “this is not the post I meant to post”.
I wrote a blog last week. It was late Saturday night, the topic was the one I am going to ultimately write on today, and the webpage glitched. I lost two thousand words. I almost threw my computer through my television. Instead, however, I reflected that I had lost two thousand words while sitting listening to cicadas and crickets sing their nightly harmony outside my door. Then I had a glass of wine, cursed a couple of times, and shrugged it off. It isn’t the first time technology has failed me, it won’t be the last, and it reminded me that I need to write my material outside of my blog site and copy it in. If only every challenge was so easily shrugged off. Which brings us to the heart of the matter… When I signed on to do this exchange, the ATA invited all exchange teachers to come to a meeting. During that meeting they gave us information about a ton of things ranging from taxation processes (which will come in handy when I get home) to documentation (which anyone reading this blog from Canada who is ever considering doing this needs to realize is a major aspect that will suck up time and money beyond anything you expected). In addition to this, they provided us with a chart. It seemed like an after-thought, a thing of little account. It was the acclimatization schedule. Again, if any of you are ever considering doing this, let me tell you right now: this chart is about as spot-on as it gets. (I am currently saving my work, if you are curious.) We arrived from Canada on December 19. That means that, as of today, we have lived in Australia for exactly 3 months and two days. We are, sadly, a quarter of the way through our exchange. It also coincides with the chart that states we are leaving the “honeymoon” phase of the exchange. The honeymoon phase lasts from about day one to about a quarter of the way through the exchange. During this phase, you are so overwhelmed by the novelty of everything that you see the positives in almost everything. Your link to home is still strong, so there is limited home-sickness. Your classes, while potentially challenging, are filled with new and unexpected opportunities… Yeah, the dew is officially off the melon. The honeymoon is over. (Save.) Don’t get me wrong. This is not me complaining about being here. This is not me regretting this exchange, nor is it me griping about my classes. This post is me helping (hopefully) others who might plan on doing this see the stark realities as what they are. Australia’s education system is flawed. Don’t get me wrong! So is Canada’s (and by that I really mean Alberta’s, though it can be argued that Alberta’s education system is one of the best and therefore it follows that all other systems are also flawed…). From what I hear, so is America’s, and Britain’s, and New Zealand’s (though I’m going to ask that those reading this also take a moment to reflect on the events that occurred last week in Christchurch; whether you are reading this a week after these events or a decade after, please consider the importance of education in terms of it being a means of cultural connection between diverse groups; only through education can people of diverse values begin to respect and accept those of differing cultures, and that means only through education can we hope to avoid repeating the same violent and pointless inter-cultural clashes we see in our world today)… As an outsider, I have a unique opportunity to sit on the edge of an Australian school, as though it were a pond, and consider the ripples. Now allow me to paint a picture of my town. Muswellbrook shares a lot of similarities to Rocky Mountain House. It is one of the reasons I chose to accept this position. First, it is a town that is based on natural resources. Second, it is “off the beaten path”. Finally, it is small enough that there are limited opportunities for kids (or for adults). While Rocky is focused on oil and gas, Muswellbrook is a coal-mining town. In both situations, it means that education is valued, but to a limited extent. The mines, like the rigs, will hire people regardless of their academics. They don’t entirely grasp that the behaviours students demonstrate in classes at school will be a reflection of their behaviours at work. That gives kids in school a degree of licence that they don’t have in places where job demands are higher. In Rocky I often heard kids say, “I’m going to work on the rigs…”. The fact that the kids who said this had no work ethic spoke volumes about the state of the economy. Here, I find a similar sentiment. Kids who choose not to engage in classes, to improve themselves through education, find solace in the fact that they can “go work in the mines”. The fact that Muswellbrook is not a tourist destination doesn’t help this town. Like Rocky Mountain House, it is a town that has history, but, similarly, it has not had the interaction with international cultures that major centres or tourist destination have. Because of this, I have detected a distinct undercurrent of xenophobia. It is something I have seen in Rocky, also. Of course both towns have had some Asian influences (Asian restaurants), but neither really understands the value of intercultural connections. Students, in particular, pay lip-service to multi-cultural ideals and then turn and make racial slurs part of common conversation. Perhaps it is the age group, with their innocent fear of the “other”, but I fear it is the influences from home that take voice within a classroom. Like all small towns, though, Muswellbrook suffers from a desire to have more. Major centres, like Sydney, naturally offer various opportunities for youth, but smaller townships have fewer options; this has an impact on children who (through the internet) see a much wider world and want to be involved while not fully comprehending why they can’t have the same number of options. This is the same malaise that Rocky faces with its youth. Kids see the things that are offered in major urban centres. It’s hard to miss how places like Calgary, Vancouver, Sydney, New York, or Tokyo have vast opportunities for their youth. Kids in smaller venues (like Muswellbrook or Rocky) are entirely validated in wanting more. The struggle comes in education them in the challenges of cost/benefit. It is easy for a politician to say, “It isn’t cost-efficient…” It is harder for a child to understand that those words mean they can choose ballet or they can choose guitar lessons, but they can’t do taekwondo do or gymnastic because there aren’t enough people to pay for the cost. All of this brings me back to the start: Australia, like Alberta, has a flawed education system. I don’t have answers about how to solve these issues, but being here has helped me put some of them into perspective. Having kids has helped in other ways. My girls have started Kindergarten (Kindy) this year. Through their eyes I have had a chance to see other things. While my girls are able to have healthy lunches prepared by my wife (who has opted to remain at home rather than actively pursue a job in education or any other area) on a daily basis, many kids here (and at home) don’t have the same. Why is that? Isn’t the feeding of our children one of the greatest priorities of any society? Can a hungry child learn? Many programs exist in Canada to address this, but we bandage the consequence instead of addressing the cause. Is this because parents aren’t given the support they need to provide healthy choices for their children? Kindergarten here is full-time every day. Why isn’t that the case in Canada? My girls can read because of the education system here; they turned five after we came here… does that demonstrate a gap in early learning that could be developed? What can Canada learn about early education from Australia? How might our literacy and numeracy skill in young children improve if we took a page out of the Aussie handbook? (Save.) All of these conjectures ultimately link in to the overarching concept… that I have begun to view things with an increasingly critical eye. The honeymoon period is over, and I am beginning to reflect upon the educational systems with a sharper, harsher perspective. Still, all is not criticism and condemnation. Did I mention I joined a band? Well, technically it is considered a “Guitar Ensemble”, and I am the oldest member… but we are scheduled to go on tour! The Muswellbrook High School Guitar Ensemble is going to be doing a week-long tour of the Gold Coast in June, and I expect I will be travelling with the group (both as a chaperone and as a player). Currently we are working on “Twist and Shout”, “The Joker and the Thief” and “Living on a Prayer”… Hopefully I don’t drag the students down too badly. As for classroom-based learning, well, you’ll just have to come back some other time. It’s getting late, and I have plans for the weekend. The Adventures of Rain and Belle Part 3
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AuthorJust me. Unabridged. Archives
March 2019
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