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References:

AFL and 18 clubs issue apology over racism faced by Adam Goodes. (2019). Retrieved 19 August 2019, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-07/afl-apologises-unreservedly-for-failures-over-adam-goodes-racism/11191880

Ahmed, S. (2017). Living a Feminist Life (p. 115). Duke University Press.

Bartholomaeus, C., Riggs, D., & Andrew, Y. (2017). The capacity of South Australian primary school teachers and pre-service teachers to work with trans and gender diverse students. Teaching And Teacher Education, 65, 127-135. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.03.006

Bolger, R. (2019). School-aged sexism: 98 per cent of girls feel unfairly treated compared to boys. Retrieved 17 August 2019, from https://www.sbs.com.au/news/school-aged-sexism-98-per-cent-of-girls-feel-unfairly-treated-compared-to-boys

Bowden, T. (2019). High schools not prepared for coming 'tsunami' of children with autism: support group. Retrieved 17 August 2019, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-21/high-schools-not-prepared-for-tsunami-of-children-with-autism/10830286

Caines, K. (2019). 'I want to die': Trans child shares story of being assigned wrong sex at birth. Retrieved 19 August 2019, from https://www.9news.com.au/national/transgender-news-australia-child-self-harm-and-mental-health/82982a3f-b10e-4606-81f4-5160a1d51147

Casinader, N., & Walsh, L. (2015). Teacher transculturalism and cultural difference: Addressing racism in Australian schools. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 14(2), 51-62.

Cockburn, P. (2019). 'So disheartening': Students in tears after being laughed off stage during NAIDOC week dance. Retrieved 19 August 2019, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-09/nsw-government-investigates-after-students-laughed-off-stage/11291028

Heffernan, M. (2019). 'I wear them, don't you?' More schools give pants a chance. Retrieved 17 August 2019, from https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/i-wear-them-don-t-you-more-schools-give-pants-a-chance-20190510-p51m4n.html

Jarvis, J. (2019). Most Australian teachers feel unprepared to teach students with special needs. Retrieved 17 August 2019, from https://theconversation.com/most-australian-teachers-feel-unprepared-to-teach-students-with-special-needs-119227

McNamara, P., Harvey, A., & Andrewartha, L. (2019). Passports out of poverty: Raising access to higher education for care leavers in Australia. Children And Youth Services Review, 97, 85-93. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.07.015

Neilson, N. (2019). Girls wearing skirts as part of school uniform is 'gender discrimination', experts say. Retrieved 17 August 2019, from https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/girls-wearing-skirts-as-part-of-school-uniform-is-gender-discrimination-experts-say-20170113-gtqwc5.html

Pomerantz, S., Raby, R., & Stefanik, A. (2013). Girls Run the World?. Gender & Society, 27(2), 185-207. doi: 10.1177/0891243212473199

Rutherford, G. (2016). Questioning special needs-ism: Supporting student teachers in troubling and transforming understandings of human worth. Teaching And Teacher Education, 56, 127-137. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.02.009

Smith, A. (2019). Anti-PC packs to be sent to 500 NSW schools to stop 'indoctrination'. Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/anti-pc-packs-to-be-sent-to-500-nsw-schools-to-stop-indoctrination-20190807-p52evx.html

Ting, I., Palmer, A., & Scott, N. (2019). Rich school, poor school: Here's where 8,500 schools rank on the income ladder. Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-13/rich-school-poor-school-australias-great-education-divide/11383384

Tovey, J. (2019). Students going without the basics: 'I was heartbroken when I missed school'. Retrieved 20 August 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/may/12/students-going-without-the-basics-i-was-heartbroken-when-i-missed-school

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5.     Education Inequality in Australia

The divide between Australia’s most elite and disadvantaged schools has been topic of recent investigation in the media. This topic is close to my heart as I work in a dilapidated old building, in a low socio-economic area with growing enrolment numbers, teaching students who in most cases have had a tougher start to life than some of their peers. The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) investigation recently discovered that of the $22 billion spent on a range of national projects in the education sector from 2013 to 2017, funds went directly to just 10% of Australian schools (Ting, Palmer & Scott, 2019). Coming from the public school system, I personally feel overwhelmed by what local government schools could be doing with significant amounts of money to help improve and update their buildings and resources. This then implies that for families who can’t afford to send their children to private or non-government schools will miss out on receiving the best quality education and facilities for their kids.

Today, one in six Australian children and young people are living in poverty, where even life's basics are hard to come by. When families are experiencing financial disadvantage children can fall behind with their learning, leaving them more vulnerable to experiencing hardship themselves later in the life. Research shows children and young people living in disadvantage have access to fewer books and learning materials in the home. Access to support and resources forms the foundation for learning ("Poverty In Australia", 2019).

The Guardian released an article identifying this continuing gap between the wealthiest and most disadvantaged in education across Australia. It discusses the opportunities students are missing out on, purely based off their families inability to finance them. The gap between students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and their classmates, who are in more comfortable financial positions, is continuing to increase. This is despite the Gonski report and the various school funding grants provided across the country. It’s reported that more than a third of pupils from the most underprivileged group don’t finish their high school education and only one in four enrol into university (Tovey, 2019). When students are raised in homes experiencing poverty or in-out home care settings, this can have a negative effect on their educational perspectives and overall successes at school. Individuals who have access to education, particularly higher education, are correlated to report prolonged positive wellbeing and self-efficacy and higher levels of prevention against poverty later in life.  (McNamara, Harvey & Andrewartha, 2019). The government, schools, communities and the individual teacher need to all be educated surrounding this topic (regardless of where they currently send their own children or what school they work in) and provide the tools necessary so every child can learn to the best of their ability, including access to all available resources.

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4.     Transgender Children in Schools

An increasing amount of Australian children are reporting that they define as a gender that is different to the one they were assigned with at birth, this is usually called ‘trans and gender diverse’.  Due to the rise in these reported findings, schools have a responsibility to educate their teachers, students and the wider community surrounding the topic.

Schools constitute a key context in which children may disclose that they are trans or gender diverse, thus highlighting the importance of schools, and particularly educators, in providing affirming and informed responses. Educators have a duty of care to all students, and this means that they have a role to play in making school cultures more inclusive of gender diversity (Bartholomaeus, Riggs & Andrew, 2017, p. 3)

Articles surrounding trans or gender diverse children and their journeys through the transitioning process are becoming frequent in the media. 9 News documented Evie Macdonald’s story of her realising very young that she didn’t identify with her assigned birth gender, yet wasn’t sure what that meant or how to talk to her family about the issue.  This then quickly turned to feelings of self-loathing and escalated to suicidal idolisations. “Evie is one of an estimated 45,000 school-aged Australians who identify as trans, with horrifying new figures showing four out of five will self-harm and at least half will attempt suicide” (Caines, 2019). If educators and teaching professionals are unwilling to accept the current changing landscape, educate themselves on how to accommodate trans or gender diverse students within the classroom and provide support, then these statistics will continue to grow.

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported that over 500 packs containing information and advice for parents on how to help recognise the signs of their children becoming radicalised by gender activists at school. If politicians and government parties are funding these articles being released to parents and local communities, it’s indirectly sending a message to the children that identify as trans or gender diverse, that they are not being seen as their true selves and unable to express who they really are within their schooling and wider community. Pupils who identify under those categories are more inclined to hold the view that schools and education facilities as areas of segregation amongst their peers.

At the primary/elementary school level, research has documented high levels of bullying by other children (alongside a common lack of attention to trans and gender diverse children in school anti-bullying policies), lack of understanding and support from school staff, and exclusion in the form of rules relating to gender-segregated bathroom use, school uniforms, and sports participation (Bartholomaeus, Riggs & Andrew, 2017, p. 4). Further research suggests that an educators understanding and willingness to accept these individuals, the knowledge they have around the topic and the levels of inclusion they offer the pupil all correlate with an overall supportive school environment (Bartholomaeus, Riggs & Andrew, 2017). I believe it’s our job as teachers to set an example of understanding; support and a willingness to learn new ways to best cater for our students, regardless of any influences.

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3.    Racial Discrimination in Schools

Schools and education sectors are a hub for multiculturalism and the exposure to many different individuals, from all walks of life. Unfortunately, the experiences that each person has within this setting can be drastically different, depending on their race or cultural background. Working in a primary school in the Southeastern suburbs of Melbourne, teaching different students from varying backgrounds, this issue of acceptance and the prevalence of racism and social exclusion is an issue that needs to continue being addressed. Student’s ethnicity and cultures throughout Australia’s education system is continuing to vary and has become one of the biggest areas of change in the past 30 years. By 2011, almost every second Australian had one or both parents migrating from overseas (Casinader & Walsh, 2015). However, the correlation between the exposures to wider varieties of cultures within our communities has been unable to tackle the issue of racism experienced by students in Australian school. Casinader and Walsh state that racism can be defined as, “ a phenomenon that results in avoidable and unfair inequalities in power, resources or opportunities across groups in society...[that]...can be expressed through beliefs, prejudices or behaviours/practices and [that] can be based on race, ethnicity, culture or religion” (Casinader & Walsh, 2015, p. 51).

ABC news posted an article regarding a case of social exclusion and assumed racism within the Australian education department. A group of Indigenous Year 12 students from a NSW Secondary School were performing a traditional dance during NAIDOC celebrations, when their performance was cut short and they received racist remarks and comments whilst being ushered off the stage. Events that hold cultural significance to its community members should be celebrated and encouraged, not diminished and shunned! When discussing the effect of racism on young people, Casinader and Walsh report that, “It can cause tension, anxiety, anger, sadness, a sense of exclusion, fear of being attacked, loss of confidence and self-esteem, diminished sense of belonging. Young people also describe a diminished sense of belonging, whether to the local community or to the school. Racist experiences can also have a negative impact on educational engagement and achievement” (Casinader & Walsh, 2015, p. 53). Unfortunately, this particular article regarding racism and it’s prevalence in schools and within the wider general community, is not an isolated event.

Adam Goodes, Indigenous professional AFL player, was accustomed to years of racial slurs and verbal abuse. Goode’s recently released a documentary titled ‘The Final Quarter’ which detailed his departure from football and how the continual racism he received played a major part in the decision. This documentary and the flurry of media coverage it stirred will hopefully continue to keep this issue in the forefront of Australians and make us question where we stand on the issue.  If we can’t respect an Australian athlete at the top of his game, what hope does a marginalised student have?

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Still in this day and age, young women are prone to situations of varied sexism in many different contexts. Their usual experiences within the classroom and their educational facilities wider community, as well as their vision of the future are tainted by views of inadequacy between genders (Pomerantz, Raby & Stefanik, 2013). Gender inequality and sexism towards females, particularly within school based settings and continue to be an area of social importance and media attention both within Australia and globally. This in particular is personal to myself being a female, growing up in similar environments, both within my schooling experience and the extra-curricular activities (in particular sport) I participated in as a youth. An article titled ‘School-aged sexism: 98 per cent of girls feel unfairly treated compared to boys’ and posted by SBS News draws devastating light onto recent results of a study commissioned in Australian schools. This investigation found that girls were completing more household related chores whilst at home and their male peers were able to get away with more behaviour when at school. Another scary revelation from this study included that confidence in females reduced as they got older, identifying only 27 per cent of adults felt confident in themselves (Bolger, 2019). Bolger expressed that, “Students are often told they can do anything and the world is in their hands, but many students feel outside the classroom they're too often told what they cannot do instead” (2019). This is really damaging to all girls, as it makes them question their worth and the norms on what they can and can’t do in society. When falling outside of those constructs, you can begin to question your belongingness, sense of security, where you fit in the world and what’s ‘home’ to you (Ahmed, 2017).

Another example of gender inequality within Australian schools is the ongoing debate surrounding uniform. Girls are expected to adhere to strict seasonal dress codes that generally inhibit them from wearing shorts and long pants, and expect for them to instead wear skirts and dresses, regardless of the individual’s thoughts on the matter. Drastically lower female participation rates in physical education are reported, when compared to their male counterparts, a 2012 Australian Bureau of Statistics study found. If students feel pressured into behaving or dressing in a particular way to suit a school policy, this could have prolonging damaging ramifications as they get older (Neilson, 2019).

The answer to combatting these concerns is by the inclusion of gender-neutral uniform options at all schools. In 2018, Victoria mandated that all government schools must provide this opportunity to all students. Heffernan shares that, “Private schools are increasingly doing the same, in the name of choice, comfort, promoting movement and preparing girls for the adult world” (2019). This shift in attitude toward feminism, changing with the current landscape in society is promising and allows girls and young women the opportunity to feel confident and comfortable in their clothing and in their own skin whilst attend school. It seems like as a society, we are moving in the right direction to help tackle this injustice!

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1.	‘Special Needs’ Students in Mainstream Education

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1.	‘Special Needs’ Students in Mainstream Education

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Pressures on today’s teachers are constantly accumulating and the expectations they have on them are continuing to grow. An article titled ‘Most Australian teachers feel unprepared to teach students with special needs’ which goes on to discuss the high volumes of educators that feel unequipped to deal with ‘special needs’ students and disability in the classroom. Teachers explain their lack of understanding when catering for mixed ability groups and an inadequate amount of professional development surrounding the matter are barriers to catering for students that identify as disabled or have learning difficulties (Jarvis, 2019). Jarvis states “Preparing teachers who feel confident to teach students with special needs is essential to having inclusive schools as part of an inclusive society. We shouldn’t underestimate the challenge of teaching for a very broad range of students” (2019).

Another article titled ‘High schools not prepared for coming 'tsunami' of children with autism’ posted by the ABC, explains that there are an influx of students with autism that need extra assistance and their specialised needs accommodated for once they reach secondary school. Bowden expresses, “We do need these specialist units, specialist educators and we need to be real about how many kids we need to place in those, and start planning accordingly" (2019). The language used in this article suggests that children with autism can be compared to that of a natural disaster, which the general population aren’t equipped to deal with.

Many different versions of this topic appear constantly in the media and as a current practicing teacher (four years into the profession) within a primary school in the government sector, I feel I can relate to the content. However, this narrative of special needs is painted in a negative light and doesn’t explain what it actually constitutes and the burden that its’ currently placing in an education settings. Rutherford explains that, “generations of students have moved through education systems that are burdened by out-dated false assumptions about human diversity and capacity. How many more generations have to live in the shadow of special needs-ism? “ (2016). If teachers are consciously or subconsciously harbouring preconceptions or hesitation toward catering for any individual that falls under that category, we are already putting our prejudice onto them. Educators and school communities know the capabilities of disabled pupils and the correct ways to cater for them. Collaboratively, we need to come together and make decisions on the where this matters lies in education and the positive trajectory of these conclusions for upcoming generations. We need to breakdown the casual discrimination that’s occurring and prevent the judgement on these members of our society. We need to come together as a society and an inclusive unit to ensure everybody feels understood, welcomed and united. Rutherford accurately concludes that, “(Re) thinking education as an apprenticeship in humanity may serve all of us well”(2016).