As everyone knows, Australia is a
multicultural society, and I think schools are the first place to gain a sense
of belonging especially for the students born in a non-English speaking
culture. Recently I read an article entitled Teachers, pupils on mission to
tackle racism in Australian schools, which was published by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
on 31th July 2013. The correspondent of this news article is Mohamed Taha. You can access this resource through this
link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-31/hip-hop-helps-students-overcome-racism-in-australian-schools/4854174.
Aimed to exhibit the transformation of a
western Sydney school, the article also demonstrates a series of information
about anti racism.
From our course reading, Greg Vass states
that, “ I will describe the school setting as a radicalized cultural landscape;
a space where relationships occur, understanding are shared and developed, and
power is expressed and deployed founded on race-based assumption” (p.3). Jihad
Dib, the young principal of Punchbowl Boys High School, explains the identical
idea. He believes that high visibility could break down barriers, and also he
takes effective action by knowing every single child and their parents in the
school.
Moreover, ABC interviews a few students in
the school to prove, for examples, there is a student in Grade 10 whose name is
Adnan Dakkak, he says Mr.Dib not only listens to them, respects them, but also
talks to them. Another student is the school captain Iafete Pele. He agrees
Mr.Dib is more like a father who creates a concept of a family within the
school community so that they can gain a sense of belonging. Though they come
from 35 different cultural groups, they feel integrated and affiliated. Aerts,
Houtte, Dewaele, Cox and Vincke (2012) claim that the sense of belonging could
make students feel personally accepted, respected, included and supported by others
within school social environment. This idea is consistent with Iafete Pele's
comment. By creating an inclusive environment and enjoying a sense of
belonging, Mr.Dib believes his students could have the inspiration to become
the best people as their potentials allow.
Furthermore, according to the research from
Australian Human Rights Commission (2013), there are over one in twenty
Australians who have been physically attacked because of their race, and one in
five Australians who have experienced race-hate talks such as verbal abuse. The
last part of this news article includes a video clip in conjunction with the
hip-hop artist Shannon Williams - aka Brothablack that, I think, is the most
shining point of this article. Personally, this media resource has given me
lots of information about anti racism and deeply involves me in confronting
racism when it occurs around me.
Based on my own experience, when I first
came to Australia in 2010, I went to the Intensive English Center (IEC), which
is a part of Beverly Hills Girls High School. However, students in IEC are from
a variety of cultural backgrounds in contrast to the high school, in
particular, my classmates are from Lebanon, Pakistan, Vietnam, Singapore, China
and Korea. Once we went to the food court, located in the high school, a group
of students said racist comments about our culture such as “why do you guys
come to our country?” or “Go home Asians!” and that really affected us and did
hurt us especially at the sensitive transition period when we first came to
Australia by ourselves. So, I admire Mr.Dib that he turns around the fortunes
of the school by creating an inclusive environment for his students. I think
school is not only for students to learn knowledge, but also serves as a place
to learn how to build relationship, mutual understanding and accepting others.
Furthermore, I am really glad I have many great teachers and I hope I can
become a great teacher like them in the future.
Reference:
Australian Human Rights Commission. Anti-racism campaign: Commissioner releases
report. Retrieved October 07, 2013, from
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/news/stories/anti-racism-campaign-commissioner-releases-report
Saskia Aerts. Mieke Van Houtte PhD. Alexis
Dewaele PhD. Nele Cox PhD. John Vincke PhD. (2012). Sense of Belonging in
Secondary Schools: A Survey of LGB and Heterosexual Students in Flanders. Journal of Homosexuality. 59:1. 90-113.
DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2012.638548
Vass, G. (2012). The racialised educational landscape in Australia: listening to the
whispering elephant. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1-26. DOI:
10.1080/13613324.2012.674505
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you Qian, that schools are one of the most important institutions where students, whether they come from a non-English speaking background or from a English speaking background, is where they gain a sense of belonging. I believe that racism can really deteriorate a students' sense of belonging with others in school especially from children who come from a non-English speaking background. It is important for teachers to listen to students who feel challenged by their peers due to racism as it can negative effect on their emotions towards school.
ReplyDeleteI think that the teacher-student relationship is built first in comparison to a student-peer relationship once a student enters into their schooling years. It is important for teachers to give support to students facing racism in such a multicultural society. For instance, Mr Dibs provides a good example on how teachers can create a more peaceful schooling experience for students encouraging their sense of belonging. Racist slurs and comments can be very offensive and harsh that can deteriorate one's sense of belonging which I find unacceptable and unfortunate which is something I wish in the future that students do not need to encounter.
Students who have reflected Mr Dib as a 'father-like' figure within the school who creates a familial environment is positive for students who have experienced a negative effect of belonging. Teachers who cannot shape a peaceful environment and a sense of belonging among the different ethnic cultures in the school classes and playgrounds will inevitably affect students too.
Unfortunately, racism largely exists in schools. Name-calling, racist comments, jokes and stereotyping are some aspects of racism that exists in schools and are used by students (Kerra, 2011, p.1). A study by Show Racism the Red Card found that 83 per cent of teachers who were questioned witnessed offensive behaviour among children (Kerra, 2011), p.1). However, some teachers have not received special training in counteracting racism and encouraging equality (Kerra, 2011, p.1). Teachers should be better equipped with training and learn ways how to encourage equality among a multicultural student population similar to Mr Dib.
Reference:
Kerra, M 2011, "Racism 'a very real issue' in English schools": 'ProQuest', Issue 4950, pp.1-2, accessed 24 October 2013, ProQuest Central.