Life at Yirara College of the Finke River Mission

A new phase in my teaching career has occurred. I have been fortunate enough to get out of the classroom and am now teaching PE and coordinating sport for the fellas at Yirara. Quite a bit of extra commitment and time, but absolutely loving it. I teach a few classes of Health, and so I do get to stand up in front of a class, but it is totally different from teaching Grade 12 English from a postmodernist perspective.
All of the students at Yirara are ESL and there are about 200 students. The majority are at a level of Prep/Transition to about Grade 5 level. Many have not had much schooling, in cases very little parenting and find it very hard to have another “boss” other than themselves. Unfortunately, self determination has confused matters and now many kids believe and have been told, “You are your own boss now, the government tells us that.”
Something I have had to realise is that each community (or tribal group) is different. If you talk about “an aboriginal problem”, then to suggest that is wrong. Each group is different and is at different stages. Some communities have major issues, some have none; to group them altogether just does not work. Top End Aborigines are different from Western Desert who are different from Western QLD who are different from Torres Strait Islanders who are different from urban aborigines. To lump them altogether as “aboriginal problems” and say it applies to them all, is why there are “problems”.
Teaching is challenging. There are students who are there because they want to learn and want to interact with you; there are some who are there because the parents want the Christians to fix their out of control sons and daughters; there are some there who are there to make some peoples’ lives a misery...does this sound familiar to anyone? Again, I have come to realise that people are people, and they need God.
I am enjoying building relationships, and having to learn a heap of new behaviour management strategies. I have had to learn to raise my voice and “growl” at the students...if I don’t, they don’t respect me. I have had to get use to fellas holding my hand, stroking my arm or hairy chest in the pool and walking around with their arm around me...a sure sign they respect you and like you– just uncomfortable when they do it in public.
Australian Rules Football and Basketball are the two major sports; so to do Swimming and Volleyball this term has tested me and my resilience to push through with it. I have had varying degrees of success, but now probably at about 98% participation, so I feel I am getting somewhere. They are naturally very gifted athletes, but “training” or listening to a coach can be a very foreign concept for many. “I weak Mister” or “Too hot Mister” or “Let’s do Basketball Mister” was often yelled at me early, but I withstood these “tests” and now may have “won this battle”...perhaps.
Teaching staff are experienced with many towards the end of their career rather than at the stage I am at. Many I would say are “Heroes of the faith” to me because they have been committed to indigenous education for most of their careers; with very few thanks and letters of appreciation from students or parents. The staff are extremely unified and supportive. A great blessing to me in my time here so far.
My Under 14 basketball team is in the Grand Final this afternoon, so wait for word on that. God bless you all. Please keep in touch.