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A debate on race
INTRODUCTION In our school newsletter I had been running a series of articles dealing with racism, leading up to the International Day for the Elimination of Racism on March 21 2001. I received the...
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Failure of leadership on multiculturalism?
Today’s post on New Lines from a Floating Life examines the Prime Minister’s rejection of the word multiculturalism. Is he rejecting more than just a word? Do read that post, again very relevant to the...
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Thoughts on coaching
Consumer Guide to Coaching I was coached–by my grandfather, a retired teacher, in Mathematics. It was only that and former SBHS Principal Bob Outterside’s teaching that enabled me to get through a...
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Why does that Bing Lee guy have such a strong accent?
On another blog last year I read: Ken Lee, right — the son of Bing Lee, founder of the Sydney electronics empire — he’s been in charge of the business for ages since the old man died… Ken has been in...
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Cross-cultural issues are part of an ESL teacher’s business
There are times when this aspect of ESL teaching and support leads down paths some might see as controversial, but I have found most ESL teachers find themselves travelling together on this. On the old...
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A voice you just can’t ignore
You’ll find Ali Alsamail in the NSW HSC All-Rounders List 2004, those with top performances across the board. I remember him as a leader in the school in sport and academia. He is of Iraqi background...
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Tutoring, reality, and results
I have written on coaching before. As you will see if you check the “About” page, I do tuition in Chinatown here in Sydney — one-to-one only — and have for some time. Tuition is meant, in my opinion,...
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Indigenous Australia
I have a page on my personal site called Indigenous Australians. One of my Chinatown coachees is currently studying this topic in Year 11 English (ESL) so this is partly for him, but also for any of...
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Tolerating intolerable nonsense — Senator Andrew Bartlett
Bouquets to Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett for this entry on his blog: Tolerating intolerable nonsense. Following on from my previous piece on Harmony Day and the benefits of cultural...
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Mirrored from my personal site…
In today’s Sun-Herald there is a piece by Kerry-Anne Walsh called “Multiculturalism isn’t the enemy.” Unfortunately, given it is an excellent piece, it is not online. It should be. So here most of it...
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On welfare issues with Korean-Australian students
Introduction This post has become very long. Written over two days, it has four distinct sections. – The first part is my immediate response to questions being asked about possible cultural factors in...
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Excellent series on Islam in Australia
Sure, some in the Australian Muslim communities may quarrel over details, while others may not, but I am glad the Sydney Morning Herald has today published a series of special articles on this...
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Interesting cultural policy take on Virginia Tech
I wrote a very long post after the Virginia Tech shootings, reflecting on a range of cultural issues that are also relevant to Australia. While being in favour of gun control, I did not pursue that...
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New Australian movie suits “Physical Journeys”
I haven’t seen it yet, but I have read about it in the current Monthly Magazine (article not online). It would seem though that Romulus, My Father would be worth considering as a supplementary text for...
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It’s our tolerance at stake, not multiculturalism
These days we agonise over such matters as whether a Muslim girl should wear a veil or scarf to school. Much of that agonising is irrational. True, there will be limits. Religions practising nudism...
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James Crawford on No Child Left Behind and ESL
Given that the Australian government is pushing its schools agenda hard, despite the fact it does not actually run any schools, and given that it and its advisers look to George Bush’s America for...
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Accent on otherness
Yes, this is an excellent supplementary text for NSW HSC “Journeys” [or "Belonging"] but it is more than that: Pauline Webber in The Weekend Australian (September 29, 2007). THE point at which cultures...
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Great resource for Journeys and multicultural education
Last night I watched Who Do You Think You Are? on SBS. Go there not just for that one, but for the others in this currently ongoing series. Naturally, too, I commend Inspiring Teachers which begins on...
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Fascinating stats
On Jim Belshaw’s Personal Reflections the following appeared this morning, though dated yesterday. Australia’s Global Ethnic Rankings We all know that Australia is a country of migrants. A short search...
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