“I’ve often reflected on that lesson and the influence teachers have in affirming their students in the classroom, even when those students stand out as different.”

Currently, research shows that education plays a critical role in bettering outcomes for First Nations people, yet Indigenous students still face educational disparities compared to the broader community.

“Instead of viewing Aboriginal people as failing, we should examine the responsibilities of the educational system itself. It’s important to not perceive ourselves as powerless but to consider how we can reform the system and transform what teachers learn and how they conduct themselves in classrooms.”

Teacher Jaimee Leigh Wiley shares a story with her class at Cherbourg State School in Queensland. Credit: The Point

Less than 2 per cent of registered teachers in Australia are Indigenous and Woodroffe said an “infiltration” of First Nations teachers and perspectives will help to transform the system from within.

“For that to happen, though, they need teachers to engage them in the first place and to be able to work in a way that helps the students feel like they belong within that school.”

“But we’re adults, and if we are setting out on this path to be educators, we should be educated and understand how to find the answer to something that we don’t know.”

Jackie Huggins (left) attended school in Inala in Brisbane in the 1960s. Credit: Jackie Huggins’ book ‘Auntie Rita’

Aunty Jackie agreed that there is still a long way to go, but she has seen enormous change in her lifetime.