"'Cop-out': Urging Educators to Self-Educate on Australian History"

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Aunty Jackie Huggins had a transformative experience in primary school in Brisbane during the 1960s when a teacher unexpectedly highlighted her background.

As a Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru girl, she was the sole Aboriginal student in her year three class when a new and enthusiastic teacher asked the students to stand if they considered themselves Australian.

Recounting on NITV’s The Point, Aunty Jackie described her surprise when the teacher instructed everyone but her to sit down, announcing to the class that she was the “real Australian” among them.

“His entire class lesson focused on the fact that I was Aboriginal, highlighting my long-standing connection to the land as a member of the first peoples of this country, which made me immensely proud,” Aunty Jackie shared.

“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.”

This formative classroom experience proved to be the exception rather than the rule and Aunty Jackie overcame bigotry and low expectations on the road to becoming an accomplished author and academic.

“I always say to teachers: ‘You know, you have that power to really make or break a child’s life in terms of their own identity’,” she said.

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.

The national agreement on Closing the Gap was launched in 2008 with the commitment to reduce disadvantage among Indigenous Australians in health, life expectancy, employment, and education by 2031.

According to the latest report, only one of the five education-related targets is considered to be on track.

Charles Darwin University education researcher Dr Tracy Woodroffe said it’s important to maintain a broader perspective on our national approach to education.

“The Australian education system is meant to cater for all Australians,” she said.

“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.”

A teacher with a book in a classroom with children

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.

“If more students had that positive experience of schooling, perhaps also then they might decide to be teachers themselves to teach the next generation the way that they wanted to be taught,” she said.

“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.”

Despite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures having been part of the national curriculum since 2012, the majority of non-Indigenous teachers over 35 say they ‘lack confidence’ in this area.

“I think it’s a little bit of a cop-out,” Woodroffe said.

“It’s easy to say, ‘I don’t want to offend anyone. I don’t know about that. I might get it wrong.’

“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.”