I often get questions from parents who are keen for their kids to learn more about Aboriginal people, history and culture. Many are concerned about the lack of First Nations content in their child’s education or the quality of Aboriginal education that is taught without true inclusion of an Aboriginal perspective. 

I understand these concerns. I have spoken to many schools who dismiss Aboriginal perspectives as “not a priority”, usually because they don’t have many Aboriginal students. This approach is concerning given the inclusion of Aboriginal content in the curriculum for all students. But I believe it is important for parents not to assume this is the attitude of your school until you have had a conversation with them. Many schools are quite open about wanting to improve their approach to Aboriginal perspectives. There are often lots of factors at play and approaching your school with openness can help reach the outcome you are hoping for.
 
I like to remind people that Aboriginal perspectives hasn’t always enjoyed the priority is has now. For many teachers, we are asking them to teach something that they themselves did not learn about so they may be finding their feet. We want to support them as they do this, help them to find an approach they are comfortable with while ensuring high quality Aboriginal education for our kids.
 
Here are some suggestions I have about how you could support Aboriginal education at your school.
 

• Talk to your classroom teacher – ask them about their approach to Aboriginal perspectives and the resources they will be using. Most teachers are happy to have parents who are engaged and are very willing to discuss their plans to educate your children. A respectful conversation may alleviate your concerns and reassure you that your child’s teacher is incorporating Aboriginal perspectives appropriately but if it doesn’t, the conversation lets the teacher know that Aboriginal education is important to you and provides an opportunity to share any approaches or resources that you would recommend. That initial conversation can be the start of positive change and taking a supportive approach can make all the difference. 
• Talk to your principal – let them know that Aboriginal education is important to you and discuss any concerns you have. Share your expectation that the school include Aboriginal education across all key learning areas and provide real opportunities for all students to learn about Australia’s true history, our First Nations people and their culture in a genuine way.   
• Talk to your kids – what are they learning about at school? Have they considered the Aboriginal perspective? What do they know about Aboriginal people and has the knowledge evolved?  Checking out the work that is coming home and touching base to see the impact of classroom activities is a great way to get a feel. Your classroom teacher may have a very gentle approach that doesn’t seem like a lot but is having a big impact. 
• Attend and support school events such as NAIDOC assemblies and cultural incursions where you can. Teachers really are working overtime and attending these events shows you appreciate the effort. It is very discouraging for teachers to put their time, much of it their personal time, into planning an amazing event and then having only a few parents attend. Schools are communities and we need people to show up. 
• Attend your P&C meetings. While the P&C doesn’t control curriculum, they can work with the principal to address concerns and drive change throughout the school. 
• Offer to help. Schools need helpers and if you can offer support for Aboriginal education you will be making the job that little bit easier. You might be able to suggest a resource, introduce a local Aboriginal person, or be an extra pair of hands – all of these can make a huge difference. 

​I would love to hear about how your school approaches Aboriginal education. Are you happy with the approach? What do you love? What do you think they could do better? What are the changes you would like to see?

This year I chose not to engage in the Change the Date debate. It is too exhausting. I cannot face the racism that floods media and social media on this day.  It is too ignorant and too frustrating, too much. How in this day and age are there so many people who cannot see that 26 January is not the date to celebrate and that it is time to move the celebration to another, more inclusive date?
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Instead I am focusing on the increasing number of Australians who are working to support our First Nations communities – the allies who are taking the time and making the effort to get educated and support our communities by acknowledging our trauma, embracing truth about our history and fostering understanding by sharing this truth. Because this is how we move forward together. 

Teachers, who are one of our greatest influencer groups and play a significant role in leading change, often ask me how they can support First Nations communities and be a strong ally for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There are lots of things educators can do to support our communities and I love that so many are seeking advice on how they can provide support in a culturally appropriate way. Small things, like some of the ideas below, may make an Aboriginal child feel supported and start to open up or support a non-Aboriginal child to start on their own journey of being a strong ally.

I have talked before about ways to be a good ally and taking an anti-racism approach so I won’t go into those again – we all know how important standing up and speaking up is. Here are some other ways teachers can support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. 

• The greatest thing a teacher can do is educate. Including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives throughout your program by looking at each unit you teach through a First Nations lens is a great way to increase the frequency of Aboriginal content in your classroom. 

• Including Aboriginal posters, books, art and displays around your classroom can support student's knowledge growth and appreciation for Aboriginal culture. Check out the teacher resource section of the Wingaru Kids platform for posters and classroom items that you can print and display. Most good book stores will have a range of books by Aboriginal authors or you could support an Aboriginal business and buy online from an Aboriginal owned enterprise. I often buy books from https://www.rileycallieresources.com.au/. 

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• Include an acknowledgement of country in your classroom. You could include it as part of your morning greeting or display a written acknowledgement. Or why not do both? You will find our free acknowledgement poster https://www.wingaru.com.au/blogs/warami-2021.

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• Keep an eye out for stickers, stationary and other items that can bring an Aboriginal presence to your classroom. There are some gorgeous teacher tools available, like the stamps from Holly Sanders x The Teaching Tools, that are a great inclusion for the classroom. I received a set of these last week and they are gorgeous! Holly created these designs for use by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal teachers: 

• Celebrate Aboriginal people. There are so many great First Nations role models out there so introduce their stories to your students. This helps bring our culture to the mainstream and counter the negative narrative that students often hear in the media. Challenging this negative perception is so important in addressing discrimination. 

• Don’t be afraid to wear Aboriginal designed clothing. I often get asked if it is ok for non-Aboriginal people to wear Aboriginal print clothing or accessories and my answer is always yes. Most designers are very happy for non-Aboriginal people to wear their designs. The ones that should be left for mob are usually clearly marked and include easily seen information that a design is not ally-friendly and point you to their ally-friendly items. If you do wear blak designers take part in Wear it Blak Wednesday by using the following hashtags #wearitblakwednesday #onwednesdayswearblak. This helps spread the word about our deadly designers and supports economic development for our mob. 

• Buy Blak. Buying from Aboriginal business supports communities by contributing to Aboriginal economic developing. Aboriginal businesses are more likely to employ Aboriginal people so strong businesses contribute to lowering unemployment rates as well as supporting Aboriginal families to break cycles of poverty that are far too common in our communities. Buying from Aboriginal business is particularly important if you are buying Aboriginal items – whether it be clothes, art or education resources. Buying from a Blak business means you can be confident you are buying authentic and culturally safe items. Trading Blak shares some great info on buying blak and how it help First Nations communities so check them out on facebook https://www.facebook.com/TradingBlak

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As always, pick actions that feel comfortable for you, don’t feel you have to do it all. Any support is appreciated! I woulod love to hear about the things you do to support our communities.