OPINION
How do you prepare your child for truth telling? How do schools prepare to teach truth telling? With help, support, open communication and an open mind and heart.
As a nation we will be challenged by filmmaker Rachel Perkins and the team at Blackfella Films with the truth telling of the foundations of this nation, with their new three-part documentary series about the Frontier Wars called The Australian Wars. Episode one screens on NITV and SBS at 7:30pm, Wednesday 21 September.
This series will make Australians and the global community reflect on their own thoughts about the foundations of this country we know today as Australia.
I’ve been a teacher for 25 years and I’m passionate about embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture into the classroom and, well to be honest, Australia in general.
Many Australians were denied an education of their own country’s true history at school. When I would say this only a few years ago, people would be outraged. Today is a different story though, people are slowly realising that they were denied these truths and are listening to First Nations voices and lived experiences and want to know more.
In 2010, the national curriculum was updated to include a stronger emphasis on , including significant dates like Sorry Day. When it was added, .
Now take a moment and ask yourself, if you were a teacher and you were not taught your country’s true history at school and you have no connection or pride to the oldest living culture in the world, would you teach it when given a choice?
Many teachers chose not to, as they felt like they didn’t know what to say or they felt like they might offend people. So, it was simply easier to ignore this gap in their own education and move on with a subject area they felt comfortable with. Thankfully there are teachers who have been teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ language, stories, culture and history. But not enough!
I vividly remember when I was at school, my class watched the one and only video ever played in my whole time at school about Aboriginal history. It was horrific. The video went on, it played, it finished, and we left the room and went home. As a young teenage Aboriginal girl I was shocked, confused, hurt, angry and, well literally every emotion you could imagine, but mostly I was traumatised.
There was no emotional or educational support for what I just watched and my family didn’t even know that I felt this way, as they had no idea I even watched this video.
This is not what we want for your children.
This is a real lived experience that fuels the work I do today.
I am part of the education team at Culture Is Life, who have written education resources for The Australian Wars series together with , to help support teachers and students from years 9 to 12, as they watch the series in the classroom.
There was a moment while writing the resources when I questioned whether I wanted my 16-year-old son to watch The Australian Wars at all. In reality I had exhausted myself emotionally watching the series over and over and over again to make sure I got the resources right.
When I stepped away from being so engrossed in the series, I asked myself, ‘Am I comfortable with my son, not knowing these truths?’ I answered a quick ‘no!’
I realised that I was a part of a team that had just written educational resources, that would support my son and his teachers through the series. He would have time in the classroom to break down his feelings and thoughts and be safe in his realisations because of these resources and our recommendations.
I highly recommend parents and caregivers watch The Australian Wars so when the school lets you know your child is watching the series, you can talk together about their feelings and support them through this series and their unit of work.
As a mother of a young Aboriginal man, I know he will be hurt by these truths of the Frontier Wars but I will be there every step of the way talking and checking in and letting him know he is not alone. The same will go for people whose family or local areas are mentioned in the series; there will be a lot of questions and emotions to talk through. So be there for them; your child’s teacher has been equipped with educational resources to be there too.
I know as a family moving forward, I will be encouraging my son to find a way to pay tribute to the forgotten soldiers and warriors of the Frontier Wars when we take time to remember the fallen soldiers together.
The Australian Wars series and education resources create an opportunity for you as a parent, caregiver and/or teacher to be present in an education that will have huge impact on how we move forward as a country and as individuals. Together we can heal in these truths, creating a better united future, for everyone. ‘Lest We Forget.’
Shelley Ware is a proud Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman. A radio journalist and TV presenter, she is also a teacher and education consultant.
Three-part documentary series The Australian Wars premieres on Wednesday 21 September at 7.30pm on SBS and NITV, airing weekly. You can catch up . Watch the trailer now:
Join the conversation #TheAustralianWars
