Frontline: Multicultural Australia
The migrant wave and we fellow travellers
I want to go back to the days when multiculturalism was on the rise and valued in Australia, and I and my friends and colleagues in the Adult Migrant English Service (AMES) were on the frontline of this progressive period in Australian history. Changes to this outlook are a setback: migration policy was then bipartisan and not the ham-fisted mudslinging of current politics, particularly the heavy hand of right wing nationalism grasping for a return to monocultural 1950s.Today xenophobia and racism, largely from Pauline Hanson's One Nation, a contradiction in terms as exclusion is the name of the game, are on the rise and groups like Reclaim Australia darken the skies above us.
Being from an Italian migrant family I grew up in both a bilingual and multicultural environment in the post-war days when Australia needed population growth and a Good Neighbour Council existed to assist new arrivals. At a primary school age I can recall accompanying my mother to evening English classes, and to mum tuning in to weekly English language lessons broadcast on ABC radio. Perhaps I was always destined to become an ESL teacher.
I want to reflect upon the wonderful people I worked with in AMES many worldly having worked in many parts of the globe, often marrying non-Australians, and living in bilingual homes. There were diverse backgrounds in their home and they had an amazing range of skills, as writers, musicians, sculptors, actors and in a myriad of other areas that they brought to their classrooms. This is not to say that the Service didn’t have any dead wood, or people unsuited for teaching. Generally however the standards were high and we one big happy family assisting new migrants to develop the English language skills necessary to integrate into a culturally rich Australia.
I want to reflect upon the wonderful people I worked with in AMES many worldly having worked in many parts of the globe, often marrying non-Australians, and living in bilingual homes. There were diverse backgrounds in their home and they had an amazing range of skills, as writers, musicians, sculptors, actors and in a myriad of other areas that they brought to their classrooms. This is not to say that the Service didn’t have any dead wood, or people unsuited for teaching. Generally however the standards were high and we one big happy family assisting new migrants to develop the English language skills necessary to integrate into a culturally rich Australia.
Cultural Diversity
In the early days of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) diversity was seen, and still should be seen, as enriching the arts, national cuisine, and other cultural aspects of life in this country. To the dismay of many cultural diversity is becoming a negative, a hark back to the bland food and cultural uniformity of the 1950s where integration was the keyword and you had to become a true blue Aussie or sit forever on the sidelines; the days where wine was plonk and football was the wog’s game, and you can forget about Asian food. This all has been brilliantly satirized in Eric Bogle’s parody, I hate Wogs.
In the early days of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) diversity was seen, and still should be seen, as enriching the arts, national cuisine, and other cultural aspects of life in this country. To the dismay of many cultural diversity is becoming a negative, a hark back to the bland food and cultural uniformity of the 1950s where integration was the keyword and you had to become a true blue Aussie or sit forever on the sidelines; the days where wine was plonk and football was the wog’s game, and you can forget about Asian food. This all has been brilliantly satirized in Eric Bogle’s parody, I hate Wogs.
As ESL teachers in the emerging AMES we were on the front line of a vibrant multicultural Australia ready to engage with new arrivals from across the globe. Many were migrants and others refugees fleeing conflicts around the world: East Timor, Vietnam, South America, and from European conflicts in the Balkans, and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe. Classes were mixed and organised by English ability. We had people of different cultures, religions, and colour, sitting side by side and working cooperatively together. It was exciting; we all had a lot of fun and enjoyed each other's company with lifelong friendships often blossoming in this space.
Rebirth in a foreign country
learning a second language is like a rebirth, a renaissance, and students proceeded apace with the challenge, at times anxious, but usually engaging and exhilarating. Most of our students were well educated and highly skilled. Australia had a Skilled Migrants Program, a Family Reunion Program, a Business Program, and also a Refugee Resettlement Program, and apart from The Skillmax Program for overseas-trained professionals, others not employed and needing English lessons were placed in general English classes. There was an English in the Workplace Program and a Home Tutor Program which provided voluntary tutors for home visits.
Rebirth in a foreign country
learning a second language is like a rebirth, a renaissance, and students proceeded apace with the challenge, at times anxious, but usually engaging and exhilarating. Most of our students were well educated and highly skilled. Australia had a Skilled Migrants Program, a Family Reunion Program, a Business Program, and also a Refugee Resettlement Program, and apart from The Skillmax Program for overseas-trained professionals, others not employed and needing English lessons were placed in general English classes. There was an English in the Workplace Program and a Home Tutor Program which provided voluntary tutors for home visits.
It is fascinating to participate in the development of language skills and to witness the progress of students as they grow and merge into the mainstream of Australian life. Our students were very highly motivated and hung on every word in the class mindful that their futures depended on their success in mastering functional level English for their lives in Australia. Up close and personal we were involved in the humanity of their previous lives and their quest to set out on new lives often in a strange new environment. Strangers in a Strange Land, to borrow from a book title. Some came from high tech hubs in world capitals and others from remote villages. Most went on to satisfying jobs and constructive lives, many making outstanding contributions, as have indeed their children. Our higher education system and innovative industries attest to this brain gain, and yet how even the most talented had to scramble to get attention and to have their experience and qualifications recognised. I recall how an Iranian student I taught had a Masters Degree in French from the Sorbonne, and was told it was only assessed as a Bachelors Degree in French from an Australian university. So we speak better French than the French; we do have the suburbs La Perouse and San Souci after all. Go figure!
The first thing we told our overseas trained professionals in the Skillmax Program was to have their qualifications assessed and recognised, and to join professional organizations as soon as possible. In technical and scientific areas such as engineering and IT this was straightforward and easy. In areas such as law, it was impossible. Many professionals had to do bridging courses to come up to speed with Australian standards and issues. The biggest hurdle was for overseas trained doctors some who retrained as nurses and pharmacy assistants.
It is no easy matter to pack up your lives and migrate, or flee in the case of refugees, to an alien and distant country where your reception may be uncertain. Studies have shown that migration ranks slightly lower than death and divorce on the trauma scale. Nostalgia is ever-present and some never overcome it. Higher educated and professional migrants are better prepared to confront the new challenges, but they are often anxious that their once high status may become permanently revoked and they may fail where previously they had succeeded. Skillmax students had often worked for high tech giants like Google and Microsoft, leading banks and as researchers in top universities. I had one modest Japanese student who worked for Sony on their Playstation, and he featured in an article in a major newspaper’s IT section. I heard of a Russian student, a violinist if I recall who gave George Negus and a then right-wing Russian politician as his referees, strange when you consider Negus’s left leanings. A host of talented people clustered together searching for a professional way ahead in the Great South Land, Australia. It was a game of nerves waiting for a potential employer to call - they politely took the calls outside the classroom - and to set up a job interview. We tried as hard as we could to manage their anxieties as fellow students went off to jobs and they remained unemployed.
General English
Upon arrival at our education centres, students were tested and assigned to the appropriate class based on the level of English. This wasn’t a perfect system and a bit of horse trading went on before classes settled in both numbers and language ability. Some students appeared to have little or dormant English from past classes; generally they came back quickly once they settled down. However, they often learned their English in rote ways and from teachers with poor English accents. That said many teachers in AMES learned English as a Foreign Language (ESL) and did great work with their students.
Upon arrival at our education centres, students were tested and assigned to the appropriate class based on the level of English. This wasn’t a perfect system and a bit of horse trading went on before classes settled in both numbers and language ability. Some students appeared to have little or dormant English from past classes; generally they came back quickly once they settled down. However, they often learned their English in rote ways and from teachers with poor English accents. That said many teachers in AMES learned English as a Foreign Language (ESL) and did great work with their students.
In summary language learning is about:
· building words or vocabulary;
· producing grammatically correct sentences;
· ready listening comprehension of native English across a range of accents;
· conversing across a range of topics;
· learning from a range of situations, eg going to the doctor, shopping, making phone calls etc.;
· role-playing dialogues;
· intonation and pronunciation;
· Reading and Writing also play a big role.
All these elements were in a typical day’s lessons.
Resources
We had curriculums to loosely follow and many resources, some purchased and others produced in-house by teachers. In the early days, NSW AMES produced the lion’s share of ESL materials for use Australia-wide. Each education centre had a student library and, with the development of technology, computer rooms. Every staff room had the workhorse of ESL, the photocopiers, plus many audio recorders and video players for listening practice and on a daily basis would be asked by colleagues if we could voice a dialogue. In much the same way my broadcast journalist son has to add his voice to dub over various international news bulletins using non-English voices, in some cases the leader of a country.
We had curriculums to loosely follow and many resources, some purchased and others produced in-house by teachers. In the early days, NSW AMES produced the lion’s share of ESL materials for use Australia-wide. Each education centre had a student library and, with the development of technology, computer rooms. Every staff room had the workhorse of ESL, the photocopiers, plus many audio recorders and video players for listening practice and on a daily basis would be asked by colleagues if we could voice a dialogue. In much the same way my broadcast journalist son has to add his voice to dub over various international news bulletins using non-English voices, in some cases the leader of a country.
Over the years we oversaw technological developments from cassette tapes to CDs, to mobile phones. When I first started teaching ESL we had Gestetner copiers with messy stencils and resultant inky fingers. Like blotting paper, the sun has set on these old technologies, but they had their day.
Teachers unfailingly entered every class with loads of handouts. I developed over this period good design and desktop publishing skills and liked to produce my own material which I happily shared with others. Apart from paper-based materials we also had, as referred to above, extensive collections of audio and videotapes. This material required a great deal of maintenance work. When the photocopier went down there would be cries and gnashing of teeth. In truth, some colleagues fled whenever there was a paper jam leaving someone else to fix the mess. But when a class is waiting desperation gets its way so we probably all did this at some time. There were periods when our bosses tried unsuccessfully to reduce the amount of paper used: they may as well have asked us to switch off the lights during lessons for all the notice we took.
With my DTP skills, I not only developed classroom materials that I shared with many colleagues but I was fascinated with the rise of the Internet and World Wide Web. I created a magazine, Write Away, which showcased migrant writing. Three issues resulted and the first two we printed ourselves from an offset printer, which lay dusty and unused that, we got from AMES. The third issue AMES paid to take to a printer. Apart from great artwork and some glossy paper it had 3 colours. We enjoyed the cutting and pasting, layout on a light box and taking it away for typesetting. Very quickly computer software allowed us to do all of this on computer screens, and with the arrival of laser printers produce small runs ourselves.
I was also on a committee that produced out professional journal Interchange and had by this stage advanced skills in layout and design. The next step was to put student writing online and before long Write Away was a growing website showcasing a wealth of writing. This will be the subject of another blog.
From migrant centres to office blocks
In the 70s and into the 80s many education centres were in migrant hostels with an increasing number moving to rented space in office buildings. In the migrant hostel days we often taught in demountable classrooms which I thought were fine. Weather permitting, we often went out and has calsses on lawns and under the shade of trees. In the early days, smoking was permitted in classrooms by both students and teachers. This thankfully changed with most staff and students approving no smoking in classrooms and the building, something that was happening across Australia in general. Another regular issue was air-conditioning, and windows left open that interfered with air-conditioning systems. But Australian summers are hot and it’s not ideal to concentrate in such conditions. Warnings were frequently issued and technicians called at great cost to remedy the situation.
In the 70s and into the 80s many education centres were in migrant hostels with an increasing number moving to rented space in office buildings. In the migrant hostel days we often taught in demountable classrooms which I thought were fine. Weather permitting, we often went out and has calsses on lawns and under the shade of trees. In the early days, smoking was permitted in classrooms by both students and teachers. This thankfully changed with most staff and students approving no smoking in classrooms and the building, something that was happening across Australia in general. Another regular issue was air-conditioning, and windows left open that interfered with air-conditioning systems. But Australian summers are hot and it’s not ideal to concentrate in such conditions. Warnings were frequently issued and technicians called at great cost to remedy the situation.
Leaving your classroom in an optimum condition for the next teacher, and turning off lights at the end of the day, were other irksome issues. Basic etiquette required whiteboards be cleaned and chairs returned to a neat order and to other classrooms if they were borrowed. So it was beg, borrow, steal, or, worst of all to forget returning library books and other equipment.
The main education centres provided childcare whilst the parents attended class and had to remain in the centre at all times. From time to time a distressed child required they go to the childcare centre immediately. Fire drills took place each term and the children also had to be evacuated along with all staff and students. Every classroom had a chart with fire drill procedure. Arson resulted in one centre burning down: there may have been another fire elsewhere which I have vague memories.
Sifting through lives
Language rules our lives, in particular correct grammar, and learning a second language requires examining every aspect of our past, present, and future lives, even down to intimate details such as health, relationships, fears, and anxieties. Of course, the privacy of the bedroom is respected and everyone is entitled to their secrets in other domains. For better or worse migrants bring their own baggage to Australia, baggage that has to be unpacked in a second language.
Language rules our lives, in particular correct grammar, and learning a second language requires examining every aspect of our past, present, and future lives, even down to intimate details such as health, relationships, fears, and anxieties. Of course, the privacy of the bedroom is respected and everyone is entitled to their secrets in other domains. For better or worse migrants bring their own baggage to Australia, baggage that has to be unpacked in a second language.
Grammar and tenses are the backbones of lessons. The simple present, and present continuous focus on personal ID and characteristics, our lifestyles, the frequency of our behavior, what we are doing at present, and so forth. Past tenses focus on past actions and the above in completed times and involve regular and irregular verbs. Future tenses cover our expectations and plans for the future in a number of ways from will to going to. Perfect tenses cover a range of uses with further verb changes. For example Have you ever …? Can review unexpected experiences in life, for example, Have you ever been in prison, jumped out of a plane etc? And so on with conditionals, reported speech etc. Practice, practice, and more practice, in written exercise and pairs. There’s a long way between understanding and fluency.
Energy in and out of the classroom
Learning English requires both physical and mental effort. Students are up on their feet much of the time doing pair and group work. A host of games required movement, and there were activities such as body grammar that required lining up correctly. A great deal of physical effort is expended in the classroom, which is as it should be. There are no neat rows of chairs, and as in schools generally furniture becomes amenable to all kinds of change. There were times when a class would go out on the street to practice directions and shopping tasks or do some basic research. To sit idly is not the best way to extend one’s English. Class excursions were also common at least once every course and worksheets would be prepared for such outings. Over time excursions would become more complex with legal and childcare issues to deal with. Form filling increased as it does in the world generally.
Learning English requires both physical and mental effort. Students are up on their feet much of the time doing pair and group work. A host of games required movement, and there were activities such as body grammar that required lining up correctly. A great deal of physical effort is expended in the classroom, which is as it should be. There are no neat rows of chairs, and as in schools generally furniture becomes amenable to all kinds of change. There were times when a class would go out on the street to practice directions and shopping tasks or do some basic research. To sit idly is not the best way to extend one’s English. Class excursions were also common at least once every course and worksheets would be prepared for such outings. Over time excursions would become more complex with legal and childcare issues to deal with. Form filling increased as it does in the world generally.
Engaging conversations and games
Once students have reached an appropriate level daily conversation topics become the order of the day, and I had many worksheets covering a wide range of engaging conversations topics including family matters, education, crime, festivals and important days, food, housework, health, cultural differences, strengths and weaknesses, customs and superstitions, national geography, dangerous experiences and so on. I’m sure there were times when even family secrets were confided in the spirit of the moment. Classes were divided into groups and I hovered between groups listening in but avoiding taking over the conversations. When occasion demanded I replied with the correct English but never intervened to correct a student’s English otherwise. Best allow the flow to continue.
Once students have reached an appropriate level daily conversation topics become the order of the day, and I had many worksheets covering a wide range of engaging conversations topics including family matters, education, crime, festivals and important days, food, housework, health, cultural differences, strengths and weaknesses, customs and superstitions, national geography, dangerous experiences and so on. I’m sure there were times when even family secrets were confided in the spirit of the moment. Classes were divided into groups and I hovered between groups listening in but avoiding taking over the conversations. When occasion demanded I replied with the correct English but never intervened to correct a student’s English otherwise. Best allow the flow to continue.
Sometimes speed is at the fore, but at other times accuracy asserts itself: in conversations speed is usually driving the discussion. Students may know the rules but in real life encounters the urgent need to respond and to make a point take over. There’s a gap between “I know” and “I can”. Time and practice are needed between mastering the theory and executing the practice.
So teaching ESL gets close and personal when discussing life, the universe and everything in between, which is why the job was so great, and abolishing borders is the way to go. It’s about humanity, about frailties and strengths, dreams and ambitions. Above all, it was about reconstructing lives in a new country.
ESL books are full of role play and problem-solving activities which can be great fun. One activity I recall with pleasure is the Alibi game. A crime has been committed and students are paired and instructed to create alibis. Separately they are interrogated until their stories don’t line up. 20 questions is another such game in which the person who is IN can only answer Yes or No to a maximum of 20 questions. Bananas is a game where only the word bananas can be used in reply, and only with a straight face. The list goes on.
Learning plateaus and mental health
All this can be tough work both in class and in assigned homework, resulting in headaches, poor sleep and stress. A lot of drills are required to master obtuse grammar, and despair can set in when no discernable progress can be seen. Persistence and positivity are necessary, with activities needing to change frequently and rest breaks given to relieve any monotony. Our job was to help maintain morale in order for learning to press ahead. At the outset progress is clear and the learning curve is on the rise. Then there is a learning plateau as if all learning has flatlined. This can be explained but it isn’t that easy to take with the student sensing a failure. In time the learning curve rises once again and linguistic progress continues and continues and continues.
All this can be tough work both in class and in assigned homework, resulting in headaches, poor sleep and stress. A lot of drills are required to master obtuse grammar, and despair can set in when no discernable progress can be seen. Persistence and positivity are necessary, with activities needing to change frequently and rest breaks given to relieve any monotony. Our job was to help maintain morale in order for learning to press ahead. At the outset progress is clear and the learning curve is on the rise. Then there is a learning plateau as if all learning has flatlined. This can be explained but it isn’t that easy to take with the student sensing a failure. In time the learning curve rises once again and linguistic progress continues and continues and continues.
Age is a factor as there is a lot to memorise and integrate into the brain. Children are quick to learn languages but this changes over the years. With adults, a previous language is at play and linguistic interference becomes a problem. It is hard to resist reverting to the grammatical structure of a previous language you are seemingly hard-wired to.
I learned over the years that I have a good resistance to winter woes like flues and other viruses doing the rounds. Teaching ESL requires very close proximity to students, giving correct pronunciation and intonation, and germs can spread. In my case, I never held back and fortunately avoided sick leave with the flu or other ailments. Many colleagues were not so lucky. Of course, all new arrivals were subject to health checks and vaccinations.
Spicing up learning
Songs, stories, videos and jokes helped offset the boredom of the repetition required in language learning. I kept a file of jokes and humour that I could insert into daily lessons, a kind of joke break that students came to expect. I included such a humour interlude in my lesson plan for the day. Jokes involve cultural awareness so I chose carefully and avoided insensitive humour. When aware that a joke is about to unfold attention is engaged until the punch line, and if there is laughter then the joke has worked. Some jokes were more like pantomimes requiring few words but full visual attention. There is no sweeter sound that laughter, and understanding.
Songs, stories, videos and jokes helped offset the boredom of the repetition required in language learning. I kept a file of jokes and humour that I could insert into daily lessons, a kind of joke break that students came to expect. I included such a humour interlude in my lesson plan for the day. Jokes involve cultural awareness so I chose carefully and avoided insensitive humour. When aware that a joke is about to unfold attention is engaged until the punch line, and if there is laughter then the joke has worked. Some jokes were more like pantomimes requiring few words but full visual attention. There is no sweeter sound that laughter, and understanding.
There are ESL books on popular songs to teach and we had such and recordings amongst our resources. Also popular were songs like Waltzing Matilda that draw attention to colonial Australia. Famous Australian characters such as Ned Kelly also featured all Australians are familiar with his armoured head.
Stories from around the world were plentiful: every culture has a Robin Hood character.
One of my achievements was collecting student writing into a magazine called Writing Times that was printed and distributed in about 3 issues. With the rise of the Web, it continued for a while into an archive of writing online that was supported by members of other organizations such NSW TAFE. But whilst it got the support of my own manager who allowed time and space for meetings, the same can’t be said for NSW AMES as a whole: they didn’t control it and so were not interested. So I moved on to other things like setting up a part-time web development business and working part-time as much as I could.
TV and videos
All centres had TVs and video players so a few times a week they were brought out and used in a sit-back-and-enjoy-it way. Worksheets and related activities accompanied these sessions. Classics in ESL included:
All centres had TVs and video players so a few times a week they were brought out and used in a sit-back-and-enjoy-it way. Worksheets and related activities accompanied these sessions. Classics in ESL included:
- BTN or the ABC’s Behind the News a service AMES paid and subscribed to complete with printable worksheets. The series was intended for primary schools but the language level suited out students.
- The Australia Network, or the ABC’s broadcasting to Asia and beyond. The English lessons and video segments were useful and engaging. I built many additional worksheets which I used in the appropriate level classes almost daily.
- Women of the Sun, an award-winning series of four episodes by SBS on aboriginal women at different times in Australian history. It was important for new Australians to learn about the First Australians.
- Mr Bean. Not much spoken English but always a winner worldwide. Laughter proves understanding and can be rendered into English.
- John Cleese. We had some John Cleese videos only suited for staff training.
- Equally, we had specialized videos for job seekers, or Skillmax students.
Home Tutors and speakers
AMES had a Home Tutor Program that sent volunteers tutors, after a brief induction session, into the homes of students who couldn’t attend classes. However, the demand always exceeded the number of tutors available. Home tutors also attended education centres for 4-5 hours weekly. Most were retired and were commendable in their efforts to assist; some less so. Some teachers welcomed them in their classes and others kept their distance. Personally, I was happy to have them involved as I believed that all interactions with native speakers were a positive thing. They came from a range of backgrounds: I recall former CSIRO scientists, business owners, public servants, housewives etc. One former home tutor remains forever in my memory. Tess Goodstate, a widow with a name that reflected her good-heartedness – actively participated in many migrant resettlement programs over the years and received awards in recognition of her doing so. Perhaps even an Order of Australia, but I’m not certain of this. She was invited to naturalization ceremonies and also often to weddings by appreciative migrants. Tess was a great star for multiculturalism.
AMES had a Home Tutor Program that sent volunteers tutors, after a brief induction session, into the homes of students who couldn’t attend classes. However, the demand always exceeded the number of tutors available. Home tutors also attended education centres for 4-5 hours weekly. Most were retired and were commendable in their efforts to assist; some less so. Some teachers welcomed them in their classes and others kept their distance. Personally, I was happy to have them involved as I believed that all interactions with native speakers were a positive thing. They came from a range of backgrounds: I recall former CSIRO scientists, business owners, public servants, housewives etc. One former home tutor remains forever in my memory. Tess Goodstate, a widow with a name that reflected her good-heartedness – actively participated in many migrant resettlement programs over the years and received awards in recognition of her doing so. Perhaps even an Order of Australia, but I’m not certain of this. She was invited to naturalization ceremonies and also often to weddings by appreciative migrants. Tess was a great star for multiculturalism.
Speakers from essential services and of other interests were frequently invited to speak to our students: Police, Fire Services, Health, career advisors, accommodation services etc etc. My late father-in-law was a former Director of the NSW Royal Flying Doctor Service, and I recall his visit and how he regaled the students with accounts of this unique service in attending to health matters in remote inland locations. Successful students often came back and recounted their experiences at gaining work in their field and promotions to higher levels. I called on friends who visited and contributed: a dancer, a Polish Australian woman who had been imprisoned as a young girl in WW11, a theatre group and so on.
Torture and Trauma
There were grim stories from refugees and others from oppressive backgrounds. These ranged from lives lost at sea to imprisonment and torture. Often such victims were referred to a Centre that assisted in overcoming such trauma.
There were grim stories from refugees and others from oppressive backgrounds. These ranged from lives lost at sea to imprisonment and torture. Often such victims were referred to a Centre that assisted in overcoming such trauma.
We operated against a background of conflicts around the world in the late 20th Century: upheavals in Latin America; the aftermaths of Asian wars in Indo China; the civil war in Lebanon; the Indonesian annexation of East Timor; the fall of Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism; the Iran Iraq war; the civil wars in the Balkans or Bosnia Herzegovina; Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts; and wars in Africa. Whew!
Every conflict had its personal accounts. I remember a young pregnant mother terrified when the bombs started falling on Bagdad and of her desperation to get news from her family. I remember an Iraqi nuclear physicist writing two resumes, and stating that he was not in a nuclear weapons program but that he was concerned about his wife’s family in Iraq as there were people in Australia ready to report back to Saddam Hussein’s authorities. UN Nuclear inspectors were in the news then scouring the country for weapons of mass destruction. Whenever there is war there are refugees in flight: you see this on the evening TV news and it’s endless.
Cultural differences
Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and in some instances conflict. The only time I had to deal with a case of sexual harassment the complainant was the woman supposedly harassed – she laughed it off – but came from a male student who objected to another guy’s clumsy flirting. Think of how often we bow in Australia and how often people bow in South East Asia. Reverence for the teacher varies across borders. A middle-aged professional gentleman from Vietnam told me that in his youth the order of obedience was Emperor, teacher and parents. I asked what would happen if the teacher contradicted the parents and he said obedience would always be to the teacher, up on a pedestal. Generally we asked to be addressed by our first names; we were all adults after all.
Cultural differences can lead to misunderstandings and in some instances conflict. The only time I had to deal with a case of sexual harassment the complainant was the woman supposedly harassed – she laughed it off – but came from a male student who objected to another guy’s clumsy flirting. Think of how often we bow in Australia and how often people bow in South East Asia. Reverence for the teacher varies across borders. A middle-aged professional gentleman from Vietnam told me that in his youth the order of obedience was Emperor, teacher and parents. I asked what would happen if the teacher contradicted the parents and he said obedience would always be to the teacher, up on a pedestal. Generally we asked to be addressed by our first names; we were all adults after all.
Vietnamese students found this impossible to do and I became Mr. Colin. Body language and body space were also of interest. A business couple from Argentina recounted the shock when at the end of a meeting in the US they hugged the other participants and offered their cheeks for a parting kiss. There are simply too many cultural differences to list but I will conclude this section with the case of a student from Sri Lanka who started class on the second day. I explained things to him to which he replied with a no headshake. It took a few days for him to nod up and down indicating yes.
Cultural festivals were noted and at times celebrated. The Indian festival of Dewali saw Indian students exchange best wishes and often bring in food for the celebration. Ramadan, on the other hand, saw students foregoing food in daylight hours due to fasting requirements, but a feast, Eid al-Fitr follows at the end of Ramadan. It was hard teaching about food during Ramadan knowing that students were going without lunch, morning and afternoon tea. Not a week went by without some cultural festival taking place. National delicacies were shared and I brought in bread and Vegemite for savouring. Generally it didn’t go down well.
At the end of courses were the inevitable class parties before we parted ways. Alcohol was included but I don’t recall any abuse at any time or any complaints. There were attempts to limit parties but parties were renamed and continued. Photos were taken at these events: and these days immediately posted on Facebook, and presents and cards given to teachers.
In the latter years, hijabs started to appear but I don’t recall ever seeing anyone wearing a burqa as such women simply wouldn’t have attended classes.
Australian holidays and commemorations were also on show. ANZAC Day, for example, was noted and discussed and sweeps were held on Melbourne Cup day when TVs were wheeled out so everyone could watch the “race that stopped a nation”.
This was both multiculturalism and inclusiveness in action, and it worked with many lifelong friendships flowing across cultural borders, indeed even marriages. I still have many former students as friends on Facebook and I take great pleasure in seeing their careers blossom.
Technology
The advent of computer technology was in full flight by the late 90s with computer rooms being set up in every centre. I worked from time to time in such rooms but avoided playing any major role in their design or implementation. Despite this, I was often called as an unofficial support person when things went wrong and did some computer training, including at a conference. During the latter part of my career, I worked in the Skillmax Program, in which the majority of my students were IT professionals. IT resumes were difficult for many of the other teachers and were often run past me. I was by this time running a part-time web business and working part-time to do so, therefore extra unpaid work for me.
The advent of computer technology was in full flight by the late 90s with computer rooms being set up in every centre. I worked from time to time in such rooms but avoided playing any major role in their design or implementation. Despite this, I was often called as an unofficial support person when things went wrong and did some computer training, including at a conference. During the latter part of my career, I worked in the Skillmax Program, in which the majority of my students were IT professionals. IT resumes were difficult for many of the other teachers and were often run past me. I was by this time running a part-time web business and working part-time to do so, therefore extra unpaid work for me.
At the time most teachers were computer shy and their students were far more advanced in handling technology. If, for example, a projector failed then there were always students who would step in and fix the problem. We see this gap today between parents and children. As Groucho Marx once quipped: This is so easy a 5-year-old could use it. Quick someone, get a five-year-old.
I note from using Facebook that many former retired colleagues have greatly improved their skills, which was bound to happen. It’s hard to escape the lure of technology.
Grammar and its ideological subsidiaries
A great deal of grammar teaching had been downplayed in schools but this wasn’t the case in ESL, at least when I made my entry in the late 1970s. As I indicated above in the Sifting through Lives section, lessons were built around the appropriate grammar. In the latter part of my ESL journey, a new form of grammar asserted itself which didn’t please me at all. Functional grammar butted in with its new labels and attempts to drive the curriculum into a different direction. Suddenly, and this was in both ESL and school English one didn’t talk about characters anymore, but actors; writers, poets and dramatists became composers; and genres headed the list of classifications. To me this wave was replete with confection and academic ambitions. Professor Halliday was the supremo of this approach, whether he knew it or not. I recall a colleague who did a Master of Linguistics calling the Functional Grammar devotees “the Brides of Halliday”. Many rode this wave despite some opposition. They hitched their careers on this approach despite most ESL bookshops barely filling a shelf on books of Functional Grammar. Traditional grammar still ruled as many of our students came from backgrounds were such grammar was foremost in their language learning approach. Happily, I recall one of my last in-service sessions hearing an academic saying that this grammatical approach was losing favour.
A great deal of grammar teaching had been downplayed in schools but this wasn’t the case in ESL, at least when I made my entry in the late 1970s. As I indicated above in the Sifting through Lives section, lessons were built around the appropriate grammar. In the latter part of my ESL journey, a new form of grammar asserted itself which didn’t please me at all. Functional grammar butted in with its new labels and attempts to drive the curriculum into a different direction. Suddenly, and this was in both ESL and school English one didn’t talk about characters anymore, but actors; writers, poets and dramatists became composers; and genres headed the list of classifications. To me this wave was replete with confection and academic ambitions. Professor Halliday was the supremo of this approach, whether he knew it or not. I recall a colleague who did a Master of Linguistics calling the Functional Grammar devotees “the Brides of Halliday”. Many rode this wave despite some opposition. They hitched their careers on this approach despite most ESL bookshops barely filling a shelf on books of Functional Grammar. Traditional grammar still ruled as many of our students came from backgrounds were such grammar was foremost in their language learning approach. Happily, I recall one of my last in-service sessions hearing an academic saying that this grammatical approach was losing favour.
Careers in AMES
I was never interested in other than teaching in AMES and never applied for a promotional position. I would have been a terrible manager. For brief periods I was in the Distance Learning and Workplace programs dealing with students on the phone and in different factories and government offices. I had the talent and spent time in computer rooms, and I worked for many years in the Skillmax Program with overseas-trained professionals, or the national brain gain.
I was never interested in other than teaching in AMES and never applied for a promotional position. I would have been a terrible manager. For brief periods I was in the Distance Learning and Workplace programs dealing with students on the phone and in different factories and government offices. I had the talent and spent time in computer rooms, and I worked for many years in the Skillmax Program with overseas-trained professionals, or the national brain gain.
AMES had permanent teachers and casuals and it was like a patrician v plebian divide. Permanency was easier to attain in the early years, 70s and 80s, but became increasingly difficult in the years that followed. A great deal of industrial action resulted in the fight to change this, with seemingly endless union meetings held to discuss tactics. The numbers of permanents increased slightly but the Holy Grail of permanency for all was not attained. I remember good teachers with families leaving the service because of the insecurity of being a casual. AMES had a generous super scheme for those who became permanent before 1984 the year I became permanent in May of that year. Those who became permanent after this point of time were placed into a less generous super scheme raising that ever sensitive question of which super scheme are you in? It became embarrassing to reveal when pressed, that you were in the golden oldie scheme.
In the 80s budgets were good as the service expanded but as migration became a political football that was certain to change. NSW AMES got into publishing and leading the way with national curriculum changes, in particular the Certificate 4 courses. Paperwork increased although the amount of learning remained about the same. Prestige was in publishing and a great deal of focus remained in that direction as an opposition grew and moved closer. When the curriculum was trialed and trialed eventually by the rules of the game any provider can step up to the plate and take over. This is what happened when the AMEP programs were put out to tender and AMES lost a lot of its business going from over 800 teachers to under 150 in a matter of months. These were bitter times when many very competent teachers were shown the door: take a voluntary redundancy or be redeployed into the NSW school system. It was like many summary executions with centres closing and many people adrift in their sorrows.
After I retired I continued doing casual work in the Skillmax Program and enjoyed this work as I’d accumulated a great deal of experience and materials for this teaching role. Numbers starting dropping and there were less calls to do relief, which was fine by me as I didn’t want to compete with teachers struggling to get work. My career in NSW AMES had been good to me with good superannuation and a comfortable retirement. The final tenders left AMES a mere shadow of its former glory with vast numbers of teachers retiring or taking jobs in the private sector. The golden age of ESL in Australia, as I see it anyway, had ended, and it was time to pack up, move out and, the last person to leave, please turn off the lights.
Finally, I can say without fear of contradiction that woman were equals in AMES and indeed outnumbered male colleagues. They held senior and management positions about proportionate to their numbers and generally did very well in their leadership roles. I can honestly say that the best bosses I ever worked with were these amazing and talented women
Finally, I can say without fear of contradiction that woman were equals in AMES and indeed outnumbered male colleagues. They held senior and management positions about proportionate to their numbers and generally did very well in their leadership roles. I can honestly say that the best bosses I ever worked with were these amazing and talented women
Postscript
This is my personal reflection on my many years as an ESL teacher with NSW AMES, written at a time when I was doing a lot of writing. It is too long, too serious and quite boring which makes me wonder why I wrote it in the first place. I guess ESL teaching was a big part of my life and it has led to a comfortable retirement. Multiculturalism is also an important part of Australia, past and present, and I’m proud of the part I played in this. I made many good friends over those years and worked with many talented people, and that includes students and support staff. So it all required some attention, and this, for better or worse, is that attention. Now I can move on to other things, in my life, past, present, and future.
This is my personal reflection on my many years as an ESL teacher with NSW AMES, written at a time when I was doing a lot of writing. It is too long, too serious and quite boring which makes me wonder why I wrote it in the first place. I guess ESL teaching was a big part of my life and it has led to a comfortable retirement. Multiculturalism is also an important part of Australia, past and present, and I’m proud of the part I played in this. I made many good friends over those years and worked with many talented people, and that includes students and support staff. So it all required some attention, and this, for better or worse, is that attention. Now I can move on to other things, in my life, past, present, and future.
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