For anyone second-guessing their value as an educator, or teachers considering a move to a remote outback teaching experience, there is inspiration in this list of recently published (and in one case, republished) books.
They share common subject matter – about the connections that form between teachers and their school community and the desire to support, motivate and enrich young students – but each book has its own unique voice that will keep you turning the pages, all the way to the end.
Big Things Grow – Sarah Donnelly
(Allen and Unwin, 2022)
The author of this memoir about music, passion and community in a remote NSW town was
the winner of the 2020 ARIA Award for Music Teacher of the Year.
When Sarah Donnelley left Sydney to take up a teaching post in Wilcannia, a small town two hours east of Broken Hill, she had no idea what to expect. Determined to shrug off Wilcannia’s rumoured reputation for danger and dysfunction, she threw herself into her new role. Four fulfilling years later, Sarah is an active member of a rich, complex school community that is transforming the idea of a conventional classroom experience.
“This red dirt, it takes a hold of you. The blue skies, the sunsets, the starry nights, the river… Country holds onto you. Then you meet the people. Within one week of living in Wilcannia, I had signed up to stay until the end of the year.”
As a teacher, Sarah works hard to make deep connections with local families and indigenous elders and focuses on empowering her students by listening to them and creating space for respectful conversations. Her passion for providing regional students and schools with access to opportunities and quality education shines through.
Good morning, Mr Sarra – Chris Sarra
(10-year anniversary new edition – University of Queensland Press, 2022)
When Dr Chris Sarra arrived as the first Aboriginal principal of Cherbourg State School, it was a time of high hopes but low expectations in Indigenous education. Over six years, he transformed the school into a national success story. Along the way, he battled the media, the education system and a culture of complacency.
“Chris Sarra’s vision is proof that if we believe in young children, we give them license to believe in themselves,” said Bishop Desmond Tutu. “And when young children believe they can be “stronger and smarter”, that brightens the future in very honourable ways. Teachers are leaders of young hearts and minds, of classrooms and communities. In embracing the Stronger Smarter philosophy, you have rejected two centuries of stereotypes and despair. You have rejected the lie that ‘we have tried everything and nothing works’. And that will save lives, because despair [kills] people as surely as a gun or a knife.”
This is the inspiring life story of a young boy from a country town who grew up to become Queensland’s Australian of the Year, a subject of ABC’s Australian Story and one of the most outspoken and recognised educators in the country. His leadership institute and its nationally acclaimed ‘strong and smart’ philosophy, now used in many schools, means that Indigenous children no longer hope for a better education; they can expect it.
In this anniversary edition, Dr Sarra reflects on his recent life and career achievements, from becoming a marathon runner to advocating for the marginalised as a director-general in state government, and how his work is helping forge a path to Treaty.
Bush School – Peter O’Brien
(Allen and Unwin, 2020)
There was a bed, a timber floor, thin tar paper on one side for privacy from the nearby road but nothing else. The flimsiest of ‘walls’, no pegs or nails to hang even a hat, no door, no rug for cold morning bare feet, no bookshelf for a voracious reader, no bedside cupboard for a lamp or a glass of water, no light source – just a bed and a suitcase for the next two years.
It was 1960. And Peter O’Brien started a new teaching job as the only teacher in Weabonga, NSW.
The 20yo had never lived away from his family home in Sydney before and, although he had some teaching experience, being solely responsible for the educational needs of 18 students, ranging from five years to fifteen was a steep learning curve. His teaching materials were scarce, and his lesson plans needed work. What he did have, though, were a multi-age mix of children with curious minds and a willingness to learn.
Bush School is an engaging and fascinating memoir of how a young man rose to a challenge most would shrink from today. It tells movingly of the resilience and spirit of children, the importance of learning and the transformative power of teaching.
Outback Teacher – Sally Gare
(Allen and Unwin, 2022)
Sally Gare was 20 in 1956 – fresh out of teacher’s college.
Her first posting was to a two-teacher school more than 3000 kilometres from Perth, to front a class of forty-five indigenous children who ranged in age from five to 15.
Her life-changing adventure in remote Australia planted a seed that grew into a love of teaching in outback schools.
Eccentric characters add to the experience and her warm approach to storytelling captures the way bush people create innovative solutions to the unique problems that isolation brings.
Outback Teacher is a reminder of the impact teachers can have – and a reminder of the way things used to be.
