Frankie201803-04

Tell us a little about yourself. My family came to Australia from
Sri Lanka when I was two, and I grew up in outer-northern
Melbourne. I don’t live there anymore, but it’s very deliberately
where I teach, because of the significant Sri Lankan population
at my school. It’s important for me to be visible and available to
these kids, as someone who understands the unique pressures
they face. What do you teach? I teach English across all high
school levels. It was by far my favourite subject at school.
How has the classroom environment changed since you were
young? I had a very singular high school experience at an all-
girls select-entry school. In my first weeks as a teacher, I was
shocked at the cheeky way kids were challenging me, or being
what I thought was ‘disrespectful’. I’ve come to understand
that it’s just a different way of engaging, but no less respectful
or warm or loving. What makes a good teacher? Empathy and
compassion are crucial. The students we teach have their own
lives that don’t get put on pause when they enter a classroom.
It means everything to a student to know they’re seen and
valued, even if they’re not the top of the class. How do you see
issues like race and sexuality play out in the school ground?
For a lot of kids, these issues are only interesting or worth
interrogating if they apply directly to them. As English teachers,
we’re constantly trying to introduce texts that give students
insight into perspectives that are different from their own.
When they’re given context and room to understand, they can
be incredibly empathetic. It takes a while for that to translate
from the classroom to the playground, though, and that’s where
the harder work is. What’s your take on technology in the
classroom? It’s exciting to teach a generation that has always
had access to all the information in the world, but students
need to learn how to evaluate the sources they access, to
evaluate bias, and to understand how to read critically. What’s
the hardest thing about teaching? When a student wants to do
a presentation arguing against marriage equality, abortion, or
something else that affects me personally, it’s hard to bite my
tongue. I can’t hope they’ll consider other perspectives unless
I introduce them gently and with good intent – without being
reactionary, or telling them what to think. I get sneaky when
I can, like incorporating feminist punk music into teaching the
Iranian revolution. And what excites you? Watching them turn
into little adults warms my heart so much. I love going to their
formals and graduations, beaming and weeping with pride.
When my first year 7 class graduates, I’ll be a complete mess.