Welcome to the column where you provide the content. Nick Cater took aim at the proposed new national curriculum, which he suggests will drown everything that is good about Australia in a sea of relativism while encouraging a black-armband view of history and producing a generation of idiots. Peter was appalled:
“As a senior manager in a large Australian company employing well over 30,000 people I continue to be dismayed by the quality of eduction that many of our younger employees have received. I attended what most would regard as a very average public school 40 years ago … and my advice is to dust off that curriculum and put it back into play. Even then we were starting to see the impact of left wing educators pushing their personal political views on students, but it seems we now have an entire generation of teachers whom believe it is in their remit to create their own version and interpretation of history, facts optional, and use the school system as a platform for their own beliefs.
“We have created an incredible country with an enviable standard of living for most and importantly one of respect and (seemingly tenuously at times) free speech. We have made many mistakes and not all share in our abundance. But distorting history to the point it is unrecognisable and distorting the humanities into the realm of the ridiculous will only mean we make the same mistakes and create further divisions in society.
“Please stop dumbing our kids down, we’re better than this.”
Thanks from Tartufi:
“Great article, Nick. I tutor some students in my spare time. Hard to make any sense of the drivel foisted upon them. Poor kids. They sniff the big marks must be in the delivery of fatuous woke-dom, but the requisite duplicity grates. Whither Polonius …”
Do the math, said Kevin:
“I recently bought an item which cost $12. I handed the checkout girl a $20 note and a $2 coin. It took her two attempts on a digital calculator to work out the change.
Many of us have had similar experiences.
“As to language, I guess most of the kids I know have a vocabulary which does not exceed 4000 words and use about 500, every second one being ‘like’. It’s a disaster.”
Neil’s notes:
“What do you expect to happen to our curriculum when we allow woke academics determine its priorities. Not rocket science.
– English – reading, writing, spelling, creative prose
– Maths – basic counting, numeracy through to higher maths
– Science – re-emphasise the pure sciences as the foundation for future new enterprises and technology
– History – as it happened, why it happened and the lessons from history that can be applied to the modern era.
– Problem Solving – the lost art of logic
No need to contact me for my bank details to pay the multiple $100k the academics would charge for these insights.”
Andrew’s view:
“Try this. All students will read. All students will add, subtract, multiply and divide, and measure. All students will know where we all came from and how we got to be so successful, where we failed and where we might fit better. All students will be robust, fit, employable to the limits of their capacity. And we will learn to be nice to each other.”
Another Peter proclaimed:
“Before Federation in 1901 the man who would become our first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton outlined a vision. Australia would be, he said, a continent for a nation and a nation for a continent. Throughout the century that followed Australians worked to make that nation. It was based on the British model with a parliament elected by the people and values that stemmed from Christianity, tolerance, rational thought and hard work.
“With the Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917, a different model (decades in the making) burst upon the world. It envisaged a collective equality enforced by the communist party, a dictatorship of the proletariat. It was international in scope, if beginning in a single country. “Following World War II and with the triumph of Mao’s communists in China, this model became attractive to many other nations. These sought decolonisation and many ended with leaders of an international socialist bent, although paying lip-service at times to democracy. It seems to me that the new curriculum has lost sight entirely of the concept of the Australian nation and looks to an international rather than national set of values.
“It looks like an attempt at an under-the-counter revolution, with Australia now to join other ‘liberated’ nations. Nick is right: tear up the civics curriculum and start again. The board and executive who signed off on this one, would best be advised to resign and let someone who understands what has made Australia the proud nation it is draw up a new curriculum.”
Kim’s curriculum:
“How about a teaching of our history and cultural inheritance that enables students to understand why Australia has been such a huge success. This new curriculum wouldn’t enable any young student to answer that question. I couldn’t agree more. Rip it up and start again. All for respect for the First Australians but this new curriculum lost me at ‘invasion’.”
Jeffrey fretted:
“Australia’s future is jeopardised if this educational blueprint is enacted, let alone its lifelong effects on young Australians whose knowledge, and preparation for life will be impoverished.”
Tony tittered:
“Woke theories remind me of that Monty Python scene: ‘All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?’”
Anne was aghast:
“The trouble is that this curriculum is so impenetrable and full of jargon that many parents will not be able to see just how dangerous it is. In particular there are core problems in the K-2 curriculum. Most of the failures revealed by systematic testing begin in the first few years of primary school where a sizeable minority of children fail to learn to decode writing, then later fail to automate whole sets of number facts (additions, tables).
“The trouble is that, without the capacity to automatically decode, reading becomes extraordinarily taxing (cognitively) as does mathematical reasoning, and after about grade 3 the child falls further and further behind. A positive reinforcement (or in the case of those hurt by the curriculum, negative-spiral) occurs — those who can read fluently by grade 3 (as is expected) find reading easy and enjoyable, read widely, enhance their vocabulary and thrive. “Similarly those with mastery of tables etc are in a much better position to see mathematical relationships, and so learn how to apply maths more easily without cognitive overload. In both cases ‘the knowledge haves’ progress, leaving those without these masteries to flounder, become disruptive and eventually, to hate school.
“Later attempts at remediating these missing capacities are unfortunately not very successful. The curriculum needs to ensure core skills (phonics, handwriting, tables etc) are taught early and well. For most students this requires skilled, explicit teaching.”
Tall order, said Paul:
“They say everything that is old is new again. Perhaps we need some new old. There is so much rubbish being foisted on kids these days. Our grandsons, who have very sensible parents, often talk about the rubbish they teach them at school and find it annoying. I pity the kids whose parents do not have that sort of parental wisdom at their disposal.
“The greatest gift you can impart to students is the ability to question everything. The phrase ‘Why is it so?’ springs to mind.”
Politics, said Andrew:
“Pretty straight forward they put this out to wedge the government. If they change something about aborigines as an example they are seen as heartless and cruel. If they just wave it through they lose votes to Pauline.
“Saw these tactics a lot used against Campbell Newman before his attempt at re-election. ABC crossed to a union leader outside Queensland parliament every evening to put the boot in about how heartless he was.”
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As distant drums of war begin to beat, Jim Molan weighed in to point out that Australia has more defence potential than any nation, but we elect not to realise it. “If Israel can defend itself and become more secure over decades against millions of enemies across land borders and no strategic depth, we can do as well if not better,” he said. Duck and cover, said Clark:
“As very serious probable conflict is and will be, on the lighter side, it will be more than amusing and entertaining to observe what and how the GreenALP/Woke comrades handle this situation.
“I imagine there will be calls for mandatory ‘safe space shelters’ replete with airconditioning, hot and cold running water, Menulog delivery services and, of course, Netflix and internet access.
“The poor darlings will be is such a dither that they will not be aware that their desired ‘utopia’ of socialism is being delivered by their enemy!”
Solve this problem, said Maria:
“Why is the federal government not acting to ensure the proposed closures of two major oil refineries in WA and Victoria will not proceed? Time for a federal intervention to ensure they remain operational.
“Without ample fuel capabilities (refineries, storages in-country) Australia has no hope of facing any protracted military or naval threat. As a nation we’ve forgotten the fuel rationing chaos and shortages we experienced during WWII and in the immediate post-war years.”
Andrew’s army:
“It’s time to start a Marine Corps. A new Service built around training and qualifying young people who are asked/told to do some National Service Time. The Marine Corps would be supported by the three full time professional services. New entrants would be trained in army engineering (machinery licences, construction industry approved), their peacetime roles would be disaster relief (bush fires/floods/cyclone clean up).
“After 18 months they can leave or move to the 3 other services. They should be recruited from; volunteers, public servant part time duty, court rulings — jail or Marine Corps — longer term unemployment, fine defaulters, good behaviour from jail, indeed many pathways. Time to get planning.”
Marc was unmoved:
“ ‘Israel is surrounded by deadly enemies who want to push the Hebrew people into the sea.
Exactly.’ And it may surprise people to know that Beijing is closer to Tel Aviv than Sydney or Canberra? Are the Israelis obsessed by ‘war with China’?
“There is no comparison between the strategic environment of Israel and Australia, assuming we maintain good relations with Indonesia there is literally no country that could or would propose a direct threat to us (as the senator alludes).
“Are we telling Australians that they have to adopt life on a semi-permanent war footing vis-a-vis Israel? Despite the politicking on this issue by some around the government you think they will have any interest in selling that message at the election early next year? No, because the Australian people have shown themselves (when pushed) to be of good sense, this may not play out the way the warmongers would predict or hope.”
R went nuclear:
“Israel exists and will continue to exist as a free democracy because it has a nuclear deterrence and the will to use that deterrence if needed. We have recently had the Chineses Communist Party describe Australia as annoying chewing gum on their shoes. How much warning do we need?
“Wake up Australia! Our real existential threat is not ‘climate change’, nor gender diversity or gender dysphoria, but the crazy authoritarian regime with absolutely no care for its own people let lone any one else! We need nuclear and we need it now!”
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Niki Savva wrote that the Morrison government’s harsh stance in threatening Aussies in India with jail terms and big fines should they try to come home to escape the raging pandemic had left her questioning her choice decades ago to become an Australian citizen. Steve was simpatico:
“I have to agree completely with Nikki’s sentiment here. Put aside the dubious legality of a government punishing Australians for wanting exercise their right to return, it is sadly another example of governments not using a proportionate response. Too often we see them dithering and then using a sledgehammer to crack a walnut because they want to be seen to be doing something. I’m also not a fan of the USA’s jingoism, but they do tend to take their responsibility to citizens on foreign soil a lot more seriously than we do.”
Clayton concurred:
“Dear Mr Morrison and Cabinet, I self-describe as a conservative/liberal. I am appalled that Australia has largely abandoned its citizens abroad during the COVID crisis. That Australian citizens can now be criminals for returning or attempting to return is a complete disgrace. As a Christian, I cannot see how this can run with ‘Australian values’ and ‘mateship’ and the rest, especially given the PM’s excellent speeches this week to the Jewish and Christian organisations.
“Yes, quarantine; yes paid by travellers. No to abandonment and criminalisation. We have had the Victorian incompetence; we now have Federal abhorrence. I protest!”
A blast from Betty:
“I am an Australian citizen too. Like the other 25 million currently in Australia. I live in Melbourne. We were in stage lockdown for 112 days last year. We all worked hard last year to keep this awful virus out. We are back on our feet. Not all 9000 Australians in India have been there one or more years trying to get home.
“Some only went over in January this year. Their choice. They can bloody well wait for another 2 weeks and stop whingeing, or they can leave and go to a third country and provide REAL certificates showing they are covid free. The needs of the very many outweigh the needs of the very few in this case.”
Last word to James C:
“I am happy with the arrangements as they are. People who leave Australia in the middle of the pandemic know the risks and have to live with the consequences. Protection of the majority, who stay home will always and should always be first priority. Yes those who left have rights, but those rights don’t include putting the rest of the nation at risk.”
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Each Friday the cream of your views on the news rises and we honour the voices that made the debate great. To boost your chances of being featured, please be pertinent, pithy and preferably make a point. Solid arguments, original ideas, sparkling prose, rapier wit and rhetorical flourishes may count in your favour. Civility is essential. Comments may be edited for length.
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