10B is a
class of many diverse students. There are a variety of different identities
and that makes us who we are. Many of us follow different
religions and come from different backgrounds. That helps us accept each other
because at the end of the day…we are all different.
Some of us came to this country not long ago… including our teacher Mr Burns
who is an immigrant from the UK, who came to explore the lifestyle in
Australia. We are all different in many ways, for example our appearance,
personalities and beliefs but at the end of the day we all belong to 10B. Posted By Sana & Zaineb
Hi 10B,
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing more about the diverse students in your class and their experiences. Did any of the stories from Alice Pung resonate with you?
Mr Stephens.
Hey sir, Daniel here. It is good to hear that you are taking an interest in our class blog. In response to your question, personally Kalel and I have both had experiences much like the stories that Alice Pung presented to us, but we are not the only ones who can relate. The majority of 10B have parents that have migrated to Australia, so when Alice Pung started speaking about her parents and how difficult it was for them, we began to really think and reflect about how our own parents have had to deal with raising us in Australia.
DeleteDaniel Knott and Kalel Ibrahim 10B :)
Hi Sana and Zaineb, I like the ending of your post. And you have to remember tha 10B belongs to Lalor SC. So if the students in all the Home Groups in the school felt the same way 10B does, then it shows us to be a school that accepts diversity and differences. If only everyone else outside the school did the same. Thanks for letting me add a post.
ReplyDeleteS. Sena
Hello Sana and Zaineb, nice post! You say that the diversity of your class (and school) has allowed you to be more accepting of each other and that is a real positive. How do you think your own identities would be different if you went to a less culturally diverse school? Consider the possibility of being a) the ethnic majority and b) the ethnic minority. I have been both in the different countries I have lived in and each experience has given me differing views.
ReplyDeleteMr. O'Hara
Dear Mr O'Hara,
DeleteWe believe that we would be very different. It would be hard to accept different people, with different beliefs if we weren't in a country or school that is as diverse as ours. If we were an ethnic majority, we would feel less accepting to those who are different from us in ways such as, skin colour, religion and culture. If we were an ethnic minority, we would feel isolated, different and we would also feel that we don't belong because of our differences. We have also learnt to accept people even if they are different. We as 10B would like to know how you felt as an ethnic minority, and an ethnic majority and how that has shaped your identity.
Thank you ,
Mohammed and Petros
A very good question boys. It's hard not to feel a strong sense of ethnic security when in a majority. As you know, belonging to a group fuels our sense of identity within that group. The larger the group, the stronger the feeling. Being a minority is a strange one as my own identity was both reinforced as well as challenged. You are very aware and almost always reminded of your own identity when most others don't share it. In addition to this, to belong to a specific group, sometimes (especially as a teenager) I felt the need to change some of my own beliefs and/or habits. I never really felt isolated, but then as far as white, middle-class males go, we've had a pretty good run throughout history. The experiences on the whole gave me a strong belief in the importance of diverse cultural knowledge and acceptance, which make up a large part of my present day identity.
DeleteMr. O'Hara
Hey Sana and Zaineb,
ReplyDeleteThrough the texts that we've studied we have learnt that humans have similaraties as well as differences. Yes everyone is unique in their own way, however, you've stated how everyone is different yet we are all human and we all share common beliefs - happiness, love and compassion. And so in the end we truly are all the same, same race and same views on life - peace and safety. We've also learn that it is usually the ones that exclude that are at fault like shown in the short film 'Zero'. They didn't acknowledge the capabilities of the 'different' and at the end were shown otherwise.
From 10H.
Really interesting Sana and Zaineb. Identity is a massively interesting topic for a country like Australia populated by families who are here because they or their ancestors migrated here. Something that continually puzzles me is at what stage do people identify as 'Australian', if ever, and what does it mean to have an 'Australian' identity?
ReplyDeleteIf we are all the same then why are there so many conflicts based around our differences?
You raise some interesting points of view with lots of ideas to further explore.
D. Radford
Hello Mr. Radford
DeleteWe really appreciate your questions, but even though we come from a culturally diverse class, we still struggle to identify ourselves as Australian, even though most of us were born in Australia and go to Australian schools we still don’t call ourselves Australians. And even though we do have conflicts about being different, we are all human, and though we are different we are all the same, those conflicts were focusing on the ‘negatives’ of being different instead of celebrating the fact that being different isn’t a bad thing.
By Rebecca and Laura
Hi 10B,
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to hearing more about your idnetity and beloning works... Keep it up guys :)
Ms. Timos
Hello 10B. What a wonderful series of discussions you have begun, that could be published anywhere as positive examples of the cultural diversity, and acceptance, of your generation of Australians. Keep the posts coming!
ReplyDeleteMs. Spence.