| Teachers [in regular schools] give me the shits. They would give you work and if you haven’t done it by a certain time they would keep you in or have a go at you. They’re higher up than anyone else. They’re better than all the students. … [Instructors at The Island] are not actually teachers; they’re actual work people … you get to talk with then. You get to have a conversation – with teachers at school you didn’t really get to. (Students in Broadribb, 2004, 29)
The students who come to The Island …. [are] often labelled as failures, labelled as behaviour-disordered and frequently under treatment for ADHD. (Broadribb, 2004, 64)
One thing we never have to do is advertise [for enrolments]. (Staff)
We’re not interested in taking on kids who are just a problem and are being kicked out of a school – but kids who actually have a desire to gain some skills and education to help them into the workforce – TAFE or further education. (Staff) |
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Students (predominantly boys but increasingly more girls too) aged 15-18 come to The Island from all over metropolitan Melbourne from over 60 schools – including not just the expected inner and western suburbs disadvantaged State schools but also from some of the most privileged private schools. Predominately the young people who arrive at The Island are “at-risk” – many have been (or are on the verge of being) expelled, asked to leave or have already “dropped out”. Most but not all have very low literacy skills. But as the Manager states, ‘when we interview we expect the paperwork to be filled out by the student – that’s our first literacy test – if they can write a literate answer then they can manage at The Island.
A staff member suggested that
when they come here they have all that bravado and false bravado and risk taking stuff it reflects, that no one had really pushed them or taken an interest in them – life has been a fait accompli for them carrying out what people expect of them – meeting the low expectations of others. (Staff). |
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While coming from diverse backgrounds the students have however one thing in common – mainstream school has failed them in all respects. During their interviews a very high percentage indicated the very negative perceptions about relationships at their previous schools, perceiving that they had been harassed, abused and bullied by teachers and to a lesser extent by fellow students.
They are often referred to The Island by school welfare support staff or welfare agency professionals “as a last resort” or hear about it from “word of mouth” (Broadribb, 2004, 53). They may be referred by the Juvenile Justice system, welfare agencies like the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, Anglicare, or various Pathways Programs – these are kids who have been asked to leave school or who have dropped out of education as a result of their school experience.
We actually reject students – after a meeting and a tour some people will run a mile at that stage – then they have an interview and after - a four day trial – then we meet and ask “did you like us - did we like you” sort of thing. Sometimes parents pull their kids out after 2 days – acknowledging that it’s too hard for them. (Staff) |
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Catering for no more than 40-50 students at a time it is not unusual for most students to leave after 6 months –enrolment comes at any time during the year. Over a 12 month period then some 100 students successfully complete their workshops at The Island with over 90% moving into an apprenticeship, paid employment, TAFE or returning to school.
These kids will do anything for us, we will believe anything you say, we will give you the utmost trust that we can possibly give you until you take that away from us. They often don’t understand that until it happens. (Staff) |
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In actual fact the staff prefer to call the students trainees rather than maintain the old formal academic dichotomy between teacher and student in mainstream education. As one Instructor notes ‘they have enough trouble shaking off the school experience without getting caught up in the discourse of the past’ (Staff).
When students “play-up” at The Island it is seen by staff as an attempt to maintain what they call “the cycle of failure” that has been part of these young peoples’ lives. The “door” is still left open to them and a retrial is possible again in three months. Sometimes students are inappropriately referred to The Island – their literacy and numeracy skills may be inadequate – yet staff recognise that ‘time here is never wasted as students are made aware of other possibilities – even those students pick up something at The Island’ (Staff).
This process of de-schooling is an obvious relief to many Island students.
There are four things that all students have to learn at The Island:
• Punctuality
• Reliability
• Taking instructions
• Giving other people instructions.
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