As a Cultural and Language Assistant, I have the important opportunity and duty to teach various aspects of Australia and its culture to eager and knowledgable students. 

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Many Spanish students will grow up learning indirectly about the USA through movies, songs and TV shows. They will learn about the UK through football, movies or tourism because of the short distance. However, many will grow up knowing very little to nothing about Australia. I feel it is my responsibility, as one of the few Australian LA's, to inform Spanish students about my country. I try to teach these students about all aspects of Australian society including the bad parts. Whilst Australia is rich in natural wonder and lovely people, it also holds a dark history in relation to the mistreatment of Indigenous people in the last 200 or so years. Misunderstanding between cultures and institutional racism has resulted in the near extinction of Indigenous Australians.

 

Australia's national day is celebrated on the 26th January. This is the day in 1788 when English colonials with convicts arrived at Sydney Harbour to mark the beginning of English settlement. This date is associated with extreme loss, tragedy and sadness for the Indigenous people. It is a reminder that this was the first day of the slow degradation of their people. The beginning of the end. 

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More recently in Australia's history, there has been rising controversy surrounding this date and its meaning. There has been much division over whether this date should be changed for another that it not clouded in negative emotions for the Indigenous people. The have been numerous protests and demonstrations over the decades against this date and what it means. However, many Australians believe that the date is perfectly fine as it is. It marks the beginning of European Australians and the culture, civilisation and modernism that they brought to the island nation. 

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This topic is especially important for the students at my school since many of them have immigrated to Spain from nations that have also been colonised in South and Central America. This topic allows some students to personally connect to the issue and provide a profound and thoughtful opinion or relatable fact to the debate. The goal is for the entire class to organise their thoughts and present them in a logical and orderly manner whilst interacting with each other in the class. 

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