‘10 Questions’ with Shelley Ware, the Indigenous author behind SBS Learn’s popular NAIDOC week resource  

Proud Yankunytjatjara, Kokatha and Wirangu educator Shelley Ware has created six National NAIDOC Week teaching resources with SBS Learn. Curious about how to embed First Nations perspectives, cultures and knowledge into the classroom? We sat down with Shelley in our latest ‘10 Questions’ behind-the-scenes blog, to find out what’s behind SBS Learn’s most popular teaching resource.  

What attracted you to the education space? 

Ever since I was little, education and its importance has been talked about in my home. My Poppa Edmund Ware fought for my Dad, Bob Ware’s education and so did my Mum and Dad for mine. I used to play schools with my teddy bears and actually can’t remember not wanting to be a teacher. I love it! 

 Why is NAIDOC Week important to you? 

NAIDOC is a celebration of the beauty, strength and excellence of our people and the people before us, what’s not to love about that. Seeing our people, history and cultures shine and being celebrated by our community and the wider community during this week is so special to me. 

 What do you think are the main teaching topics or ideas behind this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud? 

That we all have an important role to play in keeping the fire burning — so that our children and future generations can warm themselves by the fire and ignite the fire in themselves as they live a life full of pride and excellence.  

 What advice would you offer educators on how to meaningfully embed First Nations’ perspectives in the classrooms?  

Drive your own education, as self-education is the key. Don’t wait around for professional development, learn and connect to the truth and beauty, yourself. Seek connection with your local community, invite them into your school and classroom, make them a part of your school community. Normalise Blak excellence and include this in your everyday.  

 What do you hope students and the wider community will learn from this NAIDOC Week resource? 

I hope that students and the wider community learn that there is so much beauty and excellence in First Nations people around this country. I also hope that we teach the true history of this country well so that we can move forward as a country in this truth for a better future for us all. I also hope they have lots of fun together celebrating NAIDOC week as a classroom, school and school community.  

How does the resource capture the diversity of First Nations perspectives, cultures and knowledge? 

Every year I have tried to capture different language groups around Australia through amazing individuals work, community projects books, videos, articles, podcasts and so much more. I rarely double up as there is much out there to celebrate. I’m always looking for what is possible to include and when I travel with work, I’m always looking for stories and books of the local people so I can include them in the following year. We have so much to share, and I hope this is a starting point were teachers and educators want to learn more and start their own self education moving forward.  

How do you handle sensitive topics, such as colonisation and its impact on First Nations communities? 

 Simply through truth-telling, for too long we couldn’t speak the truth without push back and it got us nowhere as a country. I speak the truth and encourage teachers to do so in a respectful, culturally safe and age-appropriate way, in line with and supported by the National curriculum.  

What challenges did you face in creating the SBS Learn NAIDOC Week teacher resource? 

 There is often so much to put in and choosing what to add and leave out can be difficult. I sometimes find it hard to find things I know exist and spend many hours googling it, so teachers can celebrate it in the classroom.  

What’s the most rewarding part of developing this resource? 

 Teachers stop me in the street all the time to thank me for these NAIDOC Week resources. Some have been using them for the past six years, throughout the year not just during NAIDOC Week and thank me for the effort. I love hearing their stories on how they took my prompts to the next level. It’s a special resource and it’s an honour to have written it the past six years.  

What is ONE thing you wish you learnt at school as a student about First Nations peoples, cultures or history? 

Anything and everything! We watched one video with no pre or post conversations about the murder of my people and our children throughout colonisation. It was not age appropriate and I was certainly not in a culturally safe space. I wish I learnt more about the beauty of my culture so *it could be shared with others in my class.