Ask Sherrin Blog

Banning students from being served in shopping centres does not seem to address the issue of WHY students are truanting from school in the first instance.

• If schools and local councils and government officials can’t find ways to inspire learners to attend at school regularly, then how will they have the authority to enforce a ‘ban on shopping for students inside school hours?”
• If you can’t enforce compulsory attendance of school for children, how will you have success in implementing and enforcing some other rules in different areas?
• There is no doubt that truancy is a significant issue, but why not look at the cause of the problem rather than considering implementing more rules that will simply shift those who truant away from shopping centres to more remote locations like parks or disused buildings.
• When school curriculum is stimulating and attractive students will want to stay at school. When students experience success in learning, they will want more of it and continue to attend regularly.
• Recent figures  one in five Queensland students attended less than 85 per cent of school days in the first half of last year.
• As far as I am aware, parents are responsible for ensuring students attend school and can be reported to children authorities if the child is not attending regularly. With many families having both parents’ working and leaving for work early and coming home late, I suppose high school students especially may be left to get themselves off to school when the adults have already left for work.
• United Retail Federation spokesman Scott Driscoll says other avenues should be investigated.
• "There's a reason why they're out of school - it needs to go to the core of that," he said.
• I would have to agree.  There is much evidence to say that children who come from families who value education and learning and reading and do activities around learning together, have children who also value learning and are happy to engage in the discipline of study.
• Perhaps the truancy problem reflects a growing dissatisfaction with the learning environment and curriculum. Perhaps more vocational and real life work needs to be heralded as a viable alternative pathway for those children who are not responding to traditional academic studies at school.
• We have a skills shortage and we go overseas to find workers so why not encourage those students who are turning 15 and above and who are disengaged with school and academic focus to really make something of their lives by starting to earn their livings earlier – rather than hanging around schools begrudgingly with obvious irregular attendance and therefore outcomes, and then ‘hang around university and TAFE colleges’ changing courses and literally ‘lingering’ with no real purpose, and direct young people to work and earn a living. Have courses that teach young people how to go into business for themselves, or get a trade, or pursue their passion ??? Regardless of the field of endeavour, there has to be a better outcome through avenues of ‘work’ and earning than the dysfunctional apathy of just ‘hanging’ out with no purpose and no direction – dissatisfied with life and not making a positive contribution and therefore not feeling worthwhile.
• It really is a cycle of hopelessness that I believe is brought on by being unsuccessful and underachieving at school.
• At Fruition, we have worked with youth detention centre youths who have committed serious big time crimes, and whose literacy and numeracy levels at the ages of 15 and 16, were no higher than year 2 classroom standards, totally turn around and switch on and enjoy learning because they were able to experience success through our learning courses!  They started off fighting in the bus on the way to Fruition for their first lesson and ended up shaking our hands and being totally sociable and likeable after 6 months of being successful with Maths and Reading.
• Don’t try to tell me that the young people of today are different – they aren’t – they are human and have human spirits that desire to be successful – just like anyone else. BUT if they are unsuccessful year after year, then they become disillusioned and ‘drop out’ … they then have no power in mainstream situations to be a winner – so they disengage and get good at doing inappropriate things ….
• SUCCESS is the key – it is inspirational and helps people fulfil their potential and explore pathways that give them capacity to create, to work and enjoy their lives in productive and constructive ways.  SUCCESS and the right pathways empowers people and gives them real choices; it allows them to use their capacity to support themselves and their families – and communities. 
• The same applies to Indigenous Youth, white Australian youth, migrant youth …. Apathy breeds apathy – enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm … success is the single strongest motivator of all – behaviour changes when the person gets internally motivated … and the ONLY thing I know that motivates humans is SUCCESS.

At Fruition we believe in the Narrative Therapy – a counseling premise that says people’s experiences script them and tell a story. This story (one of success or one of failure) becomes a dominant story and the person believes that their future will be just like their past. At Fruition , we are involved with writing an alternative story – with a different plot – one of success and confidence “I know that I can because I just did!”

Behavioural scientists have known for decades that there needs to be specific intervention into a person’s life in order to affect a change, if not, then the person’s behaviour and life story will continue in the same trajectory as their past – you can tell your future from your past – unless there is intervention that cuts across that pathway and creates a new pathway.

I would love someone to help me lobby the state government to allow me to share my insights with the powers that be – because there are real solutions for the masses, if someone in power would just listen.

Listen to Part 1:

Listen to Part 1:

Download the show here: Sherrin on 4BC 12-10-10 part 1.mp3, Sherrin on 4BC 12-10-10 part 2.mp3

Related Links:

Student shopping ban under consideration - ABC News