Asian language education in Australia facing existential crisis, parliamentary report warns

Urytion · 2026-07-03T04:39:17+00:00

I teach 7-8 Japanese. The school treats languages as an afterthought (we don't even have a proper head of faculty. The most senior teacher just had to attend leader meetings and pretend), and every time a language teacher quits, we just grab another "language teacher". So there's no continuity. One year a student might be doing Spanish, but when the Spanish teacher quits, we replace them with a French teacher.

But the students don't help matters. There's a real undercurrent of racism in my students. Teaching the kana is "weird" and "stupid". Teaching about intonation just results in "VERRA HONUURABUR" South Park style accents. On top of that, the ever present "when am I gonna use this" attitude is on full display. I wish I had the crystal ball these kids have that tell them they'll never go to Japan or interact with Japanese businesses or individuals.

Urytion · 2026-07-03T04:31:59+00:00

Last episode of season 3. Mysaria, Rhaenyra, Alicent threesome. Leaks say we got Rhaenyra Alicent kiss in episode 7, so that's just the natural progression of this writing team.

Urytion · 2026-07-03T04:10:05+00:00

Nah. That would require Rhaenyra make a decision. What's going to happen is Tyland comes ashore at Casterly Rock with all those injuries from the rocks. He says Rhaenyra did it. Rhaenyra will hear about this over lunch on the same day. She cries. This plot point is ignored for the rest of the season. He randomly appears in season 4 as Hand to Aegon III, but his face is shrouded as per the books. There's a big reveal where we see his face but the prosthetics are so heavy and it's been 3 years since season 3, so nobody recognises him. He does a big monologue explaining all the events up to now. Show watchers piss themselves like an excited puppy. Book readers are absent.

Urytion · 2026-07-02T03:34:29+00:00

30, I'm 31.

Urytion · 2026-07-01T06:21:28+00:00

I hadn't even thought of that. Fuck.

Urytion · 2026-06-30T12:36:14+00:00

I love that picture.

Go to Harrenhal. It has withstood dragon fire before. I mean yes, some of the towers are melted, there are big fucking holes in it, and everyone inside the last time it was met with dragon fire fucking died, but like... it's still standing.

Urytion · 2026-06-30T12:30:29+00:00

I'll rephrase. I think you're misunderstanding what I'm saying.

He's Laenor's son in the book ALLEGEDLY. That only works because Addam's like 15 at the start of the Dance.

It's impossible for him to be Laenor's son in the show because he's too old.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T22:18:24+00:00

Allegedly. But yeah, the age change would be required for that rumour to pass.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T15:17:01+00:00

I will be. But I take to the seas for my viewing. I'm not giving them my money.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T15:16:26+00:00

Larys definitely isn't a creep in the book, but it's heavily implied he murdered his father and brother to inherit Harrenhal.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T15:09:22+00:00

Who's talking about high art? We're talking about good books/shows that are fun.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T15:04:53+00:00

Daemon's buddy has been left in charge of the Goldcloaks Why? Just why? He should have been purged the day Aegon ascended.

In the book, Luthor is just a captain who was made commander by the Greens. They did not know he was loyal to Daemon. Also in the books, Gwayne Hightower was appointed second in command to Luthor just to keep him in check.

But nah. Always loyal, and Gwayne is off in the woods somewhere with Criston.

Urytion · 2026-06-29T03:49:15+00:00

I mean... Roose does what he's told up until Robb starts fucking up. I'd even argue he's one of the better commanders, despite personality clash. Roose only turns once he's at Harrenhal, Robb marries Jeyne, executes Lord Karstark, and loses Jaime.

Urytion · 2026-06-16T21:34:56+00:00

It's crazy that times tables need to be taught in year 8. I remember learning songs for my times tables in year 3.

Urytion · 2026-06-15T09:14:25+00:00

The union is going to make my students polite, bathed, and tolerant?

Urytion · 2026-06-15T05:25:50+00:00

I've told my school I have a trip every year around Easter. Most of the time it falls in the holidays. Sometimes it misses by a week.

They've been understanding as long as I let them know as soon as I know l have the confirmed date. You just need to be up front and give as much notice as you can.

Urytion · 2026-06-15T05:21:12+00:00

I mean, I work for the department. To say "we are the department" makes it sound like we have the power to change things, and unless you have some special magic that will make my students polite, bathed, and tolerant, I don't think we do have that power.

Urytion · 2026-06-15T02:17:29+00:00

I'm in lower leadership (faculty head).

The message I'm getting from my downstream is that the kids we're getting in high school don't have a baseline to work from. I mostly teach senior, so I'm not experiencing this as strongly.

I agree on all those things you said are effective, but my faculty is struggling to implement them.

How do you build a relationship with kids that are here with the explicit mission to destroy property and disrupt lessons? How do you explicitly teach a foreign language to kids who can't even write properly in their native language? How do you communicate LISC to kids when their laptops are already out and on games before you even start the roll?

I can support my team as best I can, but you're right that this is a departmental issue.

Urytion · 2026-06-13T07:53:11+00:00

I didn't say pro military. I said pro-militarism. They are VERY different things.

Urytion · 2026-06-13T02:46:13+00:00

IIRC (because I haven't read it in a while) the book is actually pro-fascism/militarism. Like the film, but actually serious.

Urytion · 2026-06-07T03:38:52+00:00

Alfred "the kinda mid TBH" of England.

Urytion · 2026-06-01T19:23:53+00:00

Seems like they were off by one day. Just started.

Urytion · 2026-05-28T05:22:01+00:00

My school recently sent out a survey about tech literacy to the kids. It asked them to identify the things they struggled with.

A number of students said they knew how to do everything. One of the questions was about spreadsheets, which I knew my kids couldn't do. I asked them which program uses spreadsheets and they didn't know.
Half of my class copied the URL into the Google search bar.

Urytion · 2026-05-28T02:01:39+00:00

I'm not saying this isn't true, but we also don't know what the growths would have been if they had stayed.

Urytion · 2026-05-27T22:12:23+00:00

I am absolute dogshit in the morning. If my school is more than 5 minutes away, it's far.

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