Good Morning, Mr Sarra : My Life Working for a Stronger, Smarter Future for Our Children

One man' s fight to turn the tide of low expectations. When Chris Sarra arrived as the first Aboriginal principal of Cherbourg State School, it was a time of high hopes but low expectations in Indigenous education. Over six years, he transformed the school into a national success story. Along the way, he battled the media, the education system and a culture of complacency. Good Morning, Mr Sarra is the inspiring life story of a young boy from a country town who grew up to become Queensland' s Australian of the Year, a subject of ABC' s Australian Story and one of the most outspoken and recognised educators in the country. His leadership institute and its nationally acclaimed ‘ strong and smart' philosophy, now used in many schools, means that Indigenous children no longer hope for a better education; they can expect it. In this anniversary edition, Chris Sarra reflects on his recent life and career achievements, from becoming a marathon runner to advocating for the marginalised as a director-general in state government, and how his work is helping forge a path to Treaty. This book is about one man's fight to turn the tide of low expectations. When Chris Sarra arrived as the first Aboriginal principal of Cherbourg State School in 1998, it was a time of high hopes but low expectations in Indigenous education. Over the next six years, he transformed the school into a national success story, but not without controversy along the way. From his childhood as the youngest in a large Italian-Aboriginal family, Chris was taught to be proud of who he was and where he came from. But he only began to understand that not every Aboriginal child grew up with this sense of worth when he started working as a teacher. He became determined to defy expectations of being Aboriginal and, in doing so, to change them for others. His role at Cherbourg finally gave him a chance to put his philosophy into practice. Along the way, he battled the media, the education system and a culture of complacency Cover Half-title page Title page Imprint page Contents Foreword Epigraph Prologue Chapter 1: Humble beginnings Chapter 2: School days Chapter 3: A revelation Chapter 4: I’m a teacher! Chapter 5: Finding the right path Chapter 6: The Millaquin Mojo Chapter 7: Lecturing and learning Chapter 8: Time to walk my talk Chapter 9: Starting a ripple Chapter 10: Making waves Chapter 11: Changing the tide Chapter 12: A world beyond expectations Epilogue Afterword to the 10th anniversary edition Acknowledgements Photo section