Steeped in Features: Alison Laslett

The beginning of my teaching career began in Year 9.

Mr John Panter was my teacher at Marion High. He would invite each of us individually out in the corridor each term and ask us how we thought we were going and of what we were dreaming. I felt seen and validated. He told me that ‘if you don’t go onto Uni, Ali, you will have a very frustrating life!’ I could see Flinders Uni from my bus stop. To me, it was nothing but a prison with numbers of books.  I loved being active with people! I could not see the appeal.

After good grades in year 12 I landed a job in the Commonwealth Government BUT I also was awarded a Commonwealth Scholarship to go onto Uni. My parents could not have afforded me to go to Uni unless I got this and they obviously encouraged me. I had been dating a guy a year older who was already at Flinders Uni, so I chose to go to his Uni. Being with him sounded like a clever idea at the time! Not the best reason to go to Uni, but it worked out I needed that ‘bait’ to get me there. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life yet even though I had 12 months away in South Africa as an Exchange Student the year before. Overseas I experienced a life changing encounter where I found faith and a relationship with Jesus that blew me away! At Uni, I just studied the same subject as my boyfriend: a major in Psychology. I added in Biology, Special Needs Education, and snippets of History. My Uni memories centre all around the exciting events and connections on campus in the early seventy’s when there was a Jesus Revolution happening! I found myself praying for people to give their lives to Jesus under the library stairs, in the courtyard and there were so many amazing prayer meetings and gatherings. Five of us started an outreach group called ‘Youth with Something to Say.’ Even though from various denominations, this did not matter – Jesus was the focus we all had. We all had separate roles and would travel whenever we could to rural churches to take Sunday services and lead youth camps. I would play guitar, sing and give my testimony. My boyfriend preached. Somehow, I managed to gain a Bachelor of Art with majors in Psych and History – now what!

I felt a tugging to do something that would be effective in the Kingdom of God, so I volunteered with the Uniting Church in Rabaul in PNG for 2 months in their library. I wanted to check out a missionary calling but felt I needed to ‘be there’ to hear more clearly. Whilst praying one day overlooking the stunning Rabaul Harbour and seeing the sunken Japanese war ships in the clear waters, I sensed that I did not want to serve God alone, but with a partner. During the next month driving up to the Highlands of PNG and serving in YWAM in Pt Morseby, my boyfriend sent me a letter and broke up with me….again. He did this often, then would come and find me again!

I saw that I could make the biggest difference in people’s lives IF I could collaborate with them in the early years of their lives, so I chose Primary Teaching as my next step. With a degree, most people chose secondary teaching. I, however, did not think any specific subject was worth educating people in, it was the significant and formational relationships, worldviews, and attitudes that primary aged children develop that mattered to me. Sadly, all that was on offer was a one year post graduated diploma at Murray Park Teacher’s College at Magill. I had won a new car from the Girl in a Million quest, so off I drove from Clarence Gardens to Magill three times a week.

I studied subjects like Philosophy and Education A & B and Sociology but remember nothing of how to teach reading, structure a classroom, write assessments or cope with different behaviours or special needs. When I did my 4-week practicum in Kirton Point Primary, my supervisor would see my lessons as a chance to have a break, so I did not receive any feedback on how or what I taught.

I had been dating a tall dark and handsome man from Melbourne so I applied for Bordertown to be the closest I could be in my first year out teaching. I submitted my application on a Thursday, and we broke up on the Saturday! When my appointment came through, I had been posted to Nangwarry. I had to get the RAA Map out to find which part of the planet this could be in!!! It was in the Southeast and in the same region as Bordertown.

As a small sawmill town, the mothers often caught the bus to go grape picking at Coonawarra by 6am in the morning. I lived opposite the school with two other teachers. I would often wake to hearing the children’s voice in the playground and see the cold fog of the winter as it was trapped in the pine trees. With just seven teachers, Nangwarry had five first year out teachers. We ran our classrooms the way we had been taught. I must have done something better than the others because before the end of term 1 I was invited to take over the special needs class. Well!!!! Early term 2 I was diagnosed with nodules on my vocal cords, and it was back to Adelaide for me on ‘sick leave’.

I got to be living with my Mum when she had a stroke so could care for her. She regained her driver’s licence back the same week I left in term four for Mt Gambier on my next appointment. As I received treatment, I also was studying ‘Religious Education’ at Adelaide Uni with Dr Norman Habel as part of a pilot project for religion as a subject in schools.

Mt Gambier East Infant was where I served as an assistant to the librarian because I still had nodules that limited my talking. I secured accommodation with Aunty Iris and decided I would attend whichever church she fellowshipped at so we could be family. On the first Sunday I went, I noticed George Laslett walking down the road with his guitar after he had been at an outreach singing. I had met George briefly as he flatted downstairs from us in Kirton Point 18 months before. The local Baptist youth group were praying for my healing. When George drove me up to Adelaide for my ENT specialist appointment, I was told they had all gone! I was surprised…but grateful. I only had a one-year teaching bond because I had only studied for one year. Before I knew I was healed, I had secured a People Person job with the Uniting Church in Darwin. Here I would be supporting newcomers to town to connect with the services they needed to try and reduce over-drinking and gambling. That December, Cyclone Tracey blew most of Darwin away!

 I was now healed. So, I went to see the Education Department. I sat next to a big banner that read, “IF you’re going to teach, why not teach Aboriginal Children.” It really spoke to me. It seemed ages I had to sit letting this sign disturb me until I was interviewed. Because of my training in religious education, they wanted to place me in a school doing this pilot program. They offered me Cummins where I lived until I was 12 years old, or Port Augusta where George had just transferred to in November as an Aboriginal Employment Officer.

I sensed this was going to be a significant move, so I signed my application for Port Augusta at 11am on the 11 days of the 11 months in 1974.

George and I were engaged Easter 1975 and married in August 1975 – 50 years ago this month!

I was posted to a grade 4-6 class in an open space with an experienced teacher. He knew what he was doing, and I just had to fly by the seat of my pants literally! He was newly married and did not want to spend extra time with me planning or inducting me. My strength has always been my relationship and connection with the children. I had clear boundaries and made my expectations quite easy to understand. I noticed children individually and I was kind and really cared for the children. I was hoping to emulate John Panter!

Fortunately, I was good at thinking quickly on my feet.

I only taught for 18 months before I felt led to set up a Christian Bookshop in the main street of Pt Augusta. A lady in the church had put up the money for stock and rent. I resigned from teaching, and I was excited as I went on holidays to Streaky Bay. Whilst there, I totally lost this passion and instead, pined to be a Mum. I am not a naturally clucky person or a born homemaker. I am more of a butterfly who seeks adventure and starting new things, not maintaining anything really. Within a brief time, I was pregnant. David was born 20 months after Sarah, and I chose to be at home until they went to Kindy.

George had been reading Yongi Cho’s book on giving to receive and praying specific prayers. He started giving away eggs we had been given from farmers passing through from Eyre Peninsula and when I challenged him on it, he said that we needed more than one dozen so he was planting the seed for 2 dozen – and we would get it! He had moved out of the Commonwealth job that was well paid into Prisoner’s Aid. He dropped $10K in salary. After setting up a half-way house for prisoners rehabilitating back in society, he dropped another $10K by accepting the role as pastor of the Crossroads Christian Church. With me not working yet, you can imagine my concern when he starts announcing to everyone that we are going to go to America for a holiday. How embarrassing, we did not have that kind of money!

Unexpectedly, friends invited him to chaperone them to the Full Gospel Conference in Los Angeles as they were not confident with airport procedures and  they would pay his way. When I enquired about how much for me and the kids to go also, it was only $1360 in total. As I was telling my dad this, he told me that this was the exact amount he had gotten that very week from his shares in the pines in the SE. He was happy to loan it to us. I promised to pay it back by going back to work when we got home.

SO began my relief teaching career. Because I had a degree, they considered me eligible to teach secondary school. I was relieving for the deputy on maternity leave and teaching English, Maths and Social Studies at Augusta Park High. The Department could not attract secondary teachers to Pt Augusta, so I was it!

When Australia won the Americas Cup, the students were particularly restless that day. I had had enough of one female student so when I noticed she was pouring glue down her chair onto the carpet, I asked the principal who was passing by to deal with her. On her return she declares in a loud voice, ‘God, you are piss weak. You cannot even fight your own battles.’

Overall, I feel that so many students come to school tired, stressed from their home lives and unfit to learn, that teachers are more crowd controllers than educators these days.

We then moved to Melbourne, and I had two more children. I was the wife of a busy pastor, so I was very busy running a Sunday School of seventy primary aged children. When Richard was 12 months old, I was asked to teach Indonesian at Maranatha, a private school nearby. I did not know Indonesian obviously, but I had the resources and made it fun! I was also asked to take a Year 10 Maths class three times a week. Richard would play lego with the Receptionist while I taught for 50 minutes.  They appreciated my work.