I wake up every morning with the certain familiarity of the scent of burning incense. My formative years unfolded between two homes—my mother’s and my father’s. Home becomes a series of moments that feel certain and familiar—as if I’ve fabricated memories just to have something I could hold onto. Home is not embedded in a … More Between Shrines and Scorch Marks
The COVID-19 lock down in Greater Sydney has thrown chaos in the HSC trials, but how schools choose to handle this disruption says a lot about inequality of Australia’s education system, which is deeply rooted in the mindset and practices of teachers and principals. On Tuesday 1oth August, the principal of Gosford High School, a … More How schools respond to COVID-19 disruption of Year 12 HSC says a lot about entrenched inequality in Australia’s education system
I have been watching MasterChef Australia for some time. One part of me is drawn to the idea of watching ordinary dishes turned into something so remarkable simply through the art of plating. Another part of me enjoys the competitive tasks and people’s creativity. It’s hard to not like a show where ordinary people are … More MasterChef Australia and the reality of reality TV
Classroom activities in early education say a lot about society and its values of the human. One of my fond memories of kindergarten in Saigon is “fishing” from a pool of soft toys. I remember standing on the edge of what must have been a blown-up pool filled with parcels wrapped in decorative papers. I … More Memories and the making of us through others
Some time ago, I wrote about the purpose of education from the perspective of the individual. Today, I am writing from the perspective of universities. As the primary function of universities is to provide education, we may assume that whichever view or values of education we hold from the perspective of students, we could also … More The purpose of universities
Lien Pham 