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The classroom in a juvenile justice centre is not a regular classroom. It is barricaded with locks and walled with barbed wire. The students are not your regular students either – the young men may have committed crime. But they’re humans – and as a teacher, they have a way of moving you and burrowing beneath your skin, that no other student can.
The young men are clever and talented. They write raps that punch you straight in the heart, crafted entirely by their experience and skill. They understand mathematics on an unequalled scale because they have used it to survive.
They are amongst the strongest people I know. Not only because their fists can break through walls, but also because they have hearts that continue to beat despite the fact that they could have given up a long time ago. Sometimes, they are also amongst the most grief-ridden, heartbroken, lost.
Despite all their challenges, they walk into the classroom, shake my hand, and tell me riddles or stories about their mum or their little brother. They care about real world issues; they want to know about what is happening in the US, they recite facts about Elon Musk, they understand the politics of the world in such a grave and coherent manner, and they have never needed a teacher to tell them.
I tell them what About Time is and I explain that there is a place for their voices to be heard.
Given the opportunity, these boys, who have evaded school and literature and all things academic, sit down for an hour in silence and write two pages worth of words just to have their voice heard. Here are some of their voices:
“I am a young Aboriginal man. I have been around crime my whole life… the reason I do crime is to put food on the table for my family and to get clothes and to support my habits. I think this is the time to break the cycle.”
- B
The classroom in a juvenile justice centre is not a regular classroom. It is barricaded with locks and walled with barbed wire. The students are not your regular students either – the young men may have committed crime. But they’re humans – and as a teacher, they have a way of moving you and burrowing beneath your skin, that no other student can.
The young men are clever and talented. They write raps that punch you straight in the heart, crafted entirely by their experience and skill. They understand mathematics on an unequalled scale because they have used it to survive.
They are amongst the strongest people I know. Not only because their fists can break through walls, but also because they have hearts that continue to beat despite the fact that they could have given up a long time ago. Sometimes, they are also amongst the most grief-ridden, heartbroken, lost.
Despite all their challenges, they walk into the classroom, shake my hand, and tell me riddles or stories about their mum or their little brother. They care about real world issues; they want to know about what is happening in the US, they recite facts about Elon Musk, they understand the politics of the world in such a grave and coherent manner, and they have never needed a teacher to tell them.
I tell them what About Time is and I explain that there is a place for their voices to be heard.
Given the opportunity, these boys, who have evaded school and literature and all things academic, sit down for an hour in silence and write two pages worth of words just to have their voice heard. Here are some of their voices:
“I am a young Aboriginal man. I have been around crime my whole life… the reason I do crime is to put food on the table for my family and to get clothes and to support my habits. I think this is the time to break the cycle.”
- B
“I have been in and out of the system for the past four years. I spent my 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays in juvie. Growing up in a broken home with barely any food, I began committing crimes to support my family… now that I have been in and out of juvie, I realise this is not the life I want to live… I have wasted so much time and now I have realised time is precious. I have also realised that when you are locked up, your family is locked up with you too.”
- A
“I haven’t been back home for a long time, a lot of hard work will help you in the long run, but these demons is gonna follow me wherever I go they’re gonna come… all this pain you have will catch up.”
- J
The boys I teach have barely attended school when they are not in custody. Their files are full of suspensions and expulsions and behaviour management strategies.
They get psychological evaluations and have been pushed to the side for other organisations to deal with. They have lived on the streets, watched people die, and existed in the throes of turmoil.
This life experience at such a young age has provided the young men with a huge desire to protect those that cannot protect themselves and an overarching theme of displacement, as well as a deep well of resilience and humour.
I do not know the answer to the increasing rate of youth crime, I only know that the boys I teach, despite being on the cusp of darkness, always ask how my son is; they remember his birthday, his favourite TV show, the foods he likes to eat.
I only know that locking a child up does not stop them from committing crime, it just pushes them further into the belly of the beast.
I work a second job at a bar and one night one of my ex-students walks in. We are both caught off guard, but in an instant he is smiling and asking how I am. He tells me he has gotten work as a removalist, and one of his other friends who was also locked up is now studying at university.
After he has had a few drinks he comes back over to me, he looks at me with a stern gaze, and he says, “If you need anything, you let me know. Thank you so much for everything.” And I thank him back.
“I have been in and out of the system for the past four years. I spent my 16th, 17th and 18th birthdays in juvie. Growing up in a broken home with barely any food, I began committing crimes to support my family… now that I have been in and out of juvie, I realise this is not the life I want to live… I have wasted so much time and now I have realised time is precious. I have also realised that when you are locked up, your family is locked up with you too.”
- A
“I haven’t been back home for a long time, a lot of hard work will help you in the long run, but these demons is gonna follow me wherever I go they’re gonna come… all this pain you have will catch up.”
- J
The boys I teach have barely attended school when they are not in custody. Their files are full of suspensions and expulsions and behaviour management strategies.
They get psychological evaluations and have been pushed to the side for other organisations to deal with. They have lived on the streets, watched people die, and existed in the throes of turmoil.
This life experience at such a young age has provided the young men with a huge desire to protect those that cannot protect themselves and an overarching theme of displacement, as well as a deep well of resilience and humour.
I do not know the answer to the increasing rate of youth crime, I only know that the boys I teach, despite being on the cusp of darkness, always ask how my son is; they remember his birthday, his favourite TV show, the foods he likes to eat.
I only know that locking a child up does not stop them from committing crime, it just pushes them further into the belly of the beast.
I work a second job at a bar and one night one of my ex-students walks in. We are both caught off guard, but in an instant he is smiling and asking how I am. He tells me he has gotten work as a removalist, and one of his other friends who was also locked up is now studying at university.
After he has had a few drinks he comes back over to me, he looks at me with a stern gaze, and he says, “If you need anything, you let me know. Thank you so much for everything.” And I thank him back.
Elections never bring anything good for people engaged in the system.
The thought of spending any time in close contact with Jonny sets my heart racing – and not in a good way.
Each court attendance made me feel sick to my stomach with nervousness as rich strangers decided my husband’s fate – and our future.
Education is not regarded as the most significant risk factor for reoffending but there is an undeniable link between a lack of education and crime.
Help keep the momentum going. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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