For Wendi Torres, education has always been part of her story.
A proud Bardi, Jabirr Jabirr and Filipino woman from Broome, Wendi grew up travelling across the Kimberley with her father, an Aboriginal education consultant with Catholic Education. From a young age, she accompanied him on his visits to schools across the region, from Broome to Halls Creek and Balgo.
Today, Wendi is an educator herself, teaching at the school she attended as a student.
Her pathway into teaching was not straightforward. After finishing school, Wendi moved to Sydney to study dance, where she began delivering dance workshops for school students.
It was later, while tutoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through the Follow the Dream program, that she discovered how much she valued working with young people.
“I actually really like working with kids. I found a lot of satisfaction in going and helping them and feeling like, ‘Oh, I actually did something to help them.’”
That experience eventually led her to teaching - and back home to Broome.
Why First Nations teachers matter
Wendi remembers how meaningful it was as a student to have teachers and educators she could relate to - people who understood her community and who she felt comfortable opening up to.
In Broome, where teachers can be highly transient, Wendi believes having educators who are connected to the community can make a significant difference.
“For me, I found that whenever I had a teacher or an AEO or an educator that was from the community, that I could relate to, it was a lot more meaningful when you felt like you could open up to them.”
For Wendi, that connection is also about representation - giving young people the opportunity to see people from their community succeeding and imagine those possibilities for themselves.
“It’s really important for the kids to see young successful people as well.”
Wendi knows firsthand what a lack of representation can feel like. As a young person, she was passionate about dance but was often the only Aboriginal student participating in ballet and jazz. She understands how shame, isolation and not seeing people like yourself in certain spaces can affect a young person’s confidence and willingness to pursue the things they love.
Now, as an educator, she wants her students to see that they can take up space, pursue their interests and be proud of who they are.
Bringing First Nations dancers, artists and other professionals into schools can help young people see that there are pathways available to them. Wendi also works with local young dancers outside of school, ensuring they are paid for their performances and treated as professionals.
For Wendi, that is another way of showing young people that their skills, culture and contributions have value - and that they belong in spaces where they may not have always seen themselves represented.
Bringing culture into the classroom
Wendi believes First Nations perspectives should be embedded across education, rather than treated as an additional topic or something that only appears on particular occasions.
As a dance teacher, she has found embedded culture, Country and community knowledge with the curriculum.
One example was a unit exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, developed in partnership with Bangarra Dance Theatre and community members.
Wendi has also worked with local community members to bring stories and knowledge into the classroom. In one project, students explored the importance of shorebirds in Roebuck Bay, connecting cultural stories about the birds with science learning about their habitats and migration.
For Wendi, this is what culturally responsive teaching can look like in practice: finding connections between the curriculum and the Country, stories and knowledge of the place where students live.
“You’ve got to just think outside the box sometimes. And if you don’t know, there’s always people to ask for the connection.”
She believes teachers should not be expected to know everything about First Nations culture and knowledge. Instead, they should be willing to learn and build genuine relationships with community.
“We don’t expect people to know everything about it. Some of it’s not their business. But if there’s a genuine investment in it, then community want to share that with you too.”
What does culturally safe education look like?
For Wendi, culturally safe education begins with educators taking the time to understand the communities in which they work.
“It looks like teachers actually taking the time to learn about Aboriginal people, culture, community and perspectives, and then taking what they’ve learned in their experiences and putting that into the classroom.”
She sees connection as one of the most important tools an educator can use.
That connection extends beyond the classroom. Wendi believes taking an interest in students’ lives, attending their sporting events and getting to know their families can help build relationships and trust.
In a community like Broome, where educators often live and work alongside the families of their students, those relationships can be particularly important.
Wendi also believes culturally safe education benefits everyone.
“If you start off in that realm of, ‘Okay, how can I make this safe for blackfellas?’ it ends up being safe for everyone.”
What needs to change?
Wendi believes teachers need more opportunities to build their confidence in embedding First Nations perspectives into their teaching.
She has seen how some educators are hesitant to engage because they are worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. Others may not know where to begin.
She believes schools and education systems need to support teachers to develop the knowledge, relationships and confidence to do this work properly.
She also believes school leaders need to develop stronger cultural understanding and relationships with Aboriginal communities.
For Wendi, the answer is not necessarily to completely rewrite the curriculum. Instead, educators need to be supported to make meaningful connections within what they are already teaching.
“There’s always room for more of that stuff.”
What do you want for the next generation?
For Wendi, her biggest hope is simple: that First Nations learners feel safe in their classrooms.
“I would love for learners to be safe in the classroom. That is my number one thing.”
She wants young people to be able to learn without experiencing racism or feeling that they need to hide who they are.
She also wants the next generation of educators to take the time to learn about the places and communities where they work.
“Teachers and educators need to take more time to learn about where they are actually working.”
For Wendi, that means understanding Country, connecting with community and recognising that education is about more than delivering a curriculum.
It is about relationships, representation, identity and creating classrooms where every young person feels they belong.