I came to Australia in 1972 after teaching Nigerian boys in West Africa for thirteen years. My first experiences suggested to me that many slow learners and children with different cultural backgrounds from the majority were inadequately catered for at the standard Queensland high school.

When a scheme was proposed to aid such children (mainly Aboriginal) in our school, I volunteered to be one of the teachers. The scheme involved creating two small classes for the beginning Grade 8 students, with each class having a home room, and spending core time each week on English, Maths and Social Studies with one teacher. The core subjects took up about 25 periods each week. I was initially thrilled by the thought that at last I could begin tackling problems which had previously aroused in me feelings of defeat.