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Today at school I happened to talk with a colleague about one of my students. Due to his family history this student didn't have a straight-forward school career - I'm not quite sure how old he was when his family moved here from a war-torn country in the Middle East. It shows that he its a couple of years older than the rest and this was even more obvious in Year 11 when she first met him and he was one of the few guys who had to shave. Student has got a permanent five o'clock shadow, along with pretty intense eyes. Colleague confessed to me that at first she thought he looked like a terrorist.
I can't imagine living with that stereotype hanging over me, but it's of course a reality for a whole generation of young men living in this country.
For a while he indeed followed a stereotype, but that of the ethnic minority juvenile delinquent. Those days are over though. School is his safe haven from his very religious and strict family.
Now he is in his last year of school and is one or two exams away from the chance of his lifetime, being able to go to university. His exams weren't good enough and now he has to prove that he deserves his graduation papers in at least one more oral presentation. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. He needs people on his side who see beyond the stereotypes.

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November 2020

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