Longreach School of Air

A short ride from Winton to Longreach - just 184kms - yeah - more road kill on the long boring, flat road, the countryside is boring too so the only distraction is - roadkill roos. 

Neverthe less, we are based at the Longreach Tourist c/van park, a small intimate park, very busy, still lot of travellers on the road, but the mgr/owner here Shane is so friendly and that seems to attract like.  Every morning at 10 and again at 4 the bell goes for communal coffee and tea with biscuits for anyone who wants to join him.  Of course he has the 'gift of the gab' and will natter non-stop.  Weds evening, our first night, there was a lovely campfire and a couple of the travellers had their guitars so out they came and we had a good campfire sing song, all Aussies songs of the outback.

David and I went to the LDSOE (Long Distance School of Education) - School of Air, here in Longreach.  This is one of 7 in Qld and covers an area of 402,712 sq kms - 3 times the size of England, twice the size of Victoria and 2 1/2 times the size of NZ.   Imagne a classroom thaT SIZE AND A PLAYGROUND AS BIG AS YOU WANT IT TO BE.

 We were treated to a lesson air with one of the teachers in the studio - of which there are 7.  She was teaching a prep. class (4-6) of which there are 6 in her class.  Since the intro. of computers and cameras the area covered has increased and every home in the long distance prog. has a hire comp. from the school. There are 24 teachers in the school based in Longreach, on a 3 yr. contract and a teacher's classroom could well be larger than 1000km across.

We  were then taken around the school where diff. projects were displayed - they do a curriculum the same as a land school but have a lot more hands on projects relating to their surroundings.  The materials required for the year are delivered to each family at the beg. of the year and that will last them through.  The school is so bright and has access to facilities and materials that any land school would be envious of.  They have constant access to an IT guy to keep the comps. up to scratch.  Each teacher will visit their students at least once a year as well,obviously travelling hundreds of kms. in many cases to spend two days.

The shool goes through to Yr 12 but Yrs. 10,11,12 usually are off to boarding school and those still in the prog. total 16 only  for this year - imagine.  Each yr. group from prep thru comes into the school here at Longreach for a week at lesast once in the year and there are sleeping facs. for 50 because the siblings all come as well.

I think out of everything I have seen this is by far the thing that has impressed me the most.