What Is Asthma?

As a parent with 3 children who suffer from asthma I appreciate the need to understand asthma and how to treat it.

The incidence of asthma has increase dramatically in Australia through out the 1980’s and 1990’s but seems to have levelled out since then. In Australia something like 2.2 million people suffers from Asthma, with the Indigenous people having a much high figure proportionate to their population.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 20 million Americans suffer from asthma.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is commonly divided into two types; allergy induced asthma and non- allergic asthma. Both result in the similar symptoms:

• A dry, irritating, persistent cough, particularly at night, early morning
• A tightness in the chest
• A shortness of breath and
• A wheeze when breathing

When then symptom occur a visit to your local G.P. is advised.

People with asthma have sensitive airways and these become restricted when exposed to certain triggers cause by both allergic and non-allergic reactions.

In an allergic reaction can be triggered by inhaling allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollen, mould and some food additives etc.

Non-allergic triggers could be things such as exercise, stress, anxiety, cold air, dry air, smoke, chemicals such as perfumes and other irritants.

Asthma is the restriction of the airway;

· through inflammation where the airway becomes red and swollen

· the production of excess mucous to block the airway

· and bronchoconstriction where the muscle in the airway tighten restricting breathing.

As the airways become constricted the person begins to find it difficult to breathe in, but particularly difficult to breathe out causing a considerable amount of coughing and distress. Many asthmatics are so distressed they need to be hospitalized to help their condition.

The exact cause of Asthma and why some people are more susceptible to asthma than other is not yet fully understood, however, there is often a family history of asthma, eczema or severe hay fever. Although in Australia something like one in six children has been diagnosed with asthma, it can strike at any age. Evidence has shown that unborn babies whose mothers smoke during pregnancy or children who are exposed to a smoke filled environment during their early childhood have an increased risk of developing childhood asthma.

Australia is among the highest in world when it comes to asthma. People need to be aware of the symptoms and consult their doctors if needed. Asthma is controllable with the correct medications and asthma action plan.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Asthma Australia

The Asthma Foundation Victoria

Education???

As I retired primary teacher with 38 years experience I am really concerned where the education of our children is going, here is Australia at least. It seems to me that education has become less about our kids and more about the politics.

Over the years I've experienced many changes in our system but I must say the period where the child came first, where teachers were free to develop curriculum around the interests of the children, where the emphasis was on reading and writing and providing a range of relevant experiences, was the most enjoyable and the most productive period of my teaching career. Unfortunately these times have passed.

Now it seems that 'control' and 'accountablity' are the underlying foundations of the system here in Australia. It is all about assessment and evauation. It's all about confining teachers and teacher intiatives to predefined parameters. The move towards a national curriculum, while having the advantage of conformity throughout the nation will also concentrate the control of what is to be taught in our school in the hands of a few. The Politics of Education will be centralized. This I could lead to a retrictive, highly control, managed and monitored curricula where the success of the teacher will be measured against benchmarks and not against his/her ability to relate, to care, to impart relevant knowledge and to help the children in the class become productive, caring members of our society.

A friend once said to me, 'It doesn't matter how often you weigh a pig, it's still a pig.' Not matter how often we assess a child unless we do something to help the child, the problem will still be there. And there are many factors that effect a child's success at school, some of which we, as teachers, have little to no control over, however, we do have control, through Unions, professional meetings and the ballot box, over the systemic things that are happening in our school.

Here in Australia (and I know else where arond the world) we have State and Nation wide testing in some form. This means that our children. at the moment, are tested in Years 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 (and that's only in primary school). Is this excessive? Lately testing results have been linked to funding and maybe in the future teacher performance. Crazy!

Education is ,in my opinion, not just about teaching the 3r's and mass producing an 'educated' product. It's about assisting in developing a well rounded, inquisitive, caring individual who can meet the challenges of an ever changing society. An individual who enjoy learning and can make informed decisions, can think 'outside the box' and is not afraid to make mistakes. An individual who cares for others and satisfies the desire for competition on the sporting field where it's over in an 1hr or so. Who's hunger for success is achieved through self-improvement but not at the expense of others. And of course they have to be able to read, write and do some maths.

A little utopian, I guess, but I really feel 15-20 years ago we were on the right path.

Greg