About

Hello! My name is Margaret Kemarre James and I am the author of The Honey Ant Readers.

I am a mother, nana and aunty who has spent many happy years working with Aborignal people in Central Australia. I have worked in Indigenous education  for 9 years, lecturing on B.Ed and adult literacy programs; teaching singing; writing curriculum  material, story books and lyrics.

I have been fortunate to have travelled extensively, to have lived in many different places and to have studied and worked in many different fields .

It was through having such fun teaching my own children to read that I developed a passion for teaching reading and for early childhood education, particularly Montessori education.

I have a background that includes:

  • Linguistics, Psychology, Speech and Drama (Rhodes University)
  • Choral Conducting, Voice and Vocal Issues (Qld Conservatorium/Griffith)
  • Montessori Education (London Montessori Centre)
  • Education and English as an Additional Language (QUT; MCI)
  • Languages (UNE)

All of these influences come together in The Honey Ant Readers.

I love teaching. I feel passionate about Early Literacy and ensuring fair access to it for all.

I have a Master of Education degree, specialising in Teaching English as an Additional Language (TEAL/TESOL) and have enjoyed teaching English to people from all walks of life, at all levels of print literacy, and  from many different countries, language groups and cultures.

I have always enjoyed singing and love teaching singing. Studies have shown that prereading skills, as well as reading, are enhanced when songs and movement are part of the reading
program. I like to teach English through singing when possible. It’s always fun and is clearly a great way to learn to speak another language. We often hear students singing the Standard Australian English songs in the playground a long time after the lesson! Because of my positive experiences using singing, I have included songs in The Honey Ant Readers.

Aboriginal English and Second Language Acquisition became particular interests of mine while studying my M.Ed at QUT under some wonderful, inspiring lecturers, such as Dr Jo Carr.

I am a great advocate of Aboriginal English as a language in its own right. It expresses the culture of Indigenous Australians and deserves the respect given to any language. By using aspects of Aborignal English  in the books, which  I refer to as ‘the language of the playground’,  the text becomes easier for both Aborignal English speakers and traditional language speakers to access and to learn to read from.

I combined my  passions, skills, interests, experiences and qualifications with  the  knowledge, stories  and wisdom of  Aboriginal elders, at their request, and together we have created an experiential,  research-based reading program for Indigenous learners which we are all proud of.