Hilary Blahey-Hasay - Blog 1

            Chapter one introduces the sociology of education, along with the concept of social structures and how the outcome of education is affected as a result. Social structures, referring to “enduring patterns of social arrangement” (p. 2), are found in all aspects of our daily lives. I believe the most common social structures observed are social class, religion, and race. As a future teacher, I am certain I will encounter students from a wide variety of different social structures and must be able to value these differences and understand how they affect learning.

            The case study about Attawapiskat First Nation and “Shannen’s Dream” was eye-opening as to the differences between government support for First Nations students versus other Canadian students and the numerous inequalities present. Shannen Koostachin, a First Nations student fought back against the inequality and called for safe, quality, and culturally based education for all First Nations students (p. 5) – something all other students are granted throughout Canada. This struck me, because I believe all students should have equal access and opportunity to quality education that is safe and culturally inclusive. I find it unjust that education is unequal in the first place; and rather it is something that has to be asked and fought for. Recognizing the various education-related issues, as identified in figure 1.1 (p. 8) makes it easier to comprehend why this inequality exists, even though I find it unbelievable that it is still an issue to this day – similarly stated in the chapter: “Why would they not be treated equally in the first place?” (p. 7). I believe this injustice is deeply rooted in the history of education and can also be linked to different structures of education. Examining those factors alone would not only provide insight into why the issue is still present, but also likely provide a vision for a potential solution.

            Near the end of Chapter one, the brief introductions to the proceeding chapters reinforced to me the importance of just how many factors one must consider when analyzing an education-related issue in terms of sociology. I found it very useful that the case study about Attawapiskat First nation was discussed for each chapter topic introduction because it demonstrated how to go about analyzing a case, ensuring all factors are considered to better understand why the social issue exists.

Discussion Question: Considering the various aspects of sociology of education (see Figure 1.1: Education-Related Issues p. 8), which do you believe has the most to do with the injustice at Attawapiskat First Nation?