Reading this chapter opened my eyes in regards to why the education system in Canada is the way that it is today. For instance, I had always wondered why residents of Quebec seemed to be frustrated with the rest of Canada. However, after reading the first section of the chapter about the history of Upper and Lower Canada (56-60), I understand the reasoning behind this. In my own experience with the elementary school system, I was never taught any French at all. This being said, I attended a private rural school that was mainly attended by Mennonites. Eventually my school began teaching French when I had passed the grade that it was taught in, but I was always disappointed that I had never been taught even the simplest French phrase. I feel as though that was definitely an area of my education that was lacking.
Another thing that stood out to me is the fact that Canada is definitely not the cultural hub that we claim it is. I once was told that the U.S.A. was known as a melting pot in regards to culture because they have always tried to assimilate other cultures to their own. In contrast to this, "Friendly Canada" was more of a cultural mosaic because we celebrate other cultures by adding pieces of them to our ever expanding picture....well now I am not so sure how I feel about that statement to say the least. It is unfortunate that a country that prides itself on acceptance overlooked the major abuse of children in residential schools for over 100 years (72-78). We live in quite a modern era and yet the last residential school was only closed 20 years ago; this is something to be ashamed of. Furthermore, it is also disappointing that many immigrants who came to Canada to build a new life were also discriminated against. I was not aware that segregated schools were created for children who were Black, Chinese, and Japanese - all because of stereotypes regarding these cultures (79-81). This clearly displays the concept of "Whiteness" that is embedded in many communities.
Hopefully the Canadian education system can continue to move forward from this form of thinking, as it is still prevalent in many communities, just not in a way that is as obvious.
Question: What are some ways in which we can educate children more about various cultures as well as the history of those cultures?
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