Amanda Devion – Why Wasn’t I Taught That in School?

Reading this chapter has helped me to more understand why Canada is the way it currently is. I have never fully comprehended why Quebec has such a ‘beef’ with the rest of Canada. Looking only at the perspective of historical education in the area sheds some light on the conflict for me even though I am sure there is more history to the situation. The conflicts noted in the first part of the chapter (pgs. 55-65) between English speaking Protestants and French speaking Catholics lays part of the foundation for the todays Quebec/Canada conflict.

When reading the timeline of residential schooling in Canada, I was appalled that the last residential school was closed only in 1996 (pg. 75). If I were of native decent and lived in that area, I very well could have been place in that school away from my parents. Reading that allowed me to empathize more with the First Nations People because I would not be the person that I am now without the love and support of my parents.

On a similar note of residential schooling in Canada, was reading about the various segregated schools for Black, Chinese and Japanese peoples (pgs. 77-81). Although I knew about these situations superficially, I only became aware of them as an adult.

Canada is definitely not the perfect multicultural country that it is trying so hard to convey. I feel that if I were taught all of Canada’s history (the good, bad and ugly) throughout grade school, I would have been able to grow up with different views of society as a whole. I feel that I would have been able to empathize with different cultural groups as I do now earlier in life.

Discussion Question: As an early years teacher, how do you plan to include social justice topics into your lessons? What techniques can be used to work with these topics, but still within the comprehension capabilities of early years students?