Chelsea Volkart - Blog 1

After reading chapter one of Sociology of Education in Canada, it has provided me with a solid foundational understanding about the discrepancies that exist in the Canadian Education system today. As I read about the circumstances in Attawapiskat First Nation with respect to their schooling facilities, I think about my experiences growing up in the Canadian school system, and as expected my experiences are drastically different from the experiences students in Attawapiskat were facing.

As mentioned on page two of the textbook, “there is a common belief in Canadian society that education is essential to ensure good quality of life and that education holds the key to an individual’s success”. Although I completely agree with this statement, I do wonder if the Canadian government shares and extends this belief to all Canadian children – specifically, in these circumstances, those who are located on the Attawapiskat First Nation. I have to believe they do not because if this statement was thought be an appropriate expectation for the children in Attawapiskat then the government would have been less negligent in righting the situation and furthermore they would have been much quicker to react. Instead, it took approximately 14 year to recognize the need for a permanent, safe and practical school in the community (p.4).

To me, the most alarming part of these circumstances is the message the government is sending the community of Attawapiskat – specifically the children.  As Shannen Koostachin said, “it’s hard to feel you can have the chance to grow up to be somebody important when you don’t have the proper resources, like a library” (p. 11). So in other words by neglecting the situation, the government has created educational oppression for these students. By displaying a lack of urgency for the emergency at hand, and a lack of care towards providing the community with a safe and healthy environment to learn, the social mobility (p. 9) of these students is now severely hindered.

Discussion Question: As most of us know, circumstances such as those occurring in Attawapiskat would never come to be in any urban centre of Canada. What do you think is the root cause to why the government took so long to react to issues surrounding the schooling facilities in Attawapiskat?