Garrett Swar - Blog #3

One of the ideas that stood out to me from this chapter involves the realization that access to schooling has tremendous benefits in terms of reducing “juvenile delinquency and adult criminality” by addressing issues of “ignorance and poverty” (p.82). I find it odd that the numerous benefits of education access were clearly seen over 150 years ago, while today issues of poverty and crime can often be dissociated from education. If the social and economic benefits of education were identified correctly so long ago, why is it difficult for many countries in the “developed” world to invest in education, even while being aware of these benefits?

Caution must be taken in order to determine an accurate viewpoint of history, as history does not come from textbooks, but from the social, cultural, linguistic, economic and political contexts of a time period. For example, in my experience the Underground Railroad has been portrayed (much like the text says on p.77) as a definitive piece of evidence suggesting that Canada is morally superior to the United States. However, in school I never learned about what happened after freed slaves escaped to Canada. This escape to “freedom” was always portrayed as the end of the story. I never got the full story and full perspective, which is so important when attempting to connect with complex historical events. It’s appalling that, in Canada, “the last segregated school, in Guysborough, Nova Scotia, was closed in 1983” (p.79).

As a result of Canada's uneven past regarding what was taught, how it was taught and the extreme measures taken to teach Anglicized British values, it's important to be cognisant of the attitudes and preconceptions that parents may bring into the classroom due to their own past experiences in the school system (whether in Canada or elsewhere). I believe that the variety of past experiences in school by parents makes it critically important to show parents how you teach, what you teach and how you take care of their child.

Discussion question: What historical events in Manitoba (or Canada as a whole) do you feel are underrepresented or ignored completely in the textbooks or courses that you’ve taken throughout school?