Chapter three highlights the history of education in Canada. I love history so I found it very interesting. Two things that stood out to me most were the role of religious-based education in Canada and the continued themes of racism and segregation throughout our country's history. There seems to always be segregation of some sort, whether that be among wealthy students and "common," Catholic and Protestan, French and English, black and white, etc. I was surprised at how prevalent these themes were in our educational history. Page 57 describes the differences between voluntary and common schools, saying "common schools were catering to the lower classes who might somehow sully the middle and upper classes with their lack of proper upbringing." This does not surprise me but I find it just ridiculous.
Another aspect of Canadian education that makes me angry is the residential schools. I did not learn about them until my last years of high school, and am still learning about just how horrible they were as well as the long-lasting effects. I could not believe where it says that "children were being exposed to tuberculosis and being left to die by staff of the residential schools." (73) It sounds like something from the Holocaust, and I am ashamed that such atrocities took place here. Page 77 says "it has been argued that the effects of residential schooling have impacted many generations of aboriginals," which is undoubtedly the truth. I think as teachers, it is our job to ensure that our students learn about these events as well as learn to welcome and celebrate diversity within our classrooms, so that there is no danger of the attitudes that lead to such horrible treatment of people. I am glad that our country is changing for the better, though I think there is still plenty of work to be done.
Discussion Question: Were you made aware of historical events like residential schools or Japanese internment in your education? How might you present these issues to children and encourage inclusive attitudes in the classroom?
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