Krista Courchene - Blog 3

Chapter 3 focuses on the differences in education in terms of religion and race. It was heavily surrounded by more history, and this time, less definitions, which is always a plus in my book.

When I read about upper and lower Canada and the things they fought each other over, the first thing that came to mind was, “first world problems”, especially concerning the school tax. To this day, ‘school tax’ is still mandatory, but it is just thrown into your property tax (if you live in city limits). The feud between upper and lower Canada led to a series of legislation that helped contribute to the function and continuation of what are now known as public schools.

The second portion of this chapter obviously resonated with me. Being the only First Nation student in my cohort was difficult to comprehend when I began the program back in September. Having to read about the residential schools is always an emotional topic for me because I come from a family where my mom, kookum (grandma) and other relatives attended the residential school in Canada. On Tuesday, we watched Tim Wolochatiuk’s We Were Children. I’ve seen this 3 times already, and it seems like every time I watch it, it gets harder to sit through it. I imagine my son being taken away and sent to that awful place and I think anyone with a sense of compassion would imagine the same thing. These children would have been your sisters, your brothers, your cousins, your aunts or your uncles. It’s not a ride to Disneyland. I think people need to watch these movies because we still have a long way to go to bridge building. In fact, what we’ve watched on Tuesday is tame compared to the reality of what really went on. Lyna passed away 2 weeks ago. She attended the residential school on my reserve, Sagkeeng. She left behind quite a legacy, as she was an advocate for First Nation rights.

I felt that I could sympathize and empathize with the section on racial segregation in the education system. I don’t know what it would’ve felt like to have been segregated and isolated, but I have an idea of how it can be real. I attended a French immersion school in high school, and I remember clubs that were created for only French immersion students. They wouldn’t advertise it, but if you didn’t speak French, you couldn’t join, and when those of us who didn’t speak French tried to make clubs, we had to have them approved by the administration, whereas, the French students did not. This always infuriated me and made me resent the school. As a teacher, I would want my students to feel included, safe and most of all, loved and valued/appreciated. I think there are things we don’t think about, little things that can lead to indirect segregation, even if we are not meaning to do it. It can be anything from the tone of voice you use with certain students, to your body language and gestures.

Question: The history of the residential schools seems to be integrated here and there throughout courses in various university programs, including education. It is such a heavy topic that cannot be condensed in a nutshell size. Do you think there should be a course offering for just the topic of the residential schools? Do you think this would be more helpful instead of reading 2-3 pages in a textbook about it?