Lexi Valcourt - Chapter 3

Chapter three, A Historical Overview of Education in Canada discussed the history behind how schooling has evolved over time in Canadian society. The section on how Upper and Lower Canada were very much divided on their views of education was very interesting. The first schools in Canada were run either by the Protestant or Catholic Church and the divide between the French and British led to significant unrest and division between the two groups. The role that the church had in educational matters was still strong up until the 1960s when Bill 60 was passed and “restructured the educational system to one that was centralized and reduced the role of the Church in order to lay the framework for further reforms.” (65) Education in Upper Canada in the 1800s was mostly about “training children into the correct values and morals, which were those that supported the monarchy and Christianity.” (82) It was interesting to read how religion played such a significant role in virtually every aspect of how children were educated and how differences in opinion led to so much tension between linguistic and religious groups.

Mass public schooling which began in Canada in the 1850s was seen as being fueled by a desire to create an education system in order to overcome increasing class inequalities. (81) However, now we see this promotion of the public school system in Canada’s history as a “means of entrenching a certain type of values on the growing Canadian population.” (82) Segregated schools also were operating in Canadian society for Black, Japanese, and Chinese children. It was surprising for me to read that the last Black segregated school was still operating in Nova Scotia in 1983. In the late 1800s, parents of children in these black segregated school protested the educational limitations placed upon their children even though they continued to pay taxes towards the public school system in Nova Scotia. Chinese segregated schools also existed in Canada and Chinese children were seen as “threats” to white children. (79) Along with the residential school system, throughout Canadian history children have been segregated in school along religious, linguistic, and racial lines.

Discussion Question: What do you consider to be the purpose of the creation of “mass schooling” in Canada’s history? How can we work towards providing the most inclusive education possible for our students?