Matthew Sysa Blog 4

            The reading for this week was chapter 4 of the textbook. In this chapter they talked about the different elementary and secondary education systems that are in Canada depending on province (most notable the different education system in Quebec). Also, it talked about the different types of post-secondary education available, from university, college or apprenticeship.

            One aspect that caught my attention was when they talked about school choice. “School choice refers to the freedom that parents (and students) have in selecting the type of school that their children attend” (p. 93). Growing up, I was a part of a French Immersion program and attended schools that taught in both English and French. I did not think much of this until I reached high school when I did not attend the school closest to my house as was English only. Thanks to school choice, my parents were able to enroll me in a French Immersion program which is “for students whose first language is not French” (p. 107) and this has allowed me to have more opportunities now available for myself as a future teacher.

            One other topic that caught my attention was when they talked about unschooling, which is “home-based education without curriculum, schedules, tests, or grades. The approach is entirely child-led.” (p. 107). After first reading this, I thought that unschooling sounded chaotic and that the children would probably not end up learn anything from it. However, after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that some of a child’s best learning comes from when they discover on their own. They learn on their own to walk and talk, so why can’t they at least learn some aspects of their schooling through child led inquiry. It is already being done in classrooms, with discovery tables and dramatic play time, both of these activities help children to learn on their own and gain a better understanding.  

Discussion Question: Comparing the elementary education system in place in Quebec to the general one in the rest of Canada, does one work better than the other? Why? Why not?