Stephanie Fehr - Blog 4

This weeks reading presented the way in which education is structured in Canada. There were many things that I found to be quite interesting about it. First of all, the subject of homeschooling is something that has intrigued me in recent years. I used to believe that homeschooling was not ideal for children because it isolated them from society. However, now that I have met many people who were homeschooled, I have learned about the growing popularity of homeschooling groups as well as the concept of "unschooling" (106-107). Unschooling is something that I find to be interesting, especially since we have been learning so much about how the school system tends to take away many students' natural desire to learn. Although I am not necessarily an advocate for homeschooling or "unschooling," I do think that there is some merit in the idea of letting children learn for themselves. I think it would be quite beneficial for educators to follow some of these practices in the classrooms in any way they can.

Further into the chapter there is a section about international and offshore schools (110). I found this interesting because I was previously unaware that they existed. I like the idea of these schools because it creates more opportunity for international students to attend a Canadian university if that's what they decide. I think this is a positive thing because even though Canada definitely has a long way to go in terms of cultural acceptance, these schools promote diversity.

What surprised me most about this chapter was the fact that the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College was opened in Saskatchewan 20 years prior to the last residential school being shut down in the same province (117). Growing up in the Saskatoon area, I always knew that there was a post secondary school meant for Aboriginal students in the city. However, I had absolutely no awareness of the last residential school being closed, and no knowledge that one was still functioning for part of my childhood. For me it displays the ignorance of many in regards to how First Nations people are actually treated in their own country. SIFC claimed to protect the cultural values of First Nations people, while at the same time, there was still a school in the same province that was striving for the exact opposite. Obviously Canada still has a long way to go.

Question: What are your opinions of unschooling? Do you think it would be beneficial for students if teachers tried to use some of the same practices?