This
week’s chapter entailed learning all about the role of the curriculum. I did
not know parents could have an opinion on the curriculum and what was being
taught in school. The Freedom of
Expression Committee was something that I have never heard of before. I think
that it is great that the committee “monitors censorship issues in Canada,
including books that parents have made cases for removing from school
curricula” (131). I think that school is a place were every student should feel
secure in what they are learning. Moreover, if a book is offensive to a
particular family or religion I think that it is more than acceptable to remove
that book from the school and pick a different book to study.
Another
thing that the textbook touched was the controversies around large-scale
assessment. I went to school in the suburb just outside of Winnipeg, where we
were all white and upper to middle class. I was never subjected to any other
races or immigrant children. However, in my university education I have been. I
realize the importance that “socioeconomic background, immigrant status, and
parental education” has on classrooms (144). With that being said, I think it’s
extremely important that large-scale assessments take those factors into
consideration when they release the test scores.
Another
thing I didn’t know about was the Africentric school in Toronto. When I first
read about it I thought it was a little bizarre to segregate the children from
the general population. However, after reading the reasons why the opened the
School I changed my opinion. I think it is great for that “pedagogical
practices are used to make the subject matter more relevant to Black students”
so that they can become familiar with their culture (155). I feel that as a
future teacher we need to cater to everyone’s culture and history so that they
feel engaged in what they are learning.
Discussion question: What are your thoughts on The Freedom
of Expression Committee?
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