I finally
have the opportunity to put my undergraduate degree to use as my Professional
Teacher class has started to look at the history of education (and people told
me I would never use those skills again!).
I have learned bits and pieces about the educational system of Canada in
previous classes, but this was the first time that it was really the main topic
of the conversation. In this post, I
hope to hit on some of the key historical traditions found in Canadian history
and then address the topic of Aboriginal education.
First I want
to explain to people my beliefs as to why this information is relevant and
important to know and understand. As any
historian or really any person will tell you, if you cannot learn from your
mistakes you are bound to repeat them.
In my opinion, you cannot simply forget the old days because they are an
integral part of the current educational system (it is based upon their
forging!). Our current education system
was formulated through the mistakes and foundations of the early Canadian
settlers so to truly understand the system, you must know the history.
French Tradition – Within the French tradition, male
children were given the superior position within society so they received a
better education than the females. The
two genders were separated and taught separately by the Catholic priests of the
communities. The children were taught
not only educational basics (i.e. reading & writing), but also religious practices
and doctrine.
English Tradition – The school systems in the English tradition
were separated by their class structures.
While the Church of England was in charge of the education system, the
rich and poor were educated differently.
The children of the rich were sent to public schools, while the poor
children were educated by the church or “Dame Schools” run by widows and
wives. The difference in education,
helped to keep the social classes intact even in the new land.
American Tradition – After the American War of Independence,
the British loyalists moved into Canada because they wanted to live in a
British settlement. Their views mostly
fell in line with the other British immigrants, with the rigid class structures
still trying to be withheld in this new society.
Scottish Tradition – The Scottish tradition is probably
the foundation that best reflects our current education system. They believed in the equality of education
(both primary and secondary); this was in regards to both gender and social
class. They infused the curriculum with
both art and science subjects and they tried to offer them to all
students.
I am now
going to turn my attention to the often uncomfortable discussion revolving the
education of Aboriginals within our school system. Even within our own classroom full of excited
pre-service teachers, you could have cut the tension with a knife when we
started the conversation. I think that
this tension is due to the fact that with the power of hindsight, we see the
damage that the residential schools did to not only our relationships with Aboriginal
people but also to the people themselves.
We are now caught in a relationship which is uneasy, with lines of
communication often closed off and no real sense of trust within the
educational system. I personally think
that we must now try to move forward past this horrible experience, because if
we live in the past we will never see a brighter future and the students will
be the ones to suffer.
When I
become a certified teacher, I want to help all of my students. I do not want to look at a student and only
label them according to their ethnicity and color, but I want to see them all
as individuals and explore their culture with them and include it within the
classroom. I love the ideas of units
based around the cultures found within a class, so all of the students can
learn about one another and reflect on their own heritage at the same
time. I also want to use the resources
available to the Aboriginal students to help them succeed in their educational
careers. Show them the path to success,
and try to break the chain with the new generation.
