During my earlier schooling there were many single stories. The stories could have taken place over seas or take place here in Canada. What is problematic with the use of these stories is the bias they create by providing only one perspective or lens. By doing this we are really limiting the students' exposure to new things and ideas. "Whose truth mattered?" - It seems like by allowing all these single stories we are putting an emphasis on the dominant white privileged society. As these stories are generally shared through their lenses.
Growing up I always attended schools in good areas and never had to worry about such things as my safety or whatever it may be. I had a privileged life growing up in a stableish family setting. So my perspective was fairly limited. It wasn't until my parents got a divorce and my mom who moved out to a low income housing area that it provided me with a new perspective. It wasn't until this happened that I tried to consider more perspectives. This event, even though it may have been short lived because my mom moved to a "better" area in a couple months. Really had a positive impact on me and changed my lenses. Depending on how you were raised is going to have an impact on your lens. It is important that you recognize your lens and biases when you go into a classroom so you don't pass on those biases to your students. "How might we unlearn / work against these biases?" Just recognizing your biases is key to work against them. If you fail to admit that you may have biases there is no hope in over coming them. Then you should try to increase your knowledge by trying to read up on others perspectives maybe. Even though it may be weird at first. Trying to see the world through different lenses/perspectives does help a lot.
0 Comments
During my time as a student from K-12 I remember some instances of citizenship being present. Throughout my schooling it was never the Justice-oriented citizen type of citizenship. But the other two options were present. The first one that we talked about which is the personally-responsible citizen. This option was present all throughout my schooling. The idea of that is you need to be punctual, by coming to class on time, or handing your assignments in on time or there will be consequences. Really cements the idea of being a good citizen in the most basic form. You do things on time; you do not overstep any boundaries. Don’t ask questions. Just do what is asked of you so you can participate in this society. Participatory citizen was also present in my schooling. However, it was much rarer. There were instances in which you could volunteer for certain clubs, or just help out around the school. This type of citizenship was evident in a school group that was the student leadership council. People in this group did various activities such as planning big events for the school and trying to do things that had the students’ interests at heart. These examples made being able to function in society plausible. School prepares you for life outside of itself so that you can contribute to society. It made trying to achieve the third stage of citizenship way harder, because we never really had the opportunity to ask difficult questions or really ponder the ideas of like economic structures or social injustices and what we can do to help.
What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples?
I believe it is important to provide this knowledge to everyone whether or not they are of First Nations descent. Providing this knowledge is so important to Canadians and North America in general because First Nations' people have a rich history with the land. So giving people those new connections and perspectives to think about might make them more respectful for the place that they come from. It may also make them more appreciative. Given all the hardship and loss that the First Nations had to endure over time. What does it mean for your understanding of curriculum that "We are all treaty people"? I think this means that since we all operate on this land and share it with one another that we should be more appreciative of it and the knowledge that we receive. Treaty Ed should be important to every student not just First Nations people. Being able to incorporate this important information in the curriculum is necessary for the development and appreciation for these things. |
Author2nd year preK-5 university student!. Archives
April 2017
Categories |