I’m not one to often scream out political injustices out of constant fear of getting it wrong or just in general being attacked for my morals and beliefs. My sister has always been the strong one. I have high emotions but I can rarely express them thoroughly. Yesterday, on the news, they shared how a child, an indigenous child, brought back the homework asking to list 5 positive things that residential schools did and I’m horrified that they’re trying to glorify what happened? There is nothing positive about abuse, trauma, and stealing everything of our culture. There are so many people who didn’t make it out. I have people in my life who suffer from the damage done by the schools, how dare you try to rewrite history to glorify colonialism. I mean it’s not like it all ended just because a person or two said sorry. Canadians like to think they’re so progressive yet we have hundreds of thousands missing and murdered indigenous women that get no attention and get brushed off. Indigenous peoples still struggle with every day racism from hospitals, police force, and those in academics. We, along with others in a minority struggle to fight every day dealing with bigoted people who don’t realize what we want most is to be treated with dignity and to be treated like an actual human being? It’s exhausting having to deal with this day in and day out just for a literal basic rights ok I’m done with my rant bye 😩
I didn't see the news program but that is horrific. Both my and one of my ex gf's families are all fucked up with generational trauma from residential schools, the idea that anyone would pretend anything good came out of them is ridiculous. You can pm me if you wanna chat, always there for qt indigenous womens. One of those smol minority groups everyone seems to forget about and no one cares about
Every cloud has a silver lining, or five. But to ignore that it's a cloud and only look at the silver lining is stupid. I feel like the question has been taken out of context. I'd give the benefit of the doubt that the teacher wasn't trying to cover up the ills of those schools. Could be wrong.
The school principal did apologize but it doesn’t change the fact that it still made it into the school in the first place. The parent of the teacher is friends with one of my sister in laws and she posted a video about it. I’m not sure what the plan is going forward but it’s just horrifying that they’re having their indigenous 11 year olds come up with reasons why something like residential schools is okay as though we would do the same with slavery or any other act towards minorities.
I don't find it horrifying to play devil's advocate and argue a hard position that you don't genuinely support. It is a sensitive topic and options should have been provided but I don't think the problem extends past that lack of choice.
But they’re basically teaching children an inaccurate history and leaving out details that has harmed and nearly decimated an entire culture.
Are they? Were they not critical of the schools at any point throughout the entire unit of work, or are you judging that unit of work based on the assignment prompt?
It's traumatizing and cruel to dare ask what good came from residential schools. So many family's kids died in them and they were never told how or had the body's recovered. Of the ones who lived they were sexually abused and tortured. Asking what good happened over children getting tortured doesn't go over well w most people
The motto/slogan for residential schools were literally "Take the indian out of the man" and took indian children away from their families. While attending residential schools, the children were not allowed to speak their native tongue and were punished if they were caught speaking even a word in their language. Sometimes just a rap on the knuckles. Maybe worse, depending on how racist the teacher was. Not only did the children have to face racism and losing their identity, they also faced sexual assault in which no one coukd speak up about or they would face punishment. Moreover, the children had no chance of ever going home until they graduated, i think? But that didn't stop them from trying to escape the residential school. Be it from running away or suicide. Anyways, thats a little history of residential schools in Canada. Theres more I could say but then I'd be stealing the thread. 🌚 But yeah, questioning the morals on the topic of a residential school isn't a bright idea, assignment or no assignment
Yeah it is insensitive and triggering. There should have been more options. It was culturally insensitive to have that be the ONLY option but I don't think it should be declared a taboo or taught in an uncritical way. Free thought is the most important thing in schools in my opinion, and judging the whole unit and saying it's biased and uncritical because of this question being asked is a reactionary stretch.
im interpreting this as it is okay to misinform people about schools that didnt have free thought for its students. The absolute opposite
It could be that. I don't know if it is. One assignment question isn't enough to judge a whole unit. In the lessons, the whole time they could have been learning about the atrocities and the negative cultural impact they had, and just at the end, the teacher wanted them to, as a challenge, go devil's advocate and look for the good aspects and see what the kids could find.
this is exactly what indigenous people are battling in Canada. They want people to know the truth of what happened yet Canadian schools dont offer accurate history of what really happened because most residential schools were religious.
I think regardless of "teaching both sides" and trying to play devil's advocate, you shouldn't have children doing grade school assignments be trying to come up with an argument promoting genocide. If you're going to have that at all, it should be in higher learning with teenagers + adults and not literal children. And it should be accompanied by learning why these things were actually bad, which Canada, and the U.S. too, do not often include in their curriculum when it comes to their own wrongdoings. It's important to look at why these things were seen as good so you can be able to deconstruct that argument, but elementary school children shouldn't have to go into details on that and shouldn't have to come up with a devil's advocate argument for genocide. Especially when it's an open secret that they are not being thoroughly taught why it's actually bad.
Sixth grade is old enough. We learnt about the Stolen generation here in 4th grade and actually never saw any of that stuff in highschool. I think WW2 was in the 6th and 7th grade.
I wonder how much was omitted and sugar coated in Australian curriculum teaching about their own indigenous rights' violations, especially since that is still continuing to this day. It should be touched upon in higher learning regardless of when you learn it. There's always time for more age appropriate details, a closer look at things that happen, the ability to have a more mature class discussion on the topic... Nothing should only be taught once and never touched upon again.
What is it that its so bad. Seeing the title i ii thort this was gonna be about normal schools vs private schools or some shit. What other schools exist
Residential schools was a name for a Canadian type of school that kidnapped First Nations people (Natives) from their homes and families, and physically and mentally abused them to try to make them act like white people. There was also lots of rape from the teachers onto the students. Native people were forced to learn English and to never speak their Native language and to no longer practice their culture. It was very bad and lots of children died from prolonged abuse.