1. RACISM
1.1. You and I are not the same color. We are not the same ethnicity and we are not the same people. Does that mean that you are better than me? Am I better than you?
1.1.1. The battle of race is out of control. It frustrates me endlessly because I hate having white privilege while knowing that other individuals are suffering. Suffering for what reason? Because someone, years ago, decided that white is a nicer color than brown? As I write this, I am sitting in a white majority class and my only thought is "does that First Nations man feel intimidated? Does he think we are judging him for his heritage?" As I try to send him supportive and caring glances, I know that he is rolling his eyes at me. I don't know how to support minority classmates without making them feel like I feel sorry for them.
1.1.1.1. I touch on Racism in my Controversial Issues Response. To me, racism and the study of races and ethnicity are a growing concern. I will never allow my students to be twenty years of age and still possessing the belief that white people are better than everyone else.
2. FAMILY SITUATIONS
2.1. I have one mother and one father. You have one mother. She has two mothers. He has four mothers and two fathers. She has a grandmother. He has foster parents.
2.1.1. I really enjoyed and was touched by the reading: "Framing the Family Tree: How Teachers can be Sensitive to Students' Family Situations" in particular. I was shocked and actually quite horrified by the possibility of a teacher bluntly ignoring a sensitive situation such as a passed father. In a similar situation, I honestly do not know what I would do. When it comes time for Father's Day or Mother's Day crafts, decorations, and presents - what is the most sensitive way to deal with these activities? My personal opinion on this is that: I think that creating mothers and fathers and others day presents is extremely important. I have watched, for years, my dad's face light up like a Christmas tree from receiving a hand made gift from me.
2.1.1.1. While having that opinion, I would not be pro for excluding this activity. I would instead, get to know my students home lives and understand or do my best to understand their individual situation. If then one student did not have a present father, I would take them aside prior to the lesson. I would explain to them that I am letting them in on a secret (make them feel extra special, they know something their classmates don't). I would tell the student about the upcoming activity and explain to them that because they do not have a father, they get to create a special project and give it to anyone they want! When assigning the class, I would make it clear to the other students as well, that they can create a project for who ever they want. The craft DOES NOT have to be given to their father.
3. DON'T WE ALL SPEAK ENGLISH?
3.1. Last year in ECS 300 I was placed in a mostly ESL grade 6/7/8 split. Within my class I had 32 students, three of which were white. The other 29 students' home lands ranged from East India, Thailand, Philippine, Africa, China and Saudi Arabia; and two students were of Aboriginal descent. The students may have been in grade 6, 7 and 8 - but many had a reading level of grade 2-4. The struggle with learning a new language was ever present in the class, but the students wanted to learn and were more attentive than any class I have ever taught. I love every single experience I had with those students. I am also happy to announce that I learnt more from my ESL students than I have from any other class.
3.2. I hope to have many ESL students in my future classes. Not only do I love having the challenge of teaching students a new language, and love watching students absorb an entirely new culture with simple sounds, words and mannerisms, but I also love learning about their culture in turn.
4. CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
4.1. "Who has the authority to decide what I teach?"
4.1.1. "You do"
4.1.1.1. This is a very difficult topic for me to comprehend and to imagine myself dealing with in the future. I possess a very personal and stubborn personality. I am heavily driven to do what I want and to support ideas that I believe in. I have a HUGE problem with the Saskatchewan Curriculum in regards to Social Studies and I know that my future as a history minor is going to be a long and hard road. I believe in the concept of actually teaching our history. I DO NOT support the idea of picking through our history and teaching the "butterflies and rainbows". Which currently, Sask Curriculum is doing. In our Elementary Schools, teachers are starting (because they are forced) to teach treaties and First Nation matters. However, I graduated from high school two years ago and do not remember learning anything about Aboriginal peoples or about their history and what truly occurred between the European settlers and the Aboriginals already living on the land. The absence of knowledge kept me involved in the idea that Aboriginals were "others", to be regarded as such. My secondary schooling was done in a mid-size Saskatchewan city and I possessed the belief that Aboriginals were taking advantage of the white man. I knew that the white man had done "something bad" to the Aboriginals years ago, but of course I did not understand what the "bad" thing was, nor was I aware as to why the current Aboriginal population was getting the pay out for that "bad" thing.
4.1.1.1.1. I live my life now, being disgusted by my previous arrogance. However, because my teachers avoided the topic of racism as well as the truth of Canadian and Saskatchewan history, I had no theme to base my knowledge off of. The individuals in my class gossiped and spread the notion of: Aboriginals being lazy and taking advantage of what happened to their ancestors; Africans being scary and dangerous; Whites being safe. Children will always spread these ideas because it is all they have to go off of. If no teachers teach the truth about racism, how will our society EVER advance?
4.1.1.1.2. I THANK the University of Regina so much for being the first to teach me otherwise. Because of my experience in and out of the classroom, I have finally lost all of these stereotypes. Now, it is my turn to help others learn these lessons. I don't want any of my students to ever reach 20 years of age before they stop carrying around the stereotypical racist ideals. I don't care how much extra work I have to do each year, or how many times I get called into my principal's office for toeing the "line" - I will teach my students what they need to be taught. Racism WILL be attacked and it WILL be conquered.