Mariah Bouchard
Reading Analysis Week 5
October 8th, 2017
How is separate school today similar or dissimilar to segregated schooling in Canadian History?
Article 13: Black Parents Speak: Education in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Canada West
In the past many people of minority tried to get access to schools but where denied that simple ability. In the past segregated schools was a forced thing as a way to sperate races. The schools were lesser and given less recourses then the main public schools. Children’s education was then hindered due to the fact that they did not have the same opportunities as other kids. The school Act of 1816 enabled the establishment of schools for property owners. This may have assisted in some ways but owning property was hard to do if you were a person of minority. Segregated schools of the past were more of a punishment or a way for the dominating white race to keep power. If we compare that to schools now that are separate we see it as more of a luxury or choice rather then something forced. Now if parents want their children to attend an indigenous school or even a religious school it is something that they have the power to choose. They schools are also more beneficial. They teach children about their heritage while still maintain a certain level of mandated curriculum. Of course, these are very recent schools and it is too soon to see their full benefits on the children. As it was not too long ago that Canada had completely gotten rid of its last forced segregated school.
Article 14: White Supremacy, Chinese Schooling, and School Segregation in Victoria…
The separation of the Chinese from the rest of the white dominant Canadians was a terrible act, and this was not the only time white people separated themselves from the other races. I think an impact we must think about here more than just the lack of support and resources the Chinese were given, but imagine being a child in a new country and having to live with the fact that this country you are in does not want you. I think the impact that would have mentally on a child to feel unwanted and separated from peers would be something that would take a toll on you. This not only applies to the terrible segregation of the past but I think needs to be considered when it comes to the option to separate students we have now. Yes, it might be nice for your child to go to a strictly indigenous school or all Chinese school as a way for them to keep in contact with their heritage. But, what does that do to the progress we have made. Children now do not find it bad to have a class full of children from all over the world, and if we start separating them now it could bring down what we took so long to build.
Online Article: “Black Nova Scotian Women’s Experience of Educational Violence in the Early 1900s: A Case of Color Contusion.
The schools the blacks of Nova Scotia had access to I think share similarities to the access black students in the “hoods” of America must deal with. The struggle to attend school and to be successful in the school setting can be seen in the African people of the past and present. The struggle for extra support and encouragement for these people who live poorly continues even to this day. These black Nova Scotian women were denied basic access to school and were not given the same rights as the white kids and I think we still see some of this in the states.