Category: History 3510-Reading Analysis

Hist 3510

Tracy Penny Light

Nov 19th, 2017

Reading Analysis- Week 11

As school and the education system have changed drastically but why is that? Who realized that what people are teaching, had its faults and needed to change to be more acceptable. Well it’s never really been said, but it is believed a group of people decide what the kids at school should retain. These people relay this information in a pamphlet that explains what needs to be taught, but they weren’t all the same at first.

It seemed as the way of creating a curriculum wasn’t always for all the schools to teach. For instance, in the private schools of the Kootenays in BC, they felt that the curriculum wasn’t suitable for their children. This was because the people there felt that their children needed to explore their learning by being themselves, and being more connected with the land. This was done by teaching them how to garden and other things that involved outside activities. In some way this could be good as some students may not have the access to things like these, but it can also be negative as the time for learning things that the government feels are important is lessened. Although one should feel that sometimes change of scenery is good for the brain, but is it always good. This could be why many were opposed to this way of learning, as to why people choose not to send their children to the school. On the other hand those who sent their children to these schools that expressed this way of learning were in great favour of it. So does this seem the right way of learning, and who has the right to say it’s not.

Next way of learning that was observed was when the schools accepted the curriculum. They used this pamphlet like it was a guide to life. Many teacher followed it to every point. Now why was this, and was this the correct way of learning? Possibly.  But there was also the teacher that didn’t follow this way of teaching exactly. They felt children should explore the way of learning in the way they want to. This helps creativity and expands each child’s mind in their own way. Now many may think that teacher who taught this way were ahead of their time and knew way too much, but really should have been listened to as they are part of the reason education is the way it is today.

It seems as time after time there has always been this curriculum placed in the schools that teaches should follow. Eventually it became mandatory for everyone to teach and learn this way. This was because the government wanted the schools to all be at the same level, making it easy for children if they had to move schools. This is much like the way the education system is today. But is this always the right way. It has been stated that the curriculum is a very strict way of learning. Where children must do certain things within a time period. This doesn’t always seem right as not everyone is the same. So should the curriculum stay? Is everyone in agreement of it, or could there be a better way of learning?

Years after year there is a curriculum put in the schools, but is this the way of learning? Who’s to say that a certain group of people that make the curriculum have the right way of thinking? As it was shown in the articles there are many diverse schools out there that are suitable for their way of living and learning. So is one way of learning for the whole country suitable? Personally I don’t think so, each community is different and should be able to learn differently to their accommodation. Yes maybe some things should be the same throughout the country’s schools but not everything. Diversity is a big part of Canada and should be expressed in the schools as well. Therefore curriculum can be necessary but not in all ways that are very strict. Everyone is different and should be able to learn differently as well. Diversity should be embraced by all especially those learning in school.

Bibliography

Wien, Carol Anne and Curt Dudley-Marling. “Limited Vision: The Ontario Curriculum and Outcomes-Based Learning.” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 400-412.

Gorham, Deborah. “The Ottawa New School and Educational Dissent in Ontario in the Hall- Dennis Era.”Historical Studies in Education 21, no.2 (Fall 2009): 104-122.

Janovicek, Nancy, “‘The community school literally takes place in the community’: Alternative Education in the Historical Studies in Education, 24, 1 (Spring 2012): 150-169.

Marker, Michael. “‘It Was Two Different Times of the Day, But in the Same Place’: Coast Salish High School Experience in the 1970s.” BC Studies 144 (Winter 2004/05): 91-113.

Hist3510

Tracy Penny Light

November 12, 2017

Reading Analysis Week 10

It seems that through time the education system stays the same in some way. It almost as if the system has kept the same idea but change it only slightly year after year. This idea is that some topics are seen as important and others less important. Those subjects that as more important are studied more frequently, whereas the others are only studied every so often. Which makes senses , but one can question who decides these topics are needed to be know? Students and parents think that the subjects are important but is that because they are taught to think that, possibly!

The system seems to follow the structure that when kids start school it is easy as they are just starting to grow their brains and it eventually gets harder. This makes sense but is this the right structure for every child as everyone is different in their own way. In addition to this everyone retains different information so doesn’t this make all schools different in a way being as teacher can’t all teach the same way. This can easily impact the way students think, from what they are being told to what they are seeing, with words being just as big as an impact as actions are. It is interesting to see that people view the education system as similar.

With looking at different stories of people’s education, one can draw many similar themes. Things like how kids study English, math and social studies as those are important. But things like art and music and others that require using the other side of your brain become optional. This is what it seems to be like in most schools. But there are also the difference from generation to generation. Things like the punishment for being bad, also the support that is given when going into higher grades, as well as what is seen as important. These things not only vary from each generation, but also each school and surrounding in the time.

So with there being so many similarities it shows how that way of thinking is tradition. It shows how this has always been vital in success as school systems see it. But it can also show progress as students may be learning the same but racial and gender issues change and also teaching techniques change influencing the way students think. From this people can lean tradition is good to some point but change and progression is also good. As some things can stay the same but some things need to be different every once in awhile.

 

Bibliography

Axelrod, Paul. “Beyond the Progressive Education Debate: A Profile of Toronto Schooling in the 1950s,” Historical Studies in Education 17, no.2 (Spring 2005): 227-241.

Heyking, Amy von. “Selling Progressive Education to Albertans, 1935-1953,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 340- 354.

Stamp, Robert M. “Growing Up Progressive? Part I: Going to Elementary School in 1940s Ontario.” Historical Studies in Education vol. 17, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 187-98.

Stamp, Robert M. “Growing Up Progressive? Part II : Going to High School in 1950s Ontario.” Historical Studies in Education vol. 17, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 321-31.

Sutherland, Neil. “The Triumph of ‘Formalism’: Elementary Schooling in Vancouver from the 1920s to the 1960s,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 375-397.

Hist 3510

Tracy Penny Light

November 5th, 2017

Reading Analysis Week 9

It seems as if the world war 2 was hard for everyone but more in particular families in Canada. But with this problem in the families it created a big problem in the schooling system. As it has been shown in the articles “Cadets, Curfews, and Compulsory Schooling: Mobilizing Anglophone Children in WWII Montreal” , “The Education of Japanese Children in the British Columbia Interior Housing Settlements during World War Two” and “Disciplining Children Parents: The Nature and Meaning of Advice to Canadian Parents, 1945-1955”.

As it was shown in all three article the problem started with the families. With the war taking away male figures in the families made children act out, but with this there was also no other parental figures around enough to discipline the children for their bad behaviours. As stated in the article “Cadets, Curfews, and Compulsory Schooling” it showed that so many children decided to act out in horrible ways which eventually resulted in bringing in the law to stop them. As they created a curfew to control the children, this helped mothers who had to work to support the family control their children a little more. But eventually the Education system also became a way of keeping children out of trouble as it was almost a babysitting system.  

But with sending more students to school this became a problem for the teachers, as it was hard to find people to be able to teach everyone. It was even more difficult when more people had to come to Canada like the Japanese and many other immigrants. It was mentioned in “The Education of Japanese Children…” article that those who came over to Canada wanted an education as well. Unfortunately for them with being a different race this affected their education as there wasn’t the people or facilities to teach them. They got their education but it wasn’t the best as schools were poorly funded buildings, and those teaching them were young and unprepared. The teachers were students who only finished school to a certain grade and were put in the classroom to teach with no training. This wasn’t the worst but also wasn’t the best.  Eventually more funding became available and there was more training put in but the priority was white Canadian Children. This was because the curriculum was British based and focused mainly on the British and Canadian education. The children although were baby sat at school still choose to act out.

This problem continued on until after the war as it was stated “Discipling Children, Discipling Parents”. Although this problem wasn’t just within the children but it was in their parents as well. It was shown that the children acted this way because of the parenting that was being done. The parents weren’t disciplining their children so the kids felt they could act out in any way. But they learned that the needed to “discipline” the parents in order to get the message across that this was not acceptable for anyone. It was the the war was over and things had to go back to normal, families needed to act in the manner that they did before the war.

But this just goes to show that schooling and education is always important, as even in a crisis school is what put structure into some people’s lives especially the children. Even teaching the basics continuously can make it so people realize that life can be normal in a time of a crisis creating the comfort for those who are uncertain about what is going to happen.

Bibliography

Myers, Tamara and Mary Anne Poutanen. “Cadets, Curfews, and Compulsory Schooling: Mobilizing Anglophone Children in WWII Montreal.” Histoire Sociale 38, no.76 (2005): 367-398.

Roy, Patricia E. “The Education of Japanese Children in the British Columbia Interior Housing Settlements during World War Two,” Historical Studies in Education, 4, 2 (1992): 211-231.

Gleason, Mona. “Disciplining Children, Disciplining Parents: The Nature and Meaning of Advice to Canadian Parents, 1945-1955,” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 357-375.

 

Hist 3510

Tracy Penny Light

Oct 21,2017

Reading Analysis #6

        Today everyone fights for equality, it’s not fair that just because someone is of different colour that they should be treated differently. So what is it that needs to change why is there still inequality everywhere? It could possibly be because still today in the education system there is still inequality and when viewing it at a young age it teaches children that discrimination is what is normal, which makes this cycle of a problem. This week’s article really gave me a different perspective on the inequality from the past in regards to the residential schooling system. With being from a First Nations background all that you hear are the negative stories that came from my family attended residential schools, but I learnt that there is a little more to it.

The article that was most interesting was “‘A New Understanding of Things Indian’: George Raley’s Negotiation of the Residential School Experience.” By Paige Raibmon. This was most intriguing because it showed that not all experiences were horrible at residential schools, and in this case it was thanks to Raley the principal. It was interesting to find out that there wasn’t all bad people who were in charge at school and that there were some people that fought to make residential school a more pleasant experience even if it may have costed more. Thanks to him those who went to his school felt safe and at home and even gained education making them continue on further, making their studies useful.

Helen Raptis’ article almost seemed like an excuse as to why residential schools had such negative impacts on those who attended. It was a run-down of how these schools were highly underfunded. Now I feel if there had been that much thought into how the money was spent each year why couldn’t they have made it more affordable. I feel that really it’s just money that’s all it ever is and in the end if you spend it, it will all work out that’s just how life is. This article was a lot to take in just because it had so many facts in it. But I also felt this article was almost boring because it just seemed like an excuse for why the government has treated First Nations so poorly.

In addition to what Raptis said I felt Barman’s article “Schooled for Inequality: The Education of British Columbia Aboriginal Children.” I felt like this was another way of explaining excuses for this tragic event that happened. Although this one laid out every reason it was bad with examples like why the class room time was seen as work, why teachers did what they did to their students and how most of this was a result from the underfunding. But I don’t feel that this is an excuse for this punishment that these people had to go through.

With all of these things being studied does it not show that with the right people and some more money and time and effort put into these schools, that these schools could have been a good thing. Yet time and time again people come up with excuses for why there was this inequality and why it was ok for this to happen. I feel that with this awareness that this abuse has happened to people that everyone needs to spread it and make it so people learn that this is completely wrong. People in education systems need to learn from this and stop treating others different, even though it is little compared to this it can still hurt. Lessons can be learned from this by educating yourself on how to created equality for everyone and hopefully this will end eventually.

Bibliography  

Barman, Jean. “Schooled for Inequality: The Education of British Columbia Aboriginal Children.” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 255-276.

Raptis, Helen. “Implementing Integrated Education Policy for On-Reserve Aboriginal Children in British Columbia, 1951-1981.” Historical Studies in Education 20, no.1 (Spring 2008): 118-146.

Raibmon, Paige. “‘A New Understanding of Things Indian’: George Raley’s Negotiation of the Residential School Experience.” BC Studies 110 (1996): 69-96.

 

Sept 17, 2017

History 3510

Tracy Penny Light

 

Week One Analysis

            As most know so much is constantly changing and society has moved so far forward, this is almost impossible not to notice with the way history is taught now. It’s amazing how many articles there are out there that can just prove the difference in time. But what is most amazing is the way specific things have changed like schools for instance. The three reading “Egerton Ryerson and the School as an Agent of Political Socialization,” “Reform, Literacy, and the Lease: The Prince Edward Island Free Education Act of 1852,” and “Hidden Workers: Child Labour and the Family Economy in Late Nineteenth         Century Urban Ontario.” All describe how different school was when it first started in Canada.

It was noted that it was only because of one man that school was brought to attention as a main priority that he felt was necessary in Canada. This man was Egerton, he felt school/ education was necessary in a place in order for there to be organized government system. He also realized that adapting the education system from places in Europe made it easy to bring it over to Canada. This was also noted that it was a way of persuading people into thinking a certain way about politics. As education was a way of teaching about the politics and government that had been going on in their lives/ communities. But politics was all they felt was important which is an example of how it is different from now. With is being a way of getting people to think the way government wanted them to it made it easier to make school a free thing for everyone.

Now school wasn’t always free, for a while only the rich were allowed to go to school to be able to pay the teacher her salary. But once they found out at education was a way of teaching government issued topics made it so they wanted everyone to go to school. But it only slowly started to become free in some places. The maritime provinces are where it first became free. They made is possible by putting in a tax that everyone had to pay in order to go to school. But the free school wasn’t the best deal for some. Some people were losing money over it when settling in.

With this being a problem it made it so not everyone went to school and many children still had to work as it helped out the family in the poor times. Children didn’t have the same lives as kids to do as many of them started working at a very young age in order to make a living. But when school made it so it gave special training for kids who wanted to work in the future it made it more popular and students doubled in numbers.

So the main point of this is how school became important in young people’s lives and how it got to that. But the only question that came to mind when reading all this is, if money was so tight and kids had to work in order to help the family survive how did families survive when children were all able to go to school and they weren’t allowed to work anymore. This was never really answered but I’m sure they made small changes. As now it is a norm for children to go to school in order to get a job later in life. this all though showed me how and why education was brought to Canada and how education became free for everyone, as it does teach young one the necessaries of life.

Bibliography

 McDonald, Neil, “Egerton Ryerson and the School as an Agent of Political Socialization,” in Sara   Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 39-56.

Robertson, Ian Ross. “Reform, Literacy, and the Lease: The Prince Edward Island Free   Education Act of 1852.” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in  Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of  Toronto Press, 2012: 56-71

Bullen, John, “Hidden Workers: Child Labour and the Family Economy in Late Nineteenth Century Urban Ontario.” Labour/Le Travail 18 (Fall 1986): 163-87.

 

Hist3510

Tracy Penny Light

Oct 8^th,2017

 

Reading Analysis 5 

With being a resident of British Columbia and being of First Nations descent is seems as if I only get taught about the education of BC. This mainly focuses on what happens in history with the first nations. But there are more sides to the way the people were treated in their education upbringing. Which I learned a lot about with this week’s reading. This was how other minorities felt about trying to get an education.

There were two articles on the way Black people were treated when trying to get an education. Hearing the stories was quite upsetting. Finding out that they had to fight in order to get an education. And when they got an education they were treated horribly which made them not even want to have an education. Also how they were too abused and called names from not only the teachers but the students too. I know is this were the case for me going to school I would have not wanted to attend either. But thankfully there were people out there that stood up and said something so those children could get an education. It may have taken a lot but it was those who finished school and went further that proved to the other people of their race that if they could get through then they could too even if it was painful in the end. But the way the blacks were called out, hurt, treated differently and had everything bad happen to them so they didn’t want to go to school was wrong. Thankfully someone stood up for their rights and made it so black children didn’t have to go to a separate school just to get an education. And those who nagged and nagged were the reason something was done.

But there was not only the Blacks that were treated horrible in the education system but the Chinese were too. They were almost treated the same way, put in horrible situations that made getting an education difficult. They also had to stand up and fight for them to be able to learn things as well. It was those who said something and put on strikes that made a differences.

Without those people fighting, people of colour today would not be able to have an education. This was because the white people didn’t want them too. It may have seemed hard for them but in the end it was definitely worth it. What really surprised me was it’s not only the First Nations who are discriminated from getting an education but the blacks and the Chinese seem to have had similar problems with trying to be educated. I am sure that any other minorities go through the same problem with anything as white people feel they should not always have the same rights. Why is this, are they afraid of them, are they threatened by them? Who knows? Thankfully things have changed a little but there is still racism out there. Will this race divide ever go away? Why can’t all people just get along no matter what gender, race or class they are? I’m sure no one really knows but it sure would be nice to know as then it could possibly be fixed. Although I do feel that school today has changed with the race divide but I do believe and know for a fact that minorities can feel singled out and discriminated in school as I felt this way when I went to public school.

 

Bibliography

Knight, Claudette. “Black Parents Speak: Education in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Canada West.” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 225-237.

Stanley, Timothy J. “White Supremacy, Chinese Schooling, and School Segregation in Victoria: The Case of the Chinese Students’ Strike, 1922-1923.” in Sara Burke and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 237-252.

Moreau, Bernice. “Black Nova Scotian Women’s Experience of Educational Violence in the Early 1900s: A Case of Colour Contusion.” Dalhousie Review 77, no.2 (1997): 179-206.

 

 

History 3510
Tracy Penny Light

Sept 24,2017

Kaylee Billyboy

T00558089

Week 3 Analysis

 

Throughout time attending school on a regular basis has just become a normal thing to do as it is required for all children to do so. Why is this? It has been looked at in detail in by authors. In articles like “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto,” “Who Went to School?” and “The Boys in the Nova Scotian Coal Mines: 1873-1923,” it shows the many reasons why things have changed with education and how it became important for children to attend class.

For instance, in McIntosh’s article “The Boys in the Nova Scotian Coal Mines: 1873-1923,” he explains how long ago children didn’t go to school. In fact, children actually went to work instead, this was because they were helpful in places like coal mines. Their size and flexibility was what was admired about them and they could also be paid less to work. children accepted this so they could help out with their family. Today this seem very wrong as children should not be put in dangerous places like a mine and shouldn’t be working their life away at such a young age. But then they didn’t know any different. But as time went on work began to almost take advantage of the children and they started to act out to hopefully get what they wanted. This didn’t always work. Some of them were thankful when the Free School Act came into place as this allowed them to get away from the working. Some families were dependent on their child’s income so many continued to work, as they felt school wasn’t of any use to them. This affected many companies as they lost many low wage workers and had to hire higher wage people. When schools first became big it had many positives and negatives depending on who you were.

With school not being a priority it made it so school attendance was very irregular and those associated with education want to enforce attendance. In Clubine’s article it shows how the attendance enforcement affected the families. For instance, children were simply not going because they had to help at home or they had to work. when children got caught not at school they go in trouble and the parents did too. Many simply said it was because they family wouldn’t be able to survive with them gone. With going to school it was to maintain social status, so many families tried to make changes in order to send their kids as it made them looks like good parents. With this it made it so more children attended school.

Over the years’ regular attendance numbers have changed drastically. There are many reasons to this as many recorded in history were mentioned in Katz’s article “Who Went to School”. Whether it be class, gender, race or religion everyone had their own reasoning. But they soon had to put those reasons behind them and make attending school a priority. Once this was done almost everyone attended school and shortly every child attended school regularly like it is done today.

With what was said I do understand why school wasn’t a priority then, but I also do see that it is a priory now. I do feel that children should have to attend school as a law, because without education now many people can’t do much and it is good training for the children at young ages. All of these article made good arguments about why school systems have changed and it goes to show that that change is very important. The only thing that I question is why isn’t there more documentation about those who attended school at first and why those others didn’t. Also it doesn’t say if first nations attended any of those schools and why it wasn’t a problem they weren’t going to school until residential schools? These are not answered but should be as the articles seem to lack a bit of precise information that is critical to my thinking. I feel like there could be more in-depth studies on this of a better understanding.

Bibliography

Clubine, Christopher, “Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto,” in Sara Burke      and Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History           of Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 115-126.

Katz, Michael B. “Who Went to School?”.” History of Education Quarterly 12, no. 3 (1972),         432. doi:10.2307/367521.

McIntosh, Robert. “The Boys in the Nova Scotian Coal Mines: 1873-1923,” in Sara Burke and      Patrice Milewski (Eds.), Schooling in Transition: Readings in the Canadian History of  Education, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012: 126-139.