Taking the Mask Off Mascots
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my first blog post in regards to diversity in schools. My name is Bevan Fernandes and I am a fifth-year concurrent education student completing my Bachelor of Education at Brock University. I have decided to make a blog on diversity issues in school in order to share my thoughts about topics we discuss in class and generate discussion. I also hope to look back on these blog posts a few years from now when I have already begun teaching to see how far I have come, how much I have changed, what I need to do differently, and to use this as a guide to incorporate equity issues in my classrooms in addition to reminding myself of the different avenues my students come from.
This week I will like to talk to you about First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. Now as a person with a history background, I am quite familiar with the term First Nations, and the wrongful use of the term "Indians, Native Indians, etc". With this in mind, this week was the first time I learnt about the use of the term First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. I knew that the aboriginals consisted of a vast variety of cultures who are unique in their own way, but I was not aware of the importance of using the full term "First Nation, Metis, and Inuit". By saying the full term, you are acknowledging the differences among the First Nation, Metis, and Inuit peoples, and beginning to break down the stigma against these people and the ignorance in the general public around the indigenous communities. Another aspect I learnt this week is acknowledging the land we are standing on and the people who it used to belong to. At the beginning of class, we had a guest speaker who began her presentation in this manner, and it was truly eye-opening to witness and I believe a crucial way to begin the road to reconciliation.
This story provides a beautiful way of explaining how students come from all different backgrounds and that teachers need to acknowledge that and use that to help cater learning goals. After the teacher took into considerations Matthew's interests, he began to learn and succeed in the classroom. She took advantage of his artistic abilities and his own experiences to incite his learning.
These are all topics we discussed in class, and I am truly grateful for learning about them. Learning the importance of acknowledging the territory we are on, the proper terms and the implications behind it, and the necessary steps for reconciliation paved the way for me as a future educator to infuse them in my lessons and impact my students in a positive way.
References:
Fingarsen, F. (1988). Why Do You Force Your Ways?. Education Manitoba
Welcome to my first blog post in regards to diversity in schools. My name is Bevan Fernandes and I am a fifth-year concurrent education student completing my Bachelor of Education at Brock University. I have decided to make a blog on diversity issues in school in order to share my thoughts about topics we discuss in class and generate discussion. I also hope to look back on these blog posts a few years from now when I have already begun teaching to see how far I have come, how much I have changed, what I need to do differently, and to use this as a guide to incorporate equity issues in my classrooms in addition to reminding myself of the different avenues my students come from.
This week I will like to talk to you about First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. Now as a person with a history background, I am quite familiar with the term First Nations, and the wrongful use of the term "Indians, Native Indians, etc". With this in mind, this week was the first time I learnt about the use of the term First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people. I knew that the aboriginals consisted of a vast variety of cultures who are unique in their own way, but I was not aware of the importance of using the full term "First Nation, Metis, and Inuit". By saying the full term, you are acknowledging the differences among the First Nation, Metis, and Inuit peoples, and beginning to break down the stigma against these people and the ignorance in the general public around the indigenous communities. Another aspect I learnt this week is acknowledging the land we are standing on and the people who it used to belong to. At the beginning of class, we had a guest speaker who began her presentation in this manner, and it was truly eye-opening to witness and I believe a crucial way to begin the road to reconciliation.
So where did it all go wrong? Even though the last residential school in Canada was closed down in 1996, there are still many aspects of it alive and thriving in society today. The story Why Do You Force Your Ways? by Frank Fingarsen is an influential story that instils empathy in its viewers. Geared towards educators, the story begins with a teacher having problems with an indigenous student in her class, Matthew, who doesn't seem to care about school and is constantly joking around and disrupting the class. The teacher attempts to fix the problem by gaining an ally during the parent teacher interview, Matthew's father Thomas, which seems to be going perfectly at first. During the interview Thomas begins to question the teacher, asking if she can set a rabbit snare or a beaver trap. When the teacher responds "No", he smiles and begins to tell her that Matthew is one of the best trappers in the clan, and is a great learner so why do you force your ways onto him? The morale of the story is that you cannot force your views or ways onto others, but instead the father asks the teacher to teach Matthew how to learn and use his mind so that he can adapt it to his way of life, not her way of life. Instead of "killing the Indian in the child" which was the basis of Residential Schools, teachers need to take the viewpoint of the student and gear their lessons towards the child's needs and wants not the teachers.
This story provides a beautiful way of explaining how students come from all different backgrounds and that teachers need to acknowledge that and use that to help cater learning goals. After the teacher took into considerations Matthew's interests, he began to learn and succeed in the classroom. She took advantage of his artistic abilities and his own experiences to incite his learning.
This is something that came in handy for me as a teacher when I volunteered in a high school classroom. The topic was on residential schools, and after the lesson was over I began to discuss the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people and implications today. I knew from personal conversations, that a lot of students in the class watched hockey and other sports, and so I began to talk about mascots and the notions behind them. I got them to consider what it would be like if other cultures were seen as mascots, which sparked a lot of conversations in the classroom. I then discussed possible solutions and whether or not it is appropriate. I showed the picture depicted below of a redesign of the Chicago Blackhawks logo from an indigenous artist and the importance of cultural appropriation.
These are all topics we discussed in class, and I am truly grateful for learning about them. Learning the importance of acknowledging the territory we are on, the proper terms and the implications behind it, and the necessary steps for reconciliation paved the way for me as a future educator to infuse them in my lessons and impact my students in a positive way.References:
Fingarsen, F. (1988). Why Do You Force Your Ways?. Education Manitoba
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