There has been progress at Grand Erie Board schools in helping aboriginal students improve their performance in the classroom.
About a year ago, the Education Ministry asked the Board to have aboriginal students identify themselves as First Nations, Metis or Inuit, so they could be offered enhanced programs.
Caroline Vanevery Albert is an Aboriginal Education teacher-consultant with the Board.
She says thanks to the new programs, they’re seeing ‘successes’ among aboriginal students, because they’re better able to “connect”, where they “see themselves, they’re interested and they want to learn more”.
At first, only about 1.6 per cent of students identified themselves as being aboriginal, although there has been a “slight increase” since then.
“Enhanced programs” is another word for passing frades for “special” people. Sounds like too many natives failing and the trustees are getting heat.
As to identifying yourself – I went to a job counselor a few years ago and he told me that I could check off that box that said handicapped if I thought so. I asked why. He said that if you believe that you are handicapped (for job applications) then you “ARE” handicapped.
What is the criteria to be an “aboriginal” student? Parent or grandparent or great grandparent or ? So do you need to be 100% or 50% or 25% or 10% or just believe that you are an aboriginal?
Seems now everybody is “special” in some way. What is “normal” now?
Perhaps having a look at the Ministry of Education website and looking specifically at their First Nations Metis and Inuit Education Policy Framework would give you a better understanding about what’s happening with respect to education. Furthermore, school boards across the province and the country are educating Canadian children about First Nations history and our relationships with Aboriginal people. What the Grand Erie District School Board is doing is no different than other boards across the province. Furthermore, they are taking a step forward in understanding and respecting relationships with First Nations people.
So, why are they not teaching about other cultures specifically and our relation to those particular groups of people. What Grand Erie, along with other school boards are doing is giving in to the politically correct. This month is black history month with morning announcements praising the accomplishments of blacks. Will they do the same with other groups and their accomplishments? The Chinese, the French the Dutch? Probably not, since it does not fit into the politically correct framework. Grand Erie has also paid for rainbow stickers to be placed on the doorways of classrooms, indicating that room as a safe place for homosexuals. Will they do the same for other groups of people? How about various religious groups.
What bothers me is that select groups recieve greater consideration in terms of tollerance and education while opperating under the understanding that we are all equal. The reality is, some are more equal than others.
Medusa, well said. I do hope though, you don’t expect a straight forward answer to any of your questions. To ask questions regarding our tax dollars and ‘special groups’ is to risk being labelled ‘racist’ or worse.
In Hagersville Secondary, aborigional students recieve a monthly check for attending class. It should be easy to identify them. Follow the check. I would think that having a seperate program specifically geared to a particular race would be insulting. Individuals in every race have difficulty learning, while others do exceptionally well in school. To paint an entire race with one proverbial paintbrush, saying they all need Enhanced Programs seems demeening.
While native culture may have been oral in the past, those years have come and gone. Perhaps it’s time to put that excuse away.
What’s interesting is that people love to have opinions about other people. Unless you are an Aboriginal person, perhaps making public blanket statements about what you perceive to be racially deeming, could be considered racially deeming in and of itself.
So, you are saying that only Aboriginals can make comments or have opinions on topics that relate to or effect Aboriginals? So, since I am Dutch, I have nothing to say? Have you ever noticed that we live in the same community, attend the same school etc. The school is paid for in part by the taxes of non aboriginals. The teachers, for the most part, are non aboriginals. Still, we are not allowed to have an opinion?
How is it that you can come to me, as a member of the community, and ask for help with educating yet I am to have no opinion or say as to how it is done? My opinion is not of other people, but of the same “people” and “Community” to wish I belong. What makes you any more special than the rest of society?
I’ll answer your question, but as I also stated I have agreed with you, but when have you agreed with me? Even though I know you agree with them.
Your question of ‘do you agree or disagree that food sovereignty is vitally important to any nation’ is highly specious, terribly paranoid and impossibly simplistic to give a one word answer but, I will give a simple proof as to why.
Reasons for the complexity behind this? 1) Canada already does feed itself, and can continue to. 2) Canada, on its own, can never grow the complexity of foods for the modern Canadian (Oranges, Banana, Tuna).
I do not agree that food sovereignty is “vitally” important to any nation. Why? because a nation may have something more valuable to offer to other nations. I would suggest UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan, The Netherlands and Switzerland as positive examples of this.
It makes very little economic sense to subsidize production unless a market is there. For example – We can grow Canteloup here…but not for the year round. Should we be building greenhouses to ensure year round growing at an immense cost to tax payers? Why? Simply so that we can say that we can?
Thanks for attempting to answer the questions for me…but you obviously forgot to change the name in the profile.
If you are going to try to be a dirt distruber…at least try to be smart about it, eh?