Aboriginal Workshops

As you all know, last wednesday was our social issues day on education related to aboriginals and we all took part in various workshops. However, I feel that I spent the day re-learning things that I already previously new.

The morning was fun once we got to sing about sponge Bob and dance around the room, but the rest of the presentation did not help me as a future educator. I know that our history taught in the classroom may differ from what aboriginal children may believe in terms of their own history; however, what can I do to improve, don't just tell me that it is different and we have to be aware of this. I know that every culture holds their own beliefs and views on the history of their people, but if we as educators are not given any suggestions at all on how we can help the situation, other than the fact that it is up to us to help the situation, then change can not really be expected, because we are bound by the Board Documents to cover specific expectations for each subject strand. I am aware that this may lead to boredom or confrontation in the classroom if there are students present with varying beliefs, but the seminar never gave any suggestions on how to improve the situation, other than being aware of it and looking for old legends in used book stores. And again, what books are valid and which are not?

With the seminars, I first attended the Religious issues in the classroom, and the focus simply looked at the different religions in the world and approximately how many people fall into each section. Okay, what does this have to do with what I encounter in the class? So some individuals may need to leave the room to pray, or some holidays prevent others from coming to class or writing a test. I cannot be expected to be fully aware of every holiday from every religion. I believe that if a family is strong in a particular faith, it is up to them to ensure that the teacher is aware of it. Yes, you must be sensitive to every students beliefs, but some responsibility falls on the family to ensure that the teacher is aware of their beliefs.

Also, attending a Catholic retreat last night, I was made aware that if I am teaching in a Catholic school, then the students there are expected to follow the traditions of the school and that if we start allowing students to outwardly express their exemption from the Catholic faith,then we might as well lock the doors to the school. Again, we must respect the faith of others, but in a school such as this, you come in with an expectations to participate in the community, if you are not willing to fully participate in the life of the school community,then you must re-assess where you faith allows you to feel more comfortable.

The second seminar was of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. This started off giving us valuable information on what it is and how it affects individuals who have it, but the guest who is a victim of FAS only gave a personal account of the issue and was unable to give suggestions as to how teachers can improve the learning experience in the class. I felt for her and I deeply respect the need to be aware of the situation and get to know the students, but I was hoping to come away with teaching strategies about how to specifically help these students, but like before, it focused on the fact that we must be aware of it and keep a certain sensitivity towards it.

I felt like the day was interesting, but at the end of it all, I cannot give a proper summary of learning events. I did not learn anything new. I heard a few personal accounts relating to the situation, as well as reaffirming my prior knowledge of certain issues.

For future sessions, I would suggest a better focus on tying the experience in with how we may instruct our students, or how we can structure the class or school community to foster respect and help with the integration of all students into our school system. Feel free to comment, I have talked with many who agree and I would like to hear from everyone.