Hello Ms. Flores,
I received your e-mail inquiring about the Canadian school system and my beliefs about teaching, and I would be pleased to let you know about what I view to be essential for every Canadian to know. I hope that this information will help you prepare for your upcoming visit!
In order to understand who we are as Canadians today, it is essential to have a working knowledge about the process by which Canada became an independent country from its colonizers. Our early settlers came from Great Britain and France, and it is for this reason that our country’s official languages are English and French. It would also be an asset to know about some principal people who played significant roles in our national history (people like John A. MacDonald, Louis Riel, Pierre Trudeau, etcetera). Our educational curriculums certainly reflect the importance of this part of Canadian history; all Canadian students leave the school system with a basic understanding of Canadian political and colonial history, our relationships with our colonizers as well as with our American neighbours.
It is also very important for every teacher and student in Canada to know about the social values that make our country so special and unique: respect for others, cultural/ethnic/religious diversity, freedom of speech, and peace. These values are not necessarily taught in an explicit way; they must be developed and practiced both at home and in school.
Along with the positive aspects of Canadian history and culture, it is also necessary to acknowledge that there have been some dark points in Canada’s past; most significantly, the head tax on Chinese immigrants, the poor conditions of Chinese railroad workers in British Columbia in the mid 19th-early 20th century, the internment of Japanese citizens between 1941 and 1949, the abusive treatment of Aboriginal people during colonial times, and the government-mandated residential schools of the 19th and 20th century. In the past, our educational curriculums did not always accurately or entirely reflect this piece of Canadian history, however recently the Minister for Education in British Columbia has made significant changes to the core curriculum to ensure that all Canadians acquire fundamental knowledge about the Aboriginal peoples in Canada with whom we share the land.
I believe that all Canadians need to learn about the vast natural resources that exist throughout our country. We are very fortunate to have access to the resources that we do (in particular, fresh water, wood and oil). The resources on our land consequently impact our relationships and interactions with other countries of the world, with which we develop important trade relationships. Our geography curriculum emphasizes the richness of resources on our land, however it would be beneficial to include further teaching about the exploitation of these resources and how we as Canadians can ensure that we treat the land in such a way that our many resources will still be available for the generations that follow us.
What I believe to be most important for every Canadian to understand, more so than the history or the geography of our nation, is that in Canada, we believe in treating every citizen respectfully, equally, and justly. A teacher in Canada must be welcoming to students of all different backgrounds. He or she will be open to many forms of difference between citizens, and can tap into the rich diversity that exists in most Canadian classrooms today to enhance the education of all students. In Canada, our schools are open and inviting places where teachers and students can collaborate, learn and grow. If our educational spaces continue to reflect our core values, concurrent generations will carry forward all that makes this country so special.
I hope that this information will be valuable to you as you prepare for your visit to Canada. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions. I am very much looking forward to your arrival next month!
Sincerely, Arielle Rykiss