To whom it may concern,
I am awaiting your arrival with much anticipation and excitement! The question “what does every Canadian need to know today?” is thought provoking and has many possible answers. Of course students must learn the fundamentals such as reading, writing, math, sciences etc. but I firmly believe that social justice is something that every Canadian should be conscious of. We ought to emphasize the fact that our students are going to be leading the next generation and so what we teach them about human rights, conservation, and preservation of resources is of utmost importance. Every Canadian ought to know that they leave a footprint. Social Justice is something that many teachers shy away from because it has the potential to cause much controversy but I have found that if students are shown more than one perspective they come up with their own conclusions and think critically about what they are being taught. Social justice is becoming more and more popular and is being integrated more and more into the curriculum and I believe that there will be a shift; we will be raising more thoughtful students who are aware of their impact and who able to make decisions based on the facts presented to them. We worry that children are too young to fully absorb the problems of the world and this is true to an extent. We do not want to scare students or cause anxiety but it is important for current and future Canadians to be aware of their actions and the consequences. Having talked to students I see that they are passionate about doing ‘ the right thing’ and they are passionate about the wellbeing of their local and global communities. When something is important to the students or framed in a way so that the context becomes relevant to them they immediately become engaged in their learning. I believe that each Canadian should be given the opportunity to see their importance and I believe that each Canadian should know that, through their actions and through their learning, they have the ability to create change.
Sincerely,
Kate Schwartz