Hey folks and welcome to my blog!
My name is Suzanne and I’m a 4th year literature student at UBC. Today, I live, work and study on the traditional and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. I’m originally from Winnipeg which lies on the traditional territories of the Métis, Anishinabewaki, and Očeti Šakówiŋ (Sioux) peoples, and I’m of mixed settler ancestry. I’m writing this blog for my ENGL 470 class at UBC, which focuses on Canadian literary genres and includes the work of some important Indigenous authors such as Thomas King. For a number of reasons, I believe the content of this course will build on many of the most important themes of my personal education thus far. To explain why, here’s some info about me:
Once I graduate I plan to enter a teaching program and one day teach literature in a high school setting. I’m passionate about both reading and teaching books because of the works which changed my outlook growing up, not only allowing me to find happiness in my own life, but also opening my eyes to perspectives and experiences that were new to me. While I loved many of the books I was taught in high school, I feel that curriculums overwhelmingly over-represented the narratives of white/straight/cisgender/able-bodied settlers and Europeans, failing to even closely match the diversity of my classrooms. It’s my belief that Canadian classrooms should be inclusive to all students, supporting different learning styles, and teaching curriculums which create both mirrors and windows for students to see their own identities reflected in books, as well as learn new perspectives. Further, I believe teachers in Canada have a responsibility to actively work against the harmful and overproduced narratives which erase and distort Canada’s past and present colonial realities. Though many movements of educational reform exist today, I believe our school systems still have a long way to go, and I hope to be a part of that change.
My goals for this class are: to continue the ongoing work of overhauling and decolonizing my own ideologies; to rethink narratives which have been overproduced in canonical Canadian literature; to reread and rethink works I’ve encountered in the past; and to learn from some amazing works I’m yet to read!
This image of BC is from Native-Land.ca, a website I like because it allows you to see the complex and overlapping territories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples in North America. This website also provides advice on making meaningful land acknowledgements, and asks users to think critically about tools like this.
Work Cited
Burns, Amy. “A Cross Canada Inventory: Evidence of 21st Century Educational Reform in Canada.” Interchange 48.3 (2017): 283-92. ProQuest. Web. 10 Jan. 2019.
Marotta, Stefanie. “Decolonizing Classrooms.” Emerging Indigenous Voices, Ryerson School of Journalism, 2019, emergingindigenousvoices.ca/project/decolonizing-classrooms/.
Native Land, Mapster.
Hi Suzanne. Thank you for your introduction. I find your desire to challenge and change your own ideologies inspiring. I share your sentiments.
I often wonder how much ideological change is possible. Some beliefs, on a superficial level, can be changed, sure, but what about the deeper values from which beliefs supervene. Do you think any of your core values will be challenged in this course, or will the normative content of this course merely confirm what you already believe, on a deep level, to be true?
I look forward to hearing more from you as the course unfolds!
Ryan Littlechilds
Hey Ryan thanks for your thoughtful comment 🙂
While I think that ideological change is definitely possible, you’re right to question how easily these changes come, and how deep they can reach. My biggest sign that this kind of shift is attainable comes from reflection on my own past, and the feeling of realizing how many things I’ve been wrong about or misunderstood at one time or another.
As for whether or not I think my core values might be challenged by this course, I think that’s a pretty complicated question!! It might depend on how drastically those core values have to change. For example a core value like kindness or listening to others wouldn’t likely change as a whole, but I am open to learning new ways to listen or show others kindness. Hope that makes some sense!!
Hi Suzanne!
I absolutely loved reading your blog. I couldn’t have put it this better in my own words: “I feel that curriculums overwhelmingly over-represented the narratives of white/straight/cisgender/able-bodied settlers and Europeans, failing to even closely match the diversity of my classrooms.” I totally agree with that statement but I would also like to rewrite it, replacing “white/straight/cisgender/able-bodied settlers and Europeans” with Indigenous People as it works both ways.
When I first came to Canada, I was 11 years old and just entered grade 6. At my school, we had an hour or two, dedicated to every student of Indigenous descent every week. During those times, they would go to a separate classroom and come back later, holding either sticks or rocks with colorful paintings on them. When I asked them what those represented, they always just shrugged and seemed reluctant to answer. Perhaps it was because their culture was too marginalized during their lives since childhood that it seemed unfamiliar OR because our school focused on the “overwhelmingly over-represented” ideologies of the Indigenous Peoples that it became completely different from what it actually was.
I know that some schools are implementing Indigenous studies in their curriculums but do you think that those courses could truly open our eyes to our own country? It is so easy to judge and learn more about another country but because I currently live in Canada, I find it extremely difficult submerging myself into the topics because of what I see and experience every day. When I do get the chance to learn about Indigenous People, I quickly forget about it and move back to my life as a “Canadian”. As a future teacher, how do you think we can truly become inclusive to all students? Could we ever be able to not only understand, but to assimilate ourselves with what we consider the “true” Canadian culture?
Hey Min Hye, thanks for your comment!
I was actually a bit taken aback to learn that you found Indigenous cultures to be over-represented in your schools here. This goes to show how different curriculums can be province to province and year to year. In my elementary schools and high school there was virtually no content on Indigenous nations or their cultures. There was no Indigenous literature in my English classes and my history and social studies classes would gloss over Indigenous history in a few minutes of their first lectures, then move quickly on to settler history. Looking back this bothers me so much, knowing how many of my classmates were First Nations and Métis.
To give you a bit more context though, I’m 27, so these classes would have been around decade ago or more, and I’m from Winnipeg, a city which I love and which holds many wonderful communities, but which is also sadly a place where racism and discrimination have often been destructively prominent. Since I left my high school, teachers were even caught spreading anti-Indigenous rhetoric online, for which they were fired, thank goodness, but you get the picture.
So you can see why I was surprised reading your post! I actually think it’s really positive that your school allotted time for your classmates to learn about their nations, but I’m also concerned to hear it wasn’t received well. Do you think your classmates were disappointed with your school’s attempts? I think the intersection between both of our experiences brings up some interesting questions: While Indigenous nations and their cultures obviously deserve representation in our classrooms, how can it be done in a way that isn’t disrespectful or stripped of meaning?
To answer your question about “truly inclusive” classrooms, I don’t think that there’s any such thing as a perfect classroom or teacher. Since every group of students is different, teachers need to do their best to meet the needs and interests of all their students, but of course, this will never be flawless. Instead, I think of it as an ongoing process of learning for teachers.
As for your second question, I don’t believe in any single “true Canadian culture”, and would be against any project that would try to assimilate the many cultures living here into it.
Best,
Suzanne