Week 5

Funny enough this week my co-intern and I both planned our lessons around Seasons, and this was interesting because we were using two different subject outcomes. This was interesting for how we taught the class, but it went well!

Something I got to experience today that was slightly different from my other classroom experiences, was that my co-op had myself and my co-intern lead the circle time at the begin of the school day. This is something we have witnessed before, but there was a slight pressure to start the student’s day off on a fun and positive note. Starting off I was a little bit shaky and wasn’t quite sure where I was going to go with  the circle time… Once I got past the calendar and had the student’s pick the song y anted to sing, all of the kids started singing along, and gave me their full attention. This was such an important moment for me, it was a positive affirmation that I needed, and this made circle time, and m entire lesson go a lot smoother!

My lesson included reading a book and having the students complete a drawing sheet t show understanding. Because I didn’t have an opportunity to teach my lesson a second time, I am not sure how the the changes would have positively or negatively affected the lesson. One addition I should have made was to give the students a body break, and then begin my lesson, however while reading my story I didn’t see students getting to the point of being distracting, but next time that break would till be helpful. When it came to having my students draw of their sheets I made a split second change and decided to seat everyone at the large table and work on my example sheet alongside the students so they knew exactly what to do (to a point anyway). By doing this I could make sure most of the students understood the point of the exercise. I had them offer ideas of what you do and see in each season, by having these ideas offered I could gauge where the students were, and was able to identify some students who were struggling to understand the lesson. Had I had more time or another lesson I could teach another lesson, and hopefully get each student to a point where they can contribute to the lesson, and be confident in the topic.

Blog 9

1. At the beginning of the reading, Leroy Little Bear (2000) states that colonialism “tries to maintain a singular social order by means of force and law, suppressing the diversity of human worldviews. … Typically, this proposition creates oppression and discrimination” (p. 77). Think back on your experiences of the teaching and learning of mathematics — were there aspects of it that were oppressive and/or discriminating for you or other students?

• One way there was some discrimination in math class was dependant on the final answer you got. When I was in middle school, I liked math, but he way my teacher taught me how to do it was confusing, and so my dad taught me a different way to reach the correct answer. The next day my teacher told me the way I reached my answer was incorrect, ad I had to use the method she taught me. This was discouraging because I had the correct answer but the teacher didn’t accept it.
• Another way there was some discrimination was when the teachers would have students answer questions in class. My teachers would always ask the students  they knew weren’t struggling with the concepts, and would have the answers. And would leave the students who didn’t know to struggle to understand where they went wrong.

2. After reading Poirier’s article: Teaching mathematics and the Inuit Community, identify at least three ways in which Inuit mathematics challenge Eurocentric ideas about the purposes mathematics and the way we learn it.

• Math isn’t something that is thought to be very useful in helping them solve every day issues. In thinking about this I wonder if it is because there are many Indigenous teachings, and for hunting and fishing they rely on those teachings and not math.
• Their math is done in base twenty, unlike our math teachings which are in base ten.
• They have different methods for counting, this is because their language is oral and not written. As a result there are different ways to describe the context of the numbers.

Blog 8

1. What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples?

• Teaching Treaty Ed to students in general is important because although some schools may not have a large number of Indigenous students, there is not a lot of truth taught about Canada’s histories in their classes. When students begin to learn about Treaty Ed while in Kindergarten, and are gradually shown more information as they get older, it becomes easier for them to understand and think critically about the injustices done in the past.
• Learning different perspectives and if student are taught with Indigenous Ways of Knowing the students can figure out which ways they learn best. And by having these different ways of knowing, students could also create different relationships they wouldn’t have opportunities to have if they were only being taught using Western Ways of Knowing.
• As Claire said in lecture it is also important as a teacher to be teaching Treaty Ed. we also get a better understanding of Treaties and the more they learn the easier it will be for the students the learn, because the teachers will have a clearer understanding of what they’re teaching.

2. What does it mean for your understanding of curriculum that “We are all treaty people”?

• I believe that since “We are all treaty people” it is our responsibility to learn and understand the treaty histories  and realize how these broken promises have effects on both the settlers and the Indigenous peoples right now.
• Also understand the effects that the signing of treaties had on Indigenous peoples and the effects it had on their culture and cultural practices. That we as settlers need to take ownership of those wrongdoings, and then be able to have true reconciliation once we have a complete understanding.

Week : Citizenship

What examples of citizenship education do you remember from your K-12 schooling?

I remember talking about being helpful and volunteering in the community, and this would have been an example of the us being taught to be a “Personally responsible citizen” (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004, p. 3).

There were also classes that would have taught me to be a better “Participatory Citizen” (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004, p. 4), but because I didn’t realize their purpose until reading this article, I didn’t take those classes.

What types of citizenship (e.g. which of the three types mentioned in the article) were the focus?

“Personally Responsible Citizen” (Westheimer & Kahne, 2004, p. 3), was the main focus I was taught about in elementary school. When we needed to do fundraising like Unicef, they would always say that we need to be grateful for what we have, and we should want to help children who are less fortunate than we are. And w talked a lot about helping others or ways that we could help in the community, an example of this was my class would go to the old folks home and walk with them around town, and talk with them. This made their days, and my grandma’s friends would tell her about how it made their day. And earing that made our volunteer days a lot more rewarding.

Explore what this approach to the curriculum made (im)possible in regards to citizenship.

It wasn’t very formal so it was more like a hidden curriculum that was expected for us to learn, rather than something we needed to be taught. And in my personal experience it was something that was being introduced to at a young age. One way was me and my community coming together to help me raise donations towards the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation , and this happened from my second birthday until my tenth. This hidden curriculum was made somewhat impossible sometimes because not all children in the classroom had as much money, and were able to help out as much s others. This made them a bit apprehensive to help out, and that made it hard for my teachers to handle the situation because it becomes more awkward.

Credits for my video, Penny for Your Thoughts

They Told us to Act Like Girls…

I) Part One: Similarities

When preparing for this assignment I took my time reading all of my classmates stories about their gender, and I actually found myself relating to every single one that was written, whether by a male or female. The first story I found that I related to the most was written by Caitlyn. In her self story she talks about the process of having her hair and make-up  done for her, and the small amount of pain she recalls during all this. ” On the day of my grad I got dressed to the nines and on that day I felt like I looked like what a girl should look like.”  This quote signified the normative narrative for me when I read this. It made me think about how girls are taught that they must always have their hair and make-up done, and a beautiful dress on, in order to perform as a girl, and to prove to everyone that we are female. The second story that I found helped me express the normative narrative was written by Tori. Her memory brought to light the pain a girl will go through just to avoid bullying and reticule for not fitting exactly into the gender norm. “If you’re a girl, then why is your hair short?’ my new classmate asked sharply. She stared at me, impatiently waiting for an answer.”  This statement is very commonly made when referring to the normative narrative, hair length is commonly used to determine a gender, and assume whether one is male or female. The other memory Tori wrote about in her story that made it so relatable to mine was how she felt she had to change her own appearance in order to fit in the standards of society and to be “more” female.

The two stories I selected to use alongside my own are all written by females, and are all loosely written along the female norms that have been set as standard by society in association with the gender binary. Although each story has a different back story, they all centralize around the fact, you must be a girl, and act like a girl. In each of our stories, we all chose to express ourselves in different ways, and throughout each stories we all are told or self identify as being or needing to be more feminine. I believe the gender binary was created to keep the genders completely separate, and make it easier for society to identify which side a person belongs too. If someone has fluidity between the colours they wear or sometimes the emotions they chose to show, one can usually accurately identify the gender of the person they are observing. We tend to find difficulty assuming a gender when hair length, make-up, and piercings are involved, and this is  where society tends to take issue with people’s choices in expressing themselves. I feel that one way the gender binary is well expressed is in schools, females are expected to wear  nice appropriate clothing which covers the upper body, hiding any form of cleavage, and the skirts or shorts must be within a couple of inches of their knees. The standard for male students are not held as high, boys can wear tank tops that bear their arms and chest without any repercussion, and they are also able to wear shorts or pants without a belt, which allows the waists to hang around their hips and expose their underwear. The common rebuttal to the expressed disapproval of female students is that the school is attempting to prepare female students for the real world where she cannot bear her cleavage, or apparently her shoulders; but if this was the case the male students would be held to the same standards and would be required to wear well fit pants, and a belt, and sleeved t-shirts.

ii) Disruptions

While reading through Luis story it made me realize that his story was a wonderful example of a counter narrative. Throughout his self story he describes how he as a male was raised to not show his emotions when he passed age twelve. ” However, I will never forget that specific day when stereotypes were forgotten, and we were proudly crying because of the moments that we knew we had lived.” This contradicts the telling of genders normative narrative because in this moment no one cared if anyone saw them, because they all reacted in the same way. Another way Luis disrupted this narrative was because one of the men who had told him to be strong and not to show his emotions, was the one who first displayed his emotions, and made Luis realize it is okay to feel your feelings.

One way that Luis’  story differs from Caitlyn’s story is the fact that she seemed to have self-doubt in her ability to perform perfectly as a girl. But there was never any form of outside doubt that pressured her to perform her gender better than she had been. In both Tori’s and my self stories there were people placing pressure on each of us, in Tori’s story, it was friends, and bullies, and in my situation it was my family. As Luis described in his self story, mainly the male members of his family taught him how to perfectly portray his gender, were also the ones who showed him that it is okay to feel your emotions sometimes. This moment helped Luis understand that his gender doesn’t always have to perform in the way that society seems fit. Unfortunately as Tori and I learned if a female doesn’t perform to society’s standards at all times, they are subject to reticule for their choices.

On thing that the normative narrative, and our society has been pounding into girls head since they were old enough that on thing a girl must do is get married, their main goal in life is to find a husband. “The formula as we know it is so ingrained we don’t even have to think. Whatever the heroine’s dream, at some point she meets a man who helps her on her way, and the two fall in love just convincingly enough for the film to end on a shot of her in a giant meringue of a gown while bells ring and a carriage with “Just Married” on the back is driven away by a dozen white horses” (Colman, para 6). Disney has helped society a lot throughout the last one hundred years by making young girls believe that the main goal in life is to find a man, and get married, and when someone doesn’t follow those standards, they are outcast and thought to be abnormal. A common rebuttal to this is that there are many Disney Princess movies that do not result in a wedding or true love, but in reality with the animated shorts, books, and sequels the princess will almost always fall in love and get married. One other binary that Luis somewhat touched on in his self story is that men are supposed to be strong, and women are viewed as weak. Although the topic of strength didn’t come up in Caitlyn’s, Tori’s or my self stories, but when a males strength is being commented on, “Don’t be such a girl!” is used as an insult to both males and females, just in the assumption that women are weak, and need protecting.

“But invoking women’s safety while ignoring real violence faced by women and girls on college campuses, on the street and within their own homes is nothing more than a veil for hate. This so-called protection is a justification for transphobia — and as cisgender women, we’re done being your excuse” (Berg, para 4).

The fact is that even though females are typically cautious, and sometimes scared just because of society and rape culture we are taught to always be fearful, but most of us are able to take care of ourselves. Females aren’t as weak as they are made out to be, and if given the chance can do a lot of damage, in order to keep ourselves and others safe. The article published by the Huffington Post helped to break the common rebuttal that transphobic tend to use to keep transgenders out of the bathroom.  Berg did a good job in commenting on the situation because most women aren’t afraid while they are in the bathroom, and we also don’t know if someone doesn’t have the same parts because there are closed stalls, females have virtually nothing to fear while sharing the bathroom with a transgender woman.

The gender binary is something society has created in order to keep the two sexes separated, and to create guidelines that everyone is meant to conform to. If people just stopped caring what people thought about them, everyone could live happy lifestyles and live with a lot less pressure to perform their gender perfectly.

 

Citations:

Colman, D. (2014, February 1). The Problem with False Feminism. Retrieved March 27, 2017, from https://medium.com/disney-and-animation/the-problem-with-false-feminism-7c0bbc7252ef#.9g0u4s6s2

Berg, A. (2017, February 23). Stop Using Women and Girls to Justify Transphobia. Retrieved March 27, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stop-using-women-and-girls-to-justify-transphobia_us_58ae0c33e4b01406012f7e80

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self Story 4: Act like a Girl….

I’m about sixteen years old, sitting at the dinner table with my step-mom and my dad, eating our meal. I am eating at my typical pace, stopping to answer any questions that my parents or siblings have asked. I haven’t been living with my dad very long, and I’m still adjusting to their lifestyle and also recovering from the life I had with my mom… As I continue to eat, while wearing my sweatpants, and rocking my unbrushed hair, my dad decides to make a comment… “You know you’ll never be asked on a date if you continue eating like a pig!” I stop chewing my rice. Put my fork down, and look at my dad with the most heartbroken and disgusted look… I swallow and look down at my plate. “I’m not trying to hurt your feelings, but if you don’t start acting like a lady, you’ll never find a boyfriend.” I continue to look at my dad, tears rolling down my face… “Dad I’ve had a boyfriend remember, and he didn’t dump me for the way I ate… I dumped him because I knew I deserved better.” My dad and step-mom look at me with a look of shock on their face… Then my step-mom looks at me and gives her two cents. “You need to start acting like a lady… Wearing nice clothes and doing your hair and make-up! Maybe then you wouldn’t get your heart broken.” My siblings all get up in unison and leave the table, it’s like a silent bell rung signaling the end of dinner.I’ve lost my appetite, so I look at my plate, gather my utensils and leave the table. “We aren’t wrong, you need to act like a girl Leeza! You’re beautiful,  and if you continue to be like this, you’ll never be happy.” I continue to cry looking at my parents… Waiting for the next bomb to drop…

“I understand… I’m not perfect, I eat like a pig, and I don’t dress right… But you two need to remember that the last six months have been all but perfect, and I got fat! I dumped the first person who liked me… And I’ve finally started having a somewhat normal life, and have healthy food… So I eat! But guess what, these things that I do, and the ways that you perceive me to be, does not make me any less of a girl! I feel like a girl, I have female parts, I am a girl! You say that me apparently acting this way will stop guys from loving me and wanting to be with me then maybe I don’t want to be wanted, because if someone wants to love me then they will love everything about me, and if they can’t I don’t want to be with them.”

I turn away. I’m really sick of having this conversation, and can’t wait to leave the room and rant to my younger sister… I don’t understand why they can’t see that I’m not happy and that these conversations won’t make me any happier…  This isn’t the last time that we’ll have this conversation either, but if I’m happy, and know how I identify as a girl, that is all I need to be a girl.

Whitewashing racism.

It is a common assumption that white people are racist. The idea that “one bad apple can ruin the basket” is a very true statement. Racism has the ability to spread like wild fire. If one person makes a racist remark, that has the potential to start a debate, or a much larger racial issue. White people sometimes tend to believe they are better or more important than “coloured” people. This raises many issues because no one person is better than the next,  but after years of being entitled white people seem to be on a  power trip.

In reading the article I saw the statement that white people have a lower chance of developing cancer or asthma, I find that quite interesting. Whenever you see a sign or commercial about cancer, white people are represented at a much larger rate than other ethnicities. By that representation it would be safe to assume that white people are diagnosed with cancer at a much high rate than others.

In my experiences sometimes white people will make a racist remark without even realizing it. This can be said in a joke, story, or an overall comment. This can be done, and the person will never be aware of what happens, because we as white people do not want to call someone a racist, and cause an outbreak.

In personal experience, I like anyone else have been subjected to and have made racial comments… Unfortunately this is a reality because it is so easy to make these comments, to try and fit in. In a school setting rules state that racism will not be tolerated, but the fact is that these racist comments aren’t typically made in the presence of authority. These comments are made in “private” and somehow make it to the person the comment was about. The problem with how racism is dealt with in schools, is that they can’t necessarily prove the comments were said, and that makes in hard to punish the guilty party.

Until white people can get past the idea of race, and begin to understand the people whom they share the world with, racism will never disappear…

Self Story 3: Seeing Colour…

I am walking along beside the shopping cart, happily carrying whatever toy I had been fortunate enough to receivee on the wonderful trip. After making quite possibly our second trip around the store my mom informs myself and my brother that it is time to go, and we must go pay for our new toys at the tills. Finally we round-up my brother, and grandmother and make our way towards the checkout, moving quite quickly because my mom promised we could go swimming once we get back to the hotel! Once we get to the till I hand my new toy to the cashier, and again thank my grandma for getting me such a wonderful present! After waiting at the till for about ten seconds I got bored, and decided to travel ever so slightly ahead of my family, and try to explore a little. And then I saw something I had never seen before…

A little ways from my family towards the exit I saw a black (African-Canadian) family, there was a mom and a dad, and they had two small children. I was so curious I was seeing people I had never seen before and I found it amazing!  I stood there just watching them, they seemed so interesting! I was completely infatuated by the looks of these people, and I had to show these wonderful people to my family! I ran back to my mom. “Mommy, mommy you must see these brown people I’ve found!” At that moment my mom turned all different shades of red. “Leeza don’t say that!” I was so confused, I’ve never seen these types of people before in my life… What could be wrong with what I am saying? “But mommy they are so cool! I’ve never seen brown people like them before!”

As my family gathers up the things we bought my grandma takes my hand. “You guys don’t understand they are SO cool! I want to show you!” My grandma gives me an odd looks and tells me to stop talking the way I am… As we leave the store I once again see the family “Look there they are! There they are!” I got in a lot of trouble for pointing out these amazing people to my family, and I couldn’t understand why… Then I saw something that amazed me even more than the colour of their skin… Their hands are the exact same colour as mine! I found this so amazing, I mean the rest of their skin was so dark… But their hands!! I tried pointing this wonderful fact out to my mother, while she proceeded to drag me out of the store.

Self Story 2: Realizing Your History is a Lie.

Throughout my entire elementary and high school experience I was taught “Canada’s history”. Living in a predominantly white community, my outlook on Canada and it’s history was filtered. In sixth grade I was eventually eased into the historic lifestyle of the First Nations people ,and the relationships they were believed to have had with settlers… Fast forward five years, and three different high schools, and I’d continued to be taught this surfaced, and potentially positive history… It wasn’t until I moved to Fort Qu’Appelle, and learned a portion of a more realistic Canadian history that I realized that my understanding of our nation and it’s history was tainted and essentially a complete lie…

After experiencing an oral and visual history through a presentation using a tool titled “The Blanket Exercise” by Kairos, I knew there was potential to help open the eyes of my peers and also my fellow Canadians. I along with 3 peers, and 3 teachers presented this “performance” across south-eastern Saskatchewan over one dozen times, and every presentation opened my eyes to the realities that genocide, false history, and racism has had on our province, and also our country.

One realization I had was the effects of post generational trauma has on families, and also how this exercise helped gain a small amount of closure. In the final presentations we participated in, one of our leaders brought Elder Alma Poitras to bless, and participate in The Blanket Exercise. Once the exercise was finished we debriefed in a talking circle… During this time Elder Alma went into great detail how her life was and still is influenced by the effects of genocide, residential schools, and post-generational trauma. The part of Elder Alma’s that really spoke to me, and made me experience a portion of post generational trauma was when she explained to the group that in the past  year she had lost two young family members who used drugs and alcohol and eventually ended their lives… Throughout Elder Alma’s sharing she remained strong, but the feeling and emotions in the room changed…Personally I became very emotional and started to rethink my education and also my belief system.

Thanks to The Blanket Exercise and the many people who participated, I witnessed the effects of Canada’s history, and also the effects the of the Normative Narrative has had on Canadians. The realizations I had through these experiences made me realize that Canada’s history has been living a lie… This experience helped push me to pursue a career in teaching in hopes to tell the true narrative, and to help create nation-wide reconciliation.