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Our Schools/Our Selves
The Voice Of Progressive Education In Canada
Canadian Centre For Policy Alternatives
Winter/Spring 2021
Centring equity,
justice and
compassion in
our schools
3.
Editorial Winter/Spring 2021
Build back kinder Our Schools/Our Selves is
Erika Shaker published by the
Canadian Centre
5. for Policy Alternatives
Addressing trauma 1000-141 Laurier Ave W
in the post-COVID-19 classroom Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3
A TIP Our Schools/Our Selves is
Ryan Monte a member of the Canadian
Magazine Publishers
8. Association. It is indexed in
the Canadian Magazine Index
Racializing merit and the Alternative Press
The revocation of Regulation 274/12 Index.
and teacher hiring in Ontario
Executive editor
Zuhra Abawi
Erika Shaker
11. Editor emeritus
Grassroots organizing & Alberta’s school Satu Repo
pandemic response Associate editor
Medeana Moussa and Wing Li Larry Kuehn
Issue editor
16. Erika Shaker
Beyond baguettes and berets
Editorial office
Imagining an anti-racist and culturally
Canadian Centre
relevant French curriculum for Policy Alternatives
Natasha Faroogh 1000-141 Laurier Ave W
Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3
20.
Saying no to the status quo ISSN 0840-7339
Rebuilding Ontario’s public education system Design and layout
in the time of COVID-19 Tim Scarth
Kelly Iggers
Publications Mail
Registration No. 8010.
23.
Understanding food systems The Canadian Centre for
Policy Alternatives would
An essential part of food literacy education
like to thank the following
Gary Hoyer organizations for their support
of Our Schools/Our Selves:
25. Elementary Teachers’
Less of a material world Federation of Ontario,
Ontario’s brisk walk away from printed textbooks the Canadian Union of
Jeremy Tompkins Public Employees, the
British Columbia Teachers’
28. Federation, the National
Plan? What plan? Union of Public and General
Employees, the Manitoba
Re-opening Saskatchewan’s schools Teachers’ Society, the Ontario
Colleen Bell and Charles Smith English Catholic Teachers
Association, and the Ontario
31. Secondary School Teachers’
Manitoba’s post-pandemic learning plan Federation.
A timeline of “immediately,” a budget of “nothing”
Melissa Bowman Wilson The opinions expressed in
Our Schools/Our Selves are
33. those of the authors, and do
not necessarily reflect the
Unpacking NAFTA’s legacy views of the CCPA. Any errors
Mobilizing worker autonomy to resist or omissions lie with the
neoliberalism in education individual authors.
Larry Kuehn
Editorial
Build back kinder
Erika Shaker
O
ver the summer, and with in each school, and we’re still talking to each
September approaching, other.
calls grew louder for clearly I also find I’m hearing more from my eldest
articulated back-to-school child about what she’s learning, perhaps as a
plans that addressed infection result of the increased amount of time she’s
rates, proximity, classrooms around the house (or maybe it’s just easier
that needed to look radically to ask her parents than to ask Google). My
3
different to ensure safety of staff and students youngest seems to have adapted to a new
and their families, adequate support for the teacher, new program, and new principal (the
communities and students most impacted, previous one left just before school started
remote learning, infrastructure needs, public to become principal of a new online school).
health guidelines and pedagogical considera- Remote learning has become more routine, but
tions. And the resources required to do all of it still feels challenging, and comes with its own
this well and safely. level of stress for students. And I can’t even
With very few exceptions, the response from imagine what it must be like for staff who may
provincial governments was underwhelming. be simultaneously overseeing students learning
And in this context of inadequate or uncertain in class and remotely.
funding, parental and staff concerns, public But what I have been most struck by is how
health communiques and questionably-focused thoroughly the constant pressure of living
provincial leadership, school boards struggled during a pandemic has changed everything,
to put together strategies only to have to rewrite and how we find ourselves preparing for this by
them days later (I’m trying to remember if there building in extra time for daily tasks, and taking
were four or five iterations of my board’s back more planned pauses throughout the day to
to school plans). process the impacts. My youngest gets up an
Both my kids chose to return to in-person hour earlier to build in extra time for possible
learning—my eldest on an every-other-day, disruptions to his routine—which can derail our
alternating week quadmester system, my mornings—so he can still get to school before
youngest back full time—and it seems to the bell. My eldest needs more time after school
be going…..fine? Of course, classes look to decompress. We have lots of conversations
wildly different, recess is certainly much more about the need to acknowledge the stress that
functional than fun, and significantly more time educators are under. Or their friends. Or their
is spent fighting with Google Classroom. But friends’ families.
so far no one has gotten sick, the kids walk to Or their own parents.
school so they can avoid crowded buses, we’ve These days, a layer of tension lurks just
only received one notice about a possible case below the surface as we push through the day,
still talking to each other, still completing our privilege—which should not be a privilege. We
tasks, still making sure homework gets done, can, to a significant extent, reduce or com-
still checking in with aging parents, still trying pensate for the ways in which this period has
to find time to do whatever it takes to keep impacted our kids from a social and pedagog-
physically active before going back to our ical perspective. None of this is a given for far
computer screen. too many families who struggle to support each
And all while communicating with coworkers other and their children’s at-school or online
who are going through their own version of learning in addition to navigating the deeply
similar things—except maybe with daycare and inequitable economy, changing labour market,
their own individual challenges thrown into the and the economic impacts of this disruption.
mix. These are the deep and systemic inequities
There are no more spontaneous brainstorm- the pandemic continues to reveal, and that
ing discussions. Every conversation is a video too many governments sweep aside with
meeting. We hop back and forth between comments about families “making choices.”
multiple channels of simultaneous communica- But, as a society, we haven’t yet come close
tion (the Zoom call, the chat, the Slack updates, to reckoning with the impact this new (sur)reality
and the text messages for the parallel meeting), has had on our collective mental health, and
while wondering why we feel so disconnected the long-term effects on friendships and familial
or where the day went. Work hours bleed into relationships; the generalized anxiety a quick
home time before we realize it. trip to the grocery store can elicit; the obvious
Then we hear that “some” employers are discomfort my youngest displays when he
suspicious that employees are practising “time sees people not physical distancing on a TV
theft.” And we wonder, furiously, as meetings go show; the knowledge that this may look very
well past 5:00 pm to accommodate colleagues different again after the holidays if (when?)
in different time zones, how it’s possible for infection rates spike; the constant need to try
anyone to come to this conclusion. and anticipate the unpredictable; the ease
And my family has it relatively easy. My with which exchanges—on social media or in
partner and I have steady employment and can general—ramp up into something much more
work from home. Our kids are (touch wood) volatile.
4
healthy and have avoided COVID-19, as have Layered on top of the systemic inequity
our parents. We can help with homework and that existed long before the pandemic, the
navigate student/teacher meetings and provide intensifying public mental health crisis needs to
extra support, or adjust when kids get sent be acknowledged, addressed, and prioritized.
home from school with a stress-related stom- Rather than focusing exclusively on “building
ach ache (ahem) that becomes a public health back better,” we need to talk, now, about the
mandated 48-hour sick leave. overwhelming need to build back kinder and
Unlike racialized or vulnerable communities, more compassionate. This is an integral part of
or workers who are deemed essential except a healthy recovery for families, workplaces and
when it comes to their right to good health communities. And there is no time to waste.
and safety, we can shelter down. We have that
Addressing
trauma in the
post-COVID-19
classroom
A TIP
Ryan Monte
5
W
hat is prompted certainly not of those seven generations from
when you hear the now. The truth is that humanity will move past
phrase “think of the this pandemic in time, but how we progress
children”? Perhaps it is much less prescribed and is absolutely
evokes the thought of negotiable.
a child you know, or At the core of this issue is how we are
even the community addressing the magnitude of trauma. By now
of all the world’s children. it should be apparent that a pandemic is
Guided by the Seventh Generation Principle, equivalent to a natural disaster, war, or famine.
Haudenosaunee Chiefs make decisions having In such times two things are true. First: it is
considered the sustainability seven generations insensitive and sometimes impossible to expect
onward. While this principle is associated with people to fulfil their ordinary roles in the same
care for the land of water, it also applies to manner. Second: children have an immense
relationships, and has guided Haudenosaunee ability to appear to cope, often without the tools
Peoples as stewards of Turtle Island. to express or process their concerns.
It seems intuitive that of course we should The protracted nature of COVID-19 has led
be thinking of our children, and that surely we to a dulled sense of urgency. It has reinforced
do it all the time, but especially in education. the notion that we should to try to return to
Yet, if we step back and look at (and from) this “normal”....when there is nothing normal about
moment of crisis, it would seem we are hardly now at all. We are insisting children apply them-
considering them at all. From my perspective as selves to a familiar daily structure—including
a young educator, it is hard to say we are being schooling—while inadequately acknowledging
sufficiently thoughtful of our children today, and or addressing the trauma they still live with.
6
To be clear, I firmly believe that children, To consider this pandemic through the lens
when able, should be in schools. However, I am of a trauma informed practice means taking
concerned that there is a significant disconnect stock of all that has changed in the lives of
between what we expect of schools and the students. Think about the fear of the known and
greater purpose of education—especially now, unknown, the worry students have for their own
in this moment. health and wellness and that of those they love,
To appreciate just how significant this and the volumes of new information children
pandemic is for children, and how schooling now must process; the disruption to routine and
must adapt to address their physical, mental, the utter absence of variance in predictability.
and spiritual wellness will require taking a step Think about the loved ones they might have
in a new direction. How we go about integrating lost, perhaps without even the opportunity
wellness in our classrooms also presents an to say goodbye. Think about the emotional
avenue to reform education; one that reflects a labour as relationships are strained under
leading dimension of pedagogy. economic and social challenges; the milestones
missed, like birthdays and graduations that are
Trauma informed practice fundamental to childhood development. Think
Trauma informed practice (TIP) is an umbrella about a toddler who’s had to relearn to maintain
term for a series of goals rooted in equity, their distance, kids who can no longer hug their
safety, and therapy. A TIP seeks to gain a full friends, and all of us becoming used to new
understanding of an individual, by recognising rules about how to interact in social spaces.
their journey and all that is relevant to feeling Not every child will recognize these new
understood. It seeks to reduce harm (or reharm) realities as trauma, or experience these feelings
to an individual on all occasions. And it seeks to equally, but a TIP means creating the space to
give an individual tools to process, cope with, listen. So, the principle pillar is to open lines of
and overcome their trauma. communication. Doing so means students and
teachers learn how to share their feelings in the others may wish to incorporate elements of art
classroom. therapy; anything to give students a platform to
A good first step is to establish a framework reflect on their feelings and express themselves
for sharing so that everyone feels protected in a non-verbal way. Physical catharsis is an
and welcomed, choosing at times to share in excellent way to express energy, frustration,
a large group and other times in small groups and desire for control. Spending an hour
or with partners. Techniques to facilitate this making TikToks can be a productive use of time
can include only speaking with “I” statements, if your students are lacking momentum. Make
validating the experience of others, and only more occasions for your students to sweat out
speaking one at a time. Having set up a frame- feelings they are not aware they are embodying.
work for talking, teachers should feel supported In a controlled setting, let them holler at the top
to spend as much time as necessary in this of their lungs. And remember nap time? Well, it
space; if students require an entire day of this is right in line with a TIP.
kind of instruction and communication without TIP also recognises the trauma that
getting to curriculum, it is probably with good educators and education workers are
reason. experiencing. Day to day, students and staff
The next pillar of a TIP means using the infor- transact social-emotional behaviour. Together,
mation learned to protect and dignify students. we replicate society at large and form strong
You may become aware in a sharing circle that community bonds. By addressing the concerns
your student has lost a family member from of both staff and students, a TIP broadens the
the virus. What you may eventually learn is that focus of schooling to include learning (including
this family member was their main source of from each other) and healing. We know that the
support and the one that drove them to school. strength of and support for our communities
Knowing this, you can now be particularly is a key factor in overcoming the difficulty of
sensitive if your student arrives late. You will this pandemic. It would be incredible if our
understand the numerous dimensions at play. classrooms became the template a society
Perhaps you will go out of your way to simply more considerate of each others’ needs, more
let them know you are glad they came. This compassionate for what we cannot see, and
pandemic continues to create many emotional more deliberate in sharing our emotions.
7
pitfalls in our lives, but a TIP means you will If we could offer something to our children
be building bridges and avoiding—or at least seven generations onward, what might it be?
minimizing—perils. To answer that means revisiting the purpose
The third pillar of a TIP is the implementation of education: for the support, betterment and
of methods that promote physical, mental, and empowerment of youth. Now is the occasion
spiritual wellness, all of which can fall under for the Ministries of Education, school boards,
the concept of mindfulness; an attention for and administrators to strengthen the connection
one’s self, in open presence. They are the ways with parents and guardians, and extend to
educators and caregivers help students allevi- educators and education workers a freedom
ate, express, understand, grow, focus, release, to emphasise wellness—for students, for staff,
and accept. Pretty well anything and for families.
TIP also recog- that contributes to wellness and Ryan Monte is a pre-service teacher in Nova Scotia specialising in
nises the trauma healing can fall within this section social studies and French education. He holds a BA in Geography
from the University of Ottawa, and formerly worked in municipal
that educators of the practice, which means that transit planning. Sometimes he plays squash. He is on Instagram at
and education each student may have their own @teacher.rfm.
workers are preferences. Ask your students to
experiencing. share their ideas, and honour them
Day to day, as much as possible, recognizing
students and that some activities may have to
staff transact be adapted to observe the physical
social-emotional distancing now required. A student
behaviour. may take walks with their family,
Together, we so you may go walking as a class.
replicate society Another student may cook food, so
at large and you could prepare a meal together
form strong in the classroom.
community In my experience I have found
bonds. that children love meditation, butRacializing
merit
The revocation of Regulation
274/12 and teacher hiring
in Ontario
Zuhra Abawi
W
8
hile some have wel- The purpose of the lists was to assign
comed the scrapping seniority numbers to candidates to comply with
of Regulation 274/12, hiring mandates. Therefore, when hiring for
announced by permanent teaching positions, candidates from
Minister of Education the LTO list with the top five seniority numbers
Stephen Lecce on and the required qualifications would receive an
October 15th, there interview.
is limited discussion about what new hiring The common assumption is that the person
mandates will entail, and minimal information with the highest seniority will automatically
available as to how the revocation will increase receive the job offer, but candidates must meet
representation for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, all requirements and also have the experience
People of Colour) teachers who are grossly or seniority to be considered qualified for an
underrepresented in permanent teaching interview. Should none of the top five senior
positions. candidates be selected, school administrators
are able to continue down the seniority list until
Regulation 274/12 a candidate is hired.
Regulation 274/12 was enacted in 2012 under Although the Regulation is far from perfect, it
the Ontario Education Act, specifically to ensure provided many teachers with a framework for
transparent, fair and consistent hiring practices accessing permanent employment and offered
for both permanent and long-term teaching many the opportunity to access an interview and
positions (ETFO, 2012). It required that all pub- showcase their skills, experience and qualifica-
licly-funded school boards create and maintain tions. The removal of Regulation 274/12 without
two lists, one for Occasional Teachers (OTs) and critical anti-racist transformative policy, practice
one for Long Term Occasional Teachers (LTOs). and oversight will likely exacerbate the under-
Occasional Teachers were able to apply to the representation of permanent racialized teachers
LTO list once they had completed a year on in the province as administrators are allocated
their respective board’s OT roster. sweeping autonomy to make hiring decisions.Teacher hiring and underrepresentation Whose merit?
Based on census data and extant studies, The educational diversity gap peaks at the
although Ontario is often touted for its diversity, administrative level: only 2% of principals and
permanent teaching and administrative staff 5% of vice principals identify as racialized
remain overwhelmingly White (Abawi & Eiza- (Turner, 2015). It has been widely noted that
dirad, 2020; Abawi, 2018; Turner, 2015; Ryan individuals charged with hiring often hire those
et al., 2009). This speaks to larger social and that resemble their own social locations (Rivera,
economic trends in Ontario, such as the over- 2012).
representation of BIPOC people in precarious The revocation of Regulation 274/12 will only
non-permanent employment relationships and provide more agency to majority White school
poverty (Block & Galabuzi, 2011; Lewchuk, et administrators to make hiring decisions whilst
al, 2013; United Way, 2019). omitting any checks and balances. This in
Despite an onslaught of equity, inclusive and turn will make the hiring process and pathway
diversity educational policies, hiring initiatives to permanent teaching employment more
have centred on bias-free, objective hiring ambiguous and challenging to navigate, as
policies as best practice for increasing teacher school administrators are given more autonomy
diversity. This has perpetuated the status quo to determine their own notions of merit and ‘the
of Whiteness in the teaching profession as the best fit’ for their schools.
power relations, which inform and encompass
hiring practices, have remained unacknowl-
edged. Racialized teachers who do not receive
their training in Canada, also known as Inter-
nationally Educated Teachers (IETs) face further
barriers in credential recognition (Pollock, 2010).
Access to teacher education programs
continues to be racially stratified: while teacher
Paving the
education programs provide the option for
applicants to ‘self-identify’, the admissions
way forward
demographic data is not released, making it
9
Although Regulation 274/12 is in need of
difficult to gage if faculties of education are significant revisions to ensure transparency
complying with their stated diversity objectives and authentic equity, its removal will remove
(Abawi & Eizadirad; Abawi, 2018; Childs et al., any democratic practice of hiring and allow
2010). educational administrators the authority to
For my own research into the “teacher choose subjective criteria concerning the
diversity gap” (Turner 2015), I interviewed 10 best-qualified candidate and merit.
teachers of various backgrounds and teaching
assignments, employed in publicly-funded To recruit more BIPOC teachers in Ontario, I
schools in Ontario to understand the experienc- suggest:
es of teachers of different racial backgrounds • The implementation of mandatory data
in accessing permanent teaching employment. collection for publicly-funded boards, in
The findings suggest that BIPOC teachers have order to determine if boards are adhering to
markedly different experiences in navigating their commitments of diversifying the teacher
teacher recruitment and hiring processes. For workforce;
example, several BIPOC teachers were asked
• Embedding an anti-racism approach to the
to produce identification before entering the
Principal’s Qualification Program;
building, had their credentials questioned, and
were asked about their ability to communicate • Re-framing equity, diversity and inclusion
in English. These were experiences that White from an anti-racist perspective rather than
participants had not encountered. These micro- from a Eurocentric, multicultural approach
aggressions speak to oppressive practices that and one which is in consultation with grass-
serve to marginalize BIPOC students, families, roots organizations (families, students and
teachers and communities. community activists);
While most participants agreed that Regula- • Mandating that Ontario school administra-
tion 274/12 contained flaws and loopholes for tors undertake critical self-reflective practice
favouritism and nepotism to continue, many work to unpack how their positionality
believed it provided some consistency and (White privilege and identity) impact hiring
accountability for securing permanent work. decisions.Several BIPOC Further, neoliberal constructs of References
teachers equity, diversity and inclusion pay Abawi, Z., & Eizadirad, A. Bias-Free or Biased Hiring? Racialized Teachers’
Perspectives on Educational Hiring Practices in Ontario. Canadian Journal of
were asked to lip service to diversity hiring initia- Educational Administration and Policy, 193, 18–31.
produce identi- tives, while failing to acknowledge
Abawi, Z. Troubling the Teacher Diversity Gap: the Perpetuation of Whiteness
through Practices of Bias-Free Hiring in Ontario School Boards. Unpublished
fication before and name endemic racism and
Doctoral Thesis, University of Toronto.
Block, S., & Galabuzi, G. (2011). Canada’s Colour Coded Labour Market:
entering the White privilege that prevent access the Gap for Racialized workers. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Retrieved from http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/
building, had and silence ongoing and historical Colour_Coded_Labour_MarketFINAL.pdf
their credentials inequities of BIPOC communities.
Bonilla-Silva, E. (2006). Racism without Racists: Colorblind Racism and the
Persistence of Racial Inequality in America (4th Edition). Rowman and Littlefield
questioned, So long as diversity, equity and
Publishers.
Childs, R., Broad, K., Mackay-Gallagher, Y. S., Escayg, K.A., & McGrath,
and were inclusion policy initiatives operate C. (2010). Who can be a Teacher? How Ontario’s Initial Teacher Education
Programs Consider Race in Admissions. In Childs (Ed.), The Teachers Ontario
asked about through the guise of neutral, objec- Needs: Pursuing Equity in Teacher Education Program Admissions. Working
Paper. Retrieved from https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/ite/UserFiles/File/TheTeach-
their ability to tive and merit-based hiring, BIPOC ersOntarioNeeds.pdf
communicate in teachers will continue to be under-
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario. (2012). Regulation 274/12.
Retrieved from www.etfo.ca
English. These represented in permanent teaching Lewchuk, W., Lafleche, M., Dyson, D., Meisner, A., Procyck, S., Rosen, D…&
Vrankulj, S. (2013). It’s more than poverty: employment precarity and household
were experienc- and leadership roles. Therefore, well- being. Poverty and Employment Precarity in Southern Ontario. Retrieved
from https://pepso.ca/
es that White the relationship between overly Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2007). Human Rights settlement reached
participants White administrators in relation to
with Ministry of Education on Safe Schools Terms of settlement. Retrieved from
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/human-rights- settlement-reached-ministry-educa-
had not encoun- applicants must be unpacked to
tion-safe-schools-terms-settlement
Pollock, K. (2010). Marginalization and the Occasional Teacher Workforce in
tered. engage in self-reflective practice Ontario: The Case of Internationally Educated Teachers (IETs). Canadian Journal
of Educational Administration and Policy, 100, 1–21.
on the ongoing barriers and biases Rivera, L. A. (2012). Hiring as Cultural Matching: the Case of Elite Professional
Services Firms. American Sociological Review, 77(6), 999–1022.
encountered by BIPOC educators seeking Roberts, M. (2016). Ford government revokes seniority rule for Ontario teacher
permanent teaching employment. Without this hiring. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/
news/canada/toronto/ontario-teacher-hiring-seniority-regulation-274-1.5763203
essential dialogue, the teacher diversity gap Turner, T. (2015). Voices of Ontario Black Educators: An Experiential Report,
Ontario Alliance of Black School Educators. (ONABSE). Turner Consulting
will be reinforced through the guise of “best fit” Group. Retrieved from http://onabse.org/ONABSE_VOICES_OF_BLACK_EDU-
CATORS_Final_Repot.pdf
neoliberal meritocracy, while simultaneously United Way. (2019). Rebalancing the Opportunity Equation. Retrieved from
omitting any candid discussion on race and https://www.unitedwaygt.org/file/2019_OE_fullreport_FINAL.pdf
power relations (Bonilla-Silva, 2006). While
Regulation 274/12 at least provided BIPOC
teachers with the chance to have an interview,
10
gain interview experience and network with
educational administrators, its revocation will
likely leave many languishing in precarious and
unstable labour.
Zuhra Abawi is an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at
Niagara University Ontario. Her research focuses on the ways
that discourses of race and identity are negotiated, mediated
and socialized in education. Dr. Abawi can be contacted at
zabawi@niagara.eduGrassroots
organizing &
Alberta’s school
pandemic response
Medeana Moussa and Wing Li
11
Setting the stage was incomplete. And on July 21, Education
Alberta’s pandemic response fell in line (more or Minister LaGrange officially announced that
less) with other provinces’ lockdown measures Alberta would return to in-person classes under
to limit cases and spread, at least in the begin- Scenario 13, which effectively meant school
ning; school closures were ordered March 15, would return to near-normal conditions.
2020, 10 days after the first presumptive case The plan did not address already crowded
of COVID-19 was diagnosed in the province. schools, did not minimize disruptions to learn-
However, Alberta’s governing United Con- ing and failed to mitigate impact on families
servative Party had been implementing austerity as a result of COVID-19 in schools. Without
measures since assuming power in April 2019. adequate supplementary funding, safety meas-
Even prior to the pandemic, the government’s ures would be downloaded to school authorities
negotiations with doctors had already com- (who had already experienced provincial budget
pletely broken down: on February 21, 2020, the cuts, and many had drained their reserves).
Health Minister had unilaterally ended the Master
Agreement with the Alberta Medical Association, Coalition for a safer school relaunch
the representative body of physicians1. At the To address the government’s lack of meaningful
onset of pandemic-related distance learning, the consultation with health advisers, educators
government cut $128 million from education, and parents, three grassroots organizations—
laying off 20,000 education workers,2 and has Support Our Students Alberta, RAD Educators
continued to pull from healthcare and education and Alberta Docs4Patients—joined forces to
budgets during this global health crisis. advocate for a safer and more equitable return
Early in the pandemic, the Alberta to school with this central demand: “Now is the
government promised to consult “education time to invest in standards and protocols that
stakeholders”—teachers and parents—on will create lasting safety measures for students
back-to-school plans, but at best this process and education workers alike.”Support Our Students Rad Educators ABdocs4patients
Alberta Network A grassroots, non
A non profit citizens action A collective of educators partisan physician-led
group advocating for (teachers, professors, organization working to
universally accessible and researchers, activists, protect and strengthen
equitable public education early-childhood educators, public healthcare for the
in Alberta. etc.) from across Alberta safety and wellbeing of
who are advocating for all Albertans through
equity and social justice collaboration with our
education. communities.
While this exemplifies the type of work 2. Encourage masks when child-appropriate
that can be done when true collaboration and adequate physical distancing is not possi-
is prioritized, accountability for safety is the ble, recognizing that masks are not a sufficient
responsibility of governments. Grassroots replacement for adequate distance. Research
organizations are an important part of has shown that masks are an essential
democracy, but they cannot replace or exceed mitigation strategy in areas such as doorways,
the necessary work that government should hallways and bathrooms where students are
spearhead, particularly when the safety of its moving and physical distancing is not main-
citizens is hanging in the balance. tained. The decision to require masking must
Because Canada’s Chief Medical of Health Of- be based on age as well as individual cognitive
ficer, Dr. Teresa Tam, noted that the delivery of abilities. Family physicians or pediatricians
a COVID-19 vaccine will not immediately put an should provide guidance when the decision is
end to the threat of this virus, the Coalition for a unclear.
12
Safer School Relaunch proposed 12 measures
that would augment the long term safety and 3. Address transportation for students to and
health of Alberta students, education workers from school, limiting occupancy to reflect
and communities at large. physical distancing mandate (2m), incorporate
assigned seating, and mandating masks
1. Implement a variable class size cap for as appropriate. Crowded busing has been
all grades (K-12), in a way that ensures all a challenge in previous years; this must be
physical spaces used for learning prioritize the addressed given the challenges that COVID-19
2m distance mandate. Because the ability to presents and possibly additional buses and
physically distance is essential, and plays a drivers may be required.
primary role in mitigating spread of COVID-19,
this recommendation is not an ar- 4. Provide each school the ability to access
Grassroots or- bitrary class size cap but is variable expedited testing and results turnaround
ganizations are depending upon the physical space for COVID-19. Dedicated access to testing
an important of classrooms and number of stu- will minimize delays, risk, and unnecessary
part of democ- dents that allows all students and disruptions in the continuity of education. It
racy, but they teachers to be 2 metres apart. This is imperative that testing and tracing capacity
cannot replace will require additional teachers to be be continually assessed and adjusted to meet
or exceed the hired, and for schools to designate the demands of educators and students to
necessary work cohorts with staggered entry, lunch, minimize disruption to both learning and work.
that govern- recreational and dismissal times.
ment should 5. Alberta Education, in conjunction with Alberta
spearhead, Health, must provide all the necessary personal
particularly protective equipment (PPE) for education
when the safety workers, including masks, shields, disinfectant,
of its citizens is and thermometers.
hanging in the
balance.6. Establish clear and transparent protocols for 10. Reduce community transmission locally
13
regular screening, positive cases, what defines prior to school reopening as well as on-going
a school outbreak, and how many positive intensive community COVID-19 mitigation. This
cases are required for a school closure. is essential to protecting schools.
7. Cancel all standardized tests at all grades 11. Commit to the health and safety of Alberta
in recognition of the added stress and trauma students and education workers during a
testing creates for both students and education pandemic as the first priority by providing
workers, and redirect all standardized testing provincial funding to support every public
funding to COVID-19 mitigation resources. school in meeting these criteria, recognizing the
Measuring standards in a non standard year support needed will vary by school.
where the inequity around in-class versus remote
learning, and likely frequent disruptions to learn- 12. Acknowledge that the start of school can
ing resulting from illnesses and isolation periods and should be delayed until the resources and
will only skew results and magnify inequities. parameters for a safer school relaunch itemized
above can be secured equitably across Alberta.
8. Establish a policy for substitute teachers that
minimizes risk of inter-school transmission,
ensuring there are a sufficient number of
substitute teachers available in anticipation of
disruptions due to both illness and isolation
needs.
9. In the event of a scenario change (hybrid or
complete remote learning), provide adequate
resources for families and education workers
unable to properly supervise children, with
special considerations for children of essential
care workers and students with complex needs.PHOTOS PROVIDED COURTESY OF SOS ALBERTA
In the months that followed the Scenario student—whether they were in a private school
14
1 announcement, the Coalition ramped up classroom of 12 students, or in a public school
advocacy efforts to engage citizens and classroom of 40 students. The government
increase awareness of the inadequate school did not distribute these federal funds based
opening approach along several key themes. on inequitable safety needs but rather as an
opportunity to make a political point: money
Inadequate funding of safety measures should follow the student to wherever their
Overall, Alberta invested a meager $10 million4 program of choice happens to be—even if it
for COVID-19 back-to-school equipment, ear- is a privately run school—effectively turning
marked to purchase hand sanitizer and masks the federal COVID-19 emergency fund into a
for teachers and students. The responsibility to voucher system. In Alberta, private schools are
make a safe reopening plan was thrust upon publicly funded at a higher per student rate
school divisions, without any additional funds than anywhere in the country at 70%, while
to support infrastructure adjustments such as public schools and charter schools (Alberta is
ventilation assessments and improvements; the only province to allow charter schools) are
increased cleaning staff and supplies; increase publicly funded at a full 100% per student. This
in number of teachers to plan for smaller class ideological decision to allow federal funding to
sizes and prioritize physical distancing. In fact, follow students even to schools that already
Alberta schools saw collapsed classes as a have small class sizes, and charge tuition fees
result of teacher shortages, which resulted from into the tens of thousands, illustrates how some
lack of funding for staff5. governments are leveraging this crisis to create
a market for privatization.
Privatization and erosion
of public education Tracking COVID-19 in schools
As a part of the national pandemic response, On September 1, Support Our Students
the federal government provided $2 billion launched their Alberta K-12 School COVID-19
for safer school reopenings. Alberta received tracker7 which aggregated media reports of
$262 million6 and decided that $250 million school-based cases. Since then, the tracker8
would be divided equally among each Albertan has garnered over 1 million views from over250,000 Albertans, which raised questions all walks contribute to the site, confident that
(even directed at the Chief Medical Officer) a grassroots organization can provide greater
about why the Alberta government was not transparency and more regular information than
communicating school cases to the public, and their own government.
why a grassroots organization was undertaking The Coalition and related community
this important role9. Finally on September 9, engagement and education materials including
the government launched a simpler version of the school tracker is a case in point for civic
a school map showing only “outbreaks” (two engagement and working towards the collective
or more cases in a 14 day period), and not good. It is in this context that the work of
alerts (single cases related to a school, which grassroots organizations such as SOS, RAD
still remains an important distinct feature of the and ABdocs4patients becomes ever more val-
SOS tracker). uable. The Coalition for Safer School ReLaunch
continues to advocate, engage citizens, and
The road ahead raise awareness about the rapidly escalating
Two months into the school year, over 500 COVID-19 crisis in schools.
Alberta schools have reported at least one case Medeana Moussa began her career in Toronto in marketing,
of possible infection, with over 200 school out- communications and government relations prior to returning to
Calgary to start a business that she grew for 10 years. She has
breaks declared. At the time of writing, upwards four children who all attend public school, and wants to engage
of 15,000 documented school-related quaran- with other concerned citizens on the urgent issues facing public
education.
tines have impacted students, educators, and
Wing Li grew up just outside of Edmonton and attended K-12
their families. With no additional funding for public schools in Stony Plain, Alberta. She attended the University
school safety, online learning support or hiring of Alberta, graduating with a BSc in Psychology & Biology, and
staff, Alberta schools are being forced to close also holds an MSc and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University
of Lethbridge. She has taught at the post-secondary level and
or move entire grades online10. has worked with science education and knowledge translation
SOS Alberta’s COVID-19 School Tracker has initiatives.
proven to be an effective method and focal
point of community engagement. The site Notes
1. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/
compiles all the data submitted by Albertans alberta-doctors-outraged-billing-changes-1.5471475
2. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/
regarding the status of schools in their
15
funding-reduction-alberta-k-12-covid-1.5513803
communities about individual cases, outbreak, 3. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/
alberta-schools-in-person-classes-this-fall-1.5657774
watch status and even school closures in a 4. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/alberta-government-still-quiet-
comprehensive and timely fashion. In fact, on-distribution-use-of-federal-back-to-school-fund
5. https://www.660citynews.com/2020/10/02/
many Albertans refer to the site’s multiple teachers-union-worries-about-shortage-of-substitute-teachers/
6. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/
daily information updates that Alberta Health school-districts-to-get-share-of-262-million-in-federal-funds-this-month
Services and Alberta Education seem unable 7. https://www.660citynews.com/2020/09/01/
sos-alberta-introduces-covid-19-tracker-for-back-to-school/
to provide. Its success is undoubtedly a result 8. www.supportourstudents.ca
of countless hours dedicated by volunteers, 9. https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/braid-government-and-ahs-
need-to-reveal-all-information-on-covid-19-in-schools
but it is also a shining example of what 10. https://globalnews.ca/news/7405975/
community members can create. Albertans of coronavirus-alberta-calgary-school-closure-provincial-staffing-crisis/Beyond
baguettes and
berets
Imagining an anti-racist
and culturally relevant
French curriculum
Natasha Faroogh
16
Introduction cultures in Ontario FSL classrooms does
The need to apply anti-racist and anti-oppressive not reflect the lives, backgrounds or realities
lenses to education is slowly becoming recog- relevant to many of our students. Today, the
nized and accepted by Ontario school boards, majority of the French speaking population
and some large school boards in southern worldwide is not white, and not from Europe or
Ontario have started buying culturally relevant the Americas. Further, the majority of French
texts to support their English language programs. speakers immigrating to Canada, and Ontario,
However, in spite of these gains, Core French are also not white. Yet, the majority of our FSL
as a Second Language (FSL) classes tend to programs do not reflect the diverse origins of
remain Eurocentric, only occasionally Canadian French speakers and communities in Ontario.
focused, and usually heavily invested in white Many Core FSL teachers might contend that
Francophone cultures.1 While most French all they are doing is teaching the language,
classrooms feature an Eiffel Tower or a French usually at the beginner to intermediate level,
or Quebec flag postered on the walls, far fewer and that history and culture should not be the
classrooms are likely to have a map of La focus. Yet, the reason we learn a language is
Francophonie highlighting the places where the to connect and learn more about other people,
majority of our new French speaking immigrants their histories, their cultures and their media.
come from. It’s even less likely that classrooms
would have a map of Canada highlighting the How white Eurocentric curriculum
many different communities, especially Indige- pushes students out of FSL programs
nous communities, where French is spoken. French-speaking Indigenous, Black and non-
Even a cursory look at the numbers indicates white racialized children who speak French
that centering white French or Québécois rarely, if ever, see their identities, their histories,and their stories featured in the FSL classroom.
Similarly, Black and non-white racialized
children from families who don’t speak French Daily French speakers
often don’t realize that the majority of French resided in the following
speakers globally look more like them than they
might initially assume. areas in 2018
And if students come to my grade 9 French
class unaware that the majority of daily French 44.4% of daily French
speakers around the world and immigrating speakers resided in Sub-
to Canada are from a variety of backgrounds,
they are less likely to be interested in continuing Saharan Africa
learning a language that they believe is narrow and the Indian Ocean
in scope and international relevance.
This is borne out by the research: in the
Toronto District School Board French as a 14.9% in North Africa
Second Language Program Review: Develop- and the Near East
mental Evaluation published in December 2018,
the research and development team found that: (South-West Asia)
“Only 30% of French Immersion students felt
represented in French-language resources, and 33.4% resided in Europe
even fewer Extended and Core French students
(25% and 20%, respectively) felt represented.” 7% in America
This disconnect between French as it’s
portrayed, and the broader and diverse context and the Caribbean
of who speaks it, where it’s spoken (and why)
and who is learning it, is underscored by the 0.3% in Asia and Oceania
choice of textbooks, fiction, non-fiction and Quéméner et al., 2019
media texts available to most schools.
Because the current 2014 Core French cur-
17
riculum for grades 9–12 focuses predominantly
on skills, teachers’ choice of texts to enhance
and illuminate those skills is absolutely crucial 2011 Statistics
to delivery of the curriculum. However, most
popular books and films in Core French courses
Canada Study
such as Le petit Nicholas, Le Petit Prince, Le
Fantôme de l’Opéra, Les choristes, L’Étranger, 74,500 French as a First Official
Tintin, and Astérix focus on white characters Language Speakers (FOLS)
with occasional racist stereoptying of non-white
people’s identities. immigrated outside of Quebec
Popular Core French textbooks such as Sans
Frontieres, Express 9e that are slowly being 55% of this group were
phased out are white-centric. Some newer visible minorities
textbooks such as Tu Parles, Quoi de neuf,
Connexions also remain white-centric although
they have incorporated tokenistic mentions of 34% of all (including White)
other cultures in some lessons as well as use French FOLS immigrants
images of students of different races...but this
is hardly a first step to developing deep inter- identify as Black and 8%
cultural understanding. None of these popular as Arab
textbooks discuss the history or impact of
French colonialism on various parts of the globe The majority settled in major
where French is spoken, collectively known as
La Francophonie. Nor do they celebrate the cities such as Toronto, Ottawa
rich cultures, histories, and accomplishments and Vancouver
of French-speaking communities around the
globe. Houle et al., 2017Imagining E. Intercultural
Understanding as a strand
Overall Expectations in bold; Specific Expectations listed.
E1. Learning about First Nations, E2.3. Learning about the ways various
Métis & Inuit French-speaking markers of identity: race, religion, language,
Communities gender, sexuality, class, etc. are negotiated in
E1.1. Introduction to the history of French various French-speaking states
colonialism in Canada, including treaties, E2.4. Learning about and/or connecting
Indigenous rights and history and legacy of with global French-speaking communities,
residential schools organizations, media
E1.2. Learning about Indigenous identities,
histories, resistance E3. Learning about French-speaking
Communities in and Migrations to Canada
E1.3. Learning about contemporary
Indigenous peoples’ accomplishments and E3.1. Introduction to contemporary histories
concerns through media about Indigenous of communities that move from various
communities that speak French parts of la francophonie to Canada; specific
attention to African, Caribbean and Asian
E1.4. Learning about and/or connecting with
French-speaking communities
Indigenous French-speaking communities,
organizations, media E3.2. Introduction to human geography:
consideration of socio-political, socio-
E2. Learning about economic and environmental factors of
La Francophonie globally French-speaking communities who migrate
to Canada and the impacts of colonial
E2.1. Introduction to the history of French
18
histories
colonialism globally and its effects on Asia,
Africa and the African Diaspora; French as a E3.3. Learning about settler Francophone
lingua franca communities in Canada, especially
Franco-Ontarian, Québécois and Acadian
E2.2. Learning about aspects of various
settlements
histories, peoples, cultures and languages
(including Creoles, Pidgins and Vernaculars E3.4. Learning about and/or connecting with
of French) Canadian and immigrant French-speaking
communities, organizations, media
Critique of current Core French and sociolinguistic conventions from “Asia
curriculum and implementation and Africa”, no specific content is referenced
Although the current Core French curriculum or included in this section. However, without
does include the overall expectation “Inter- specific content to cover, teachers’ treatment
cultural Understanding” in each of the four of intercultural understanding often remains
curricular strands—Listening, Speaking, tokenistic and at best a vague attempt to
Reading and Writing—this expectation is include different cultures.
addressed in an ahistorical way, which means it Further, the current Core French curriculum
is often tokenized. Currently students are asked does not address learning about Indigenous
to consider “Africa and Asia’s contributions French-speaking communities and the effects of
to La Francophonie,” in grade 9 (which is the colonialism, residential schools, and genocide on
last year of mandatory French), but not the Indigenous cultures, languages, and peoples in
historical context or effects of colonialism or any of its overall expectations. Applying the Truth
specifically why French has become a language and Reconciliation Calls to Actions (62 and 63)
widely spoken around the world. In fact, apart when the curriculum is updated is an imperative
from a vague direction to learn about cultures first step toward actual truth and reconciliation.Imagining an anti-racist and knowledge to be found in learning about
and culturally relevant FSL curriculum different peoples and their cultures around
An FSL classroom with a genuine interest in the world and as they immigrate to Canada.
intercultural understanding2 would also consider The shifting educational landscape provides
France and Canada’s roles in slavery, genocide, educators and education advocates with
stealing of land and cultural artifacts, continued an opportunity to truly engage in anti-racist,
settler colonialism by Canada on Indigenous anti-oppressive education through a culturally
peoples’ lands and continued colonialism by relevant pedagogy.
France in Africa and the Caribbean. Perhaps The language classroom is a very special
even more crucially, it would consider the place, with the particular freedom of being
power, resistance, and survival of peoples able to engage with students in learning about
globally and at home. their world through the process and practice of
If we were to incorporate culturally communication. Decentering colonial learning
relevant pedagogy, as outlined by Gloria of the French language and centering learning
Landson-Billings, into how we teach French, about diverse peoples’ histories, cultures and
we would celebrate the many different cultures communities engages students, and under-
and linguistic identities of people who speak scores the relevance of learning French.
French at home in our classrooms and around Educators can choose to build an anti-racist
the globe. Particular attention would be made practice, or uphold the colonial status quo,
to how French and its vernaculars is actually but the process of learning language is never
used by different communities migrating to and neutral.
settled in Canada. Natasha Faroogh is a secondary school French and English teach-
A further examination of geography, politics er in Ontario. She can be reached on Twitter @natasha_faroogh.
and policy on histories of impoverishing com-
munities through racist immigration laws, and Author’s note
contemporary economic exploitation of former I would like to thank J. Boland, A. Cloutier, V. Dinh, B. Farhadi, K.
colonies through military and trade threats Gharaee-Kermani, A. Jafri, A. Phagoora, E. Shaker, M. Treichel, and
I. Mahathantila for providing resources and testimony, editing the
could be made at senior levels by teachers and text and shaping the thinking around new Core French curriculum.
students interested in social justice education. Un grand merci.
19
Because this material may be difficult to
incorporate without guidance, rather than Bibliography
Houle, R., Pereira, D., & Corbeil, J.-P. (2017). Statistical Portrait of the
integrating “Intercultural Understanding” into French-speaking Immigrant Population Outside Quebec (1991–2011). Govern-
ment of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/
the existing four strands, I suggest making this corporate/reports-statistics/research/statistical-portrait-french-speaking-immi-
grant-population-outside-quebec-1991-2011.html.
into its own (fifth) strand in the next Kunnas, R., (2019). Inequities in Black et Blanc: Textual Constructions of the
If students come curriculum update, which would French Immersion Student, [Master thesis, University of Toronto]. TSpace
Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/1807/98071.
to my grade 9 allow for more direction in regards Sinay, E., Presley, A., Armson, S., Tam, G., Ryan, T.G., Burchell, D., & Barron,
C. (2018). Toronto District School Board French as a second language program
French class to content. The overall expectations review: Developmental evaluation. (Research Report No. 18/19-03). Toronto,
Ontario, Canada: Toronto District School Board.
unaware that of the new strand would include Quéméner, F., & Wolff, A. (Eds.). (2019). The French Language Worldwide
the majority of the histories, cultures and sociolin- Overview 2018. Langue Française et diversité linguistique. http://observatoire.
francophonie.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LFDM-Synthese-Anglais.pdf.
daily French guistic uses of language of various
speakers French-speaking communities. (See Notes
around the highlighted section on page 18.) 1. It’s worth noting that this is not only a problem in Core French but in French
Immersion as well. Rachel Marika Kunnas (2019) argues that the French
world and Note that this is my preliminary immersion curriculum has a serious issue of white and Eurocentric curriculum.
Kunnas’ work takes an in-depth analysis of when, how often, and how different
immigrating attempt at thinking about future identities are included in the French immersion curriculum. Kunnas concludes
that the French immersion curriculum from grades 1 to 12 has white bias
to Canada are Core French curriculum; any and additive representations of other races. Both Core French and French
Immersion Programs need serious curriculum overhauls to develop anti-racist
from a variety formal curriculum writing must be and culturally relevant FSL curriculum.
of backgrounds, written in consultation with French 2. While this aspect of the curriculum could be delivered in French for students
in Extended or Immersion French, I believe that, depending on students’
they are less speaking Indigenous and Black proficiency, using English or students’ first languages in conjunction with French
in Core French programs is permissible to deliver this crucial information about
likely to be communities in Ontario. the development of the French language worldwide.
interested in
continuing Building a stronger
learning a lan- French as a second language
guage that they (FSL) program
believe is Imagine students’ engagement
narrow in scope if we truly decentered white
and internation- Eurocentric pedagogy entirely and
al relevance. explored the breadth of experienceYou can also read
