History: The Power of Change

　
Like all great things in life, there is a story that can be told of how it came to be. Like the mysterious stone figures called Inukshuks. Their traditional meaning when first left by the Inuit meant “Someone was here”. The inukshuk is a symbol used for many purposes: navigation, a memorial or simply a landmark. The inuksuk offers familiarity and comfort to travelers on unfamiliar land. The same holds true for education. Education has always had the same purpose, but it has taken many different paths and journeys to get to where it is today. Each nation, each culture contributing something new and guiding it in a new direction.
When our ancestors went to school, they probably only went to school until they could read and write, then the learning took place on the farm. The skills learned were passed on from generation to generation.
Our grandparents had very different schooling than what you and I remember. It is important to address the changing nature of children’s lives.
Education did not get to be where it is today without our forefathers building the path for us. It started with the basics of learning to read and write. Each country, region and eventually province building the foundation of today’s education. Under French regimen only boys could attend, and were taught by Catholic priests. The English tradition was that only the rich were educated at public schools. The poor were educated at `DameSchools`: taught by widows and housewives. Eventually, when the British moved into Canada, both upper and lower class received an education. However the lower class only received the basics, while the wealthy prepared for university.
Even across our nation, vast differences existed between province to province. In the late 1840s, Ontario offered funding whenever 20 students could be put in a group at a time. Yet in Newfoundland, it wasn’t until 1998, that public schools were allowed. So many factors contributed to education such as the Gold Rush and the First Nations. Canada is a multicultural society and our education definitely reflects this.

You are probably wondering where the inuksuk fits into this story. This past February at the 2010 Winter Olympics, I had the opportunity to witness the power of the inuksuk and how their significance and meaning had spread like wild fire. As I walked along the banks of the river, and saw the hundreds of inuksuk built along the banks, it was enlightening to see the power of this symbol and how it had grown into such a powerful force. This holds true for education as well. I am proud to say that through all the history, everything turned out okay. We have chosen regional diversity and everyone has the right to an equal and full education anywhere in Canada. It does not matter what our last name is, what our gender is, or how much money we make.

That being said, just remember that fifty years from now, today`s education will be part of that history. So as new challenges are presented, don`t lose sight of the past. Let the inuksuk remind you of where we have been and keep us moving forward. Let`s keep growing and improving. Let`s focus on assessment, special needs, EAL, technology and curriculum building.

We have so much at our fingertips, the sky is the limit.