Get With The Picture

SAY WHAT???? I know, I thought the same thing. And I am a physical education major that has studied health and physical education for the last 4 years. Although I have progressed in my thinking while studying Diversity Issues in Schooling and working with the new Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum, I am back to the beginning with the same question… How will I ever educate my students if I don’t know WHO they are. Or what their race, culture, gender, identity, faith, etc., means to them. So let the studying begin… well continue… forever and ever. While in a group with a number of other physical education majors, we were struggling with matching definitions to terms under the LGBTTIQQ2SA culture. I learned words I had never seen before, and saw the differences between words I have made no separation to. I am thankful for this wake up call, this starting point.

I feel excitement and pride when I think of my future as a physical educator because of the many great things it brings to schools and students. Health covers a number of topics we have covered in this class, and thinking critically about the implications of each is a gateway for me to be a better educator. We have shown each other many great activities related to gender identity, gender norms, mental health, healthy eating and self-image, the list goes on. I have learned what queer culture is, and that it is important to normalize it in order to make material relevant for students. I liked the example of “Sally went home and asked her mom ____ and asker her other mom ____” I still have a bad habit of saying “guys” while facilitating a lesson, and I must be conscious of that. I want my students to know how a majority of society views them, and how very, very wrong they are. That they do not have to play with cars and like sports to be manly, and they do not have to play with dolls and like shopping to be feminine.


In my health class, I will attempt to break down the stereotypes behind maleness and femaleness and identify the biological and political incorrectness of sayings such as “You throw like a girl” and “Hit it with your purse”. After I can fully understand the complexities of LGBTTIQQ2SA, I hope to at the least have students know what that means. To be able to accept through understanding the uniqueness of every individual. Using people in the media that students may be able to connect with and recognize allows for better connection to the content. I particularly liked the quote shared in class by Caitlyn Jenner to explain that “Sexual Orientation is whom you go to bed with. Sexual identity is whom you go to bed as."

Checking out Twitter is a great way of showing the positivity and the negativity around queer culture and slang in our society. By getting to know our students the moment they walk into our classroom, we can better understand what they want in order to feel safe. Educating those who lay outside of the LGBTTIQQ2SA community need to be informed in order to be inclusive. Having GSA’s in schools and talking about queer community events and celebrations helps to build a positive and inclusive community as a whole. According to Wells (2010) "INCREASINGLY, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH LGBTQ ISSUES THAN THEIR PARENTS AND TEACHERS, AND THEY VIEW SEXUALITY AS MUCH MORE FLUID, SITUATIONAL, AND RELATIONAL THAN PREVIOUS GENERATIONS.” I feel confident that I can freely engage with my student and learn from them what I don’t know about their school and cultural norms.

“I Don’t See Colour In My Class"

Uh, WRONGO.

I don’t know who said this, but upon unpacking it’s meaning and understanding what it really mean, I can’t help but shake my head. When you google it, many interesting titles come up…

→ 'I Don't See Color': Why You Should Start 

→  Colour Blindness - a New Racism 

→  'I don't see color' is cringeworthy. 
→  The Problem With “I Don't See Colour”

When we don’t acknowledge and further celebrate the differences amongst our students, we are putting them largely at a disadvantage. We get no further in closing the gap that racism so rudely continues to push wider. I have grown up in a society and culture where it is not uncommon to hear a person make a racist joke in my friend group or family. I am not proud of this. It seems that people think because they are making a racial slur about a friend, because it is socially accepted, that it affects no one else. But this is wrong. We think “oh those awful acts of racism would never happen in my school”, however our society perpetuates racism through white capital everyday. I was taught to see racism as individuals being mean, not through these complex systems of power. Although we think we are “Post-Racial” because there is less socially unacceptable racism, there are things everyone, particularly white “majority” including myself do everyday that is racist, yet socially acceptable. I have once heard and not challenged a racist joke. I have not fully come to the realization that people are oppressed by racism every day without even knowing it. Even they start to believe that things are not racist because of this democratic racism! I have made assumptions about what I see, and I have thought that there should be equality in school… but as I am learning I know that this is not equitable. 

My backpack is quite full and heavy. Your backpack? You may ask. You cannot see it, just as you cannot see colour in your class, but it’s there, bringing me “up"… until now. Peggy MacIntosh (1989) refers to it as the invisible backpack, that hold daily effects of white privilege in her life. While reading through the 26 privileges, I was able to relate to all, if not most of them without having given it a second thought or felt so much appreciation about the notion before. So what do I do with this unearned privilege pushed upon me? I can acknowledge that it is there, for one, as well as probe those around me to think about their privilege. I can ask my students how to make curriculum meaningful to them so that they can move in any direction of their choice, not where society leads them to think they should be. I can leave assumptions and my perceptions of their own privileges at the door. I can advocate for my students of all races to succeed despite the systems of money and power that exist. I can show them that this is now how the world should work. 

It’s Not Indian

Today my mind was blown. It literally almost exploded. It was opened right up and filled with information that has barely crossed my mind in the last 12 years of my education. Although I have have skimmed the surface of education on First Nations and residential schools, have had a glimpse into some of the struggles and attempts to reconcile, and read ONE remarkable novel written by Richard Waganese, a Native author and Storyteller, I can only begin to understand the history and it's implications on today’s society and education. 

It’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

In the article "What’s In A Name? The Politics of Labelling and Native Identity Constructions”, Steffi Retzlaff (2005) explains how the word Indian has been historically constructed due to colonization to stereotype the image of Native peoples as “‘Savages' who are violent and barbaric, superstitious, illogical and in general inferior,” and more modernly, "as poor, assimilated, as substance abusers, gamblers or militant” (p. 611). Although he explains that First Nations is a preferred and an all inclusive high-frequency term, all three First Nations, Métis and Inuit are very different (YET ANOTHER FACT I DID NOT KNOW) and should be recognized that way.

HOWEVER.. it does not stop here. This terminology describes a group. This is not each individual or who they are… 

The speaker we were fortunate enough to have come to our classroom 

Rainbow Schools First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Guide (2016)

Follow @KTPetrick did an awesome activity that drove this ridiculous notion of associating identities to labels, home. In the short time she shared her name, the names she is called, what she does, what she looks like, and asked “Who do you think I am?” Everyone was able to make assumptions about her without knowing who she was. These are the kinds of activities we need to be doing with our students. This is what will teach them the injustice of stereotypes.

I began to think to myself that I did not attend school with many, if any, Indigenous students. But did I? Probably. Here I go again falling into my own unearned privileges of societal position (i.e. white, middle class, educated female). Someone does not “look” Indigenous, and not all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples look the same. Just as non-canadian people should not assume “Canadian's live in igloos” (yes, have actually even asked this multiple times), non-indiginous people should not assume “Indians live in teepees and wear feathers”. Yes, this is part of their culture, but no, that is not right to refer to in such a demeaning manor. CULTURAL APPROPRIATION. If you don’t know what it is (like myself a few weeks ago) LOOK IT UP. This photo Krista posted cracked me up and enraged me all at once. 

Personal Communication, K., TuckerPetrick, September 21st, 2016

Rainbow Schools First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Guide (2016)

But I did not notice as I watched the beloved game of hockey that the jersey’s of many teams were a disgrace and disrespectful of the absolute beautiful culture I have come to learn about. I came across this document created in the western provinces supporting success for First Nations, Métis and Inuit and found this prayer that directly speaks to inelasticity and the power education for ALL has on our world. In my physical education class we had a session focused on traditional First Nations, Métis and Inuit games and although it was quite different from the games that have become westernized, it was enjoyable and felt meaningful. I would use opportunities like this in my future classroom regardless of my population of students to CELEBRATE  the traditions embedded in the culture rather than ignoring it and expect students to leave their history at the door, just like they did only 30 years ago. I feel the slightest bit more confident in my ability to help First Nations, Métis and Inuit students find success from listening to one professional.

Without Krista having shown us multiple support resources, or telling us that there is in fact an Aboriginal Lead in every board, I would stand as ignorant as I was walking into the class. It’s not that I don’t care… it’s that I don’t know. I hope to further increase my knowledge each day I interact with human beings.

The Beginning Of A Journey: Diversity Issues In Schooling

“Equity and excellence go hand in hand… In a truly equitable system. In a truly equitable system, factors such as race, gender, and socio-economic status do not prevent students from achieving ambitious outcomes. Our experiences shoes that barriers can be removed when all education partners create the conditions needed for success." 

– Ontario Ministry of Education Reach Every Student: Energizing Ontario Education

During the first few sessions of Diversity Issues In Schooling , we have discussed what we thought certain words mean. When asked what we though equity means, I was unable to come up with a very extensive definition. In fact, I had heard the word many times in my university career, however it had no meaning to me. It makes a little difference to differentiate it from equality but not much. Until I saw the following photo; 

This photo truly exemplifies what it means to create equity for me. We were able to read the definition from The Educator’s Equity Workbook (2013) that defines equity as; 

“A condition or state of fair, inclusive, and respectful treatment of ALL people. Equity does not mean treating people without regard for individual differences.”

Looking at the dimensions of diversity listed in the course syllabus and the Educator’s Equity workbook including, but not limited to, ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic status I have come to a number of realizations. For one, as we began with talking about being a reflective practitioner, which I have only briefly began to encapsulate, and Metacognition (“Thinking about your thinking”), I came to the realization that I have a long way to go and this journey will never end. Secondly, this is when I knew being involved in the conversations and activities that will take place in the class will be transformative. 

My feelings about my own limited knowledge of these deep, complex, and interconnected topics have made me excited, yet ashamed. However this just motivates me to think critically about diversity issues as I hear about and see them for myself during my time as a teacher candidate and for the rest of my career. A quote from the article Preparing For Culturally Responsive Teaching stating “We can’t teach what we don’t know” (Gay, 2001) resonated with me and these thoughts I have. The article goes on to explain that this not only applies to subject matter, but also to student populations. 

How can I teacher my students in a way that allows them to reach their fullest potential if I am unable to recognize and begin to understand the complexities of their diverse backgrounds?