Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Indigenous authors being studied

I think it's great that Indigenous authors are being studied and agree that it should be a compulsory course but I don't think you have to ditch Shakespeare. "You won’t find Shakespeare in Michelle de Braux and Tobie Loukes’ Grade 11 English class. Instead, their students may be studying the works of Indigenous authors like Tanya Talaga, Duke Redbird and Lee Maracle. De Braux and Loukes are teachers at the Toronto District School Board’s Kapapamahchakwew — Wandering Spirit School, which provides an Indigenous-focused education by centring the voices, cultures and values of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. But their Grade 11 class is not unique. The pair are just two of approximately 370 educators across the board who are currently teaching this course at some 100 Toronto schools. By the end of the academic year, the new Grade 11 English class will be offered at all 114 high schools in the TDSB. It’s part of a broader plan to replace the existing curriculum and make the course mandatory for all students — a necessary change, educators and students say, that will help promote truth and reconciliation, and shine an important spotlight on Indigenous perspectives. "