During this unit I have learned a lot of new things about the way Aboriginal people live. Before starting this unit I had no idea that Aboriginal people were living in poverty. This really shocked me because I had always though Aboriginal people either lived like in the city or country like most cultures in Canada or that they lived of the land in parts of Canada were there isn't a lot of urbanization. Before this unit I didn't know about reserves or the poverty that comes with it. What shocked me even more than the reserves was the fact that most of the issues Aboriginal people are facing on reserves right now are because of residential schools. Aboriginal people are faced with abuse, Poverty and other serious problems because of residential schools. Residential schools are a deep rooted issue that will continue to effect people's lives for a very long time. Another thing that really shocked me was that the last residential school was closed in 1996. 1996! That is our recent history. While my parents were going to school, Aboriginal kids were going to residential schools. That crazy! I would think something as awful as residential school would be stopped a lot faster. The last thing that shocked me was the fact that the head of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is a white male. And most of the people running this organization are white. Well this Surprised me, but it didn't surprise me at the same time. Part of me knew that the world was in favour of white people, but part of me thought Aboriginal people would have more say. I think Aboriginal people should collaborating with white people with equal say. But that's not how it works.
Throughout this huge unit I have improved and developed some important and useful skills. One skill I developed was how to research information better. While I was researching Indian Affairs, Mrs. Wood (our librarian) taught me and my group how to use the virtual library. Using this method of research will help me with project in many different subjects in the future. This unit has also helped me with my time management. Having deadlines for each part of the book helped me understand how to easily complete a large task in a small amount of time. Now that I have learned how to evenly distribute tasks in this unit, I will be able to do this with similar projects and units.
While listening to my peers thoughts and ideas, my listening skills have improved in a few different ways. While listening to my peers, I have gotten better at following other peoples' thought patterns and ideas. I am also better paying attention and retaining information that people are verbally communicated to me. Normally I have difficulty learning things from hearing it, usually I have to visually see thing but this project has helped me learn by hearing things. I feel I need to work on flagging important things in my book. While I was reading my book, I tried flagging important parts. However I didn't do a good job selecting flags while I was reading and I didn't explain why I flagged it on the flag so I had to read the page again. In conclusion, I feel I need to work on being more organized while I'm reading a book in order to make my life easier when I have to do things after reading a book. Saul Indian Horse felt inferior throughout most, if not all of the book. People constantly told Saul that he was worthless, that he deserved nothing and Saul believed them. Saul was the kind of person who laid low and didn't fight back when people treated him badly. Eventual Saul became fed up with the racism and discrimination that he gave up on life. When everyone told him he was inferior he believed them. Saul laid low throughout most of the book. He didn't become a warrior or a hero. He stay quiet and surprised his feeling and emotions in order to survive. Saul ran away from his problems and he didn't fight back.
Saul felt inferior because that’s what he was told. And if you tell someone that they are something they are not long enough, they will start to believe you. Saul had a passion. He loved hockey. Hockey was the only way for Saul to escape the horror of the residential school that he was raised in. Saul had a true talent and with hard work he became good enough to one day play in the NHL. But people couldn't let that happen. When Saul stepped foot on the rink he was booed and bullied all because of the color of his skin. He was told that he wasn't good enough for the game and after a while Saul began to believe that. Because Saul’s only escape, only passion and only dream was taken away from him he could never feel superior. Residential schools are poorly funded, they force kids to do chores that kids in Canada don't do during school and they have limited school supplies. Kids In residential schools are forced to learn in unsafe environment and old run down buildings. They don't have a lot of money and they have to work hard by doing a lot of labor just to keep the school running. They have to do their work in difficult conditions just like children in developing parts of the world.
Schools in developing countries are just like residential schools. Developing countries have limited money to support the schools so they rely on the labor of the students to keep the school running. In 2008 I saw a school in Cuba with my own two eyes and it was a very sad experience. A fence of randomly sized and shaped logs ran along the perimeter of the school. The Logs were barley standing up and they made the school look very depressing. The children at school don't have air conditioning. That makes it even harder for them to concentrate in the summer. They walls of the school looked old and worn down. They even had to ask tourists for donations to the school because they had no money to fund it. The way Saul describes the school reminds me of the schools in paces like Cuba. Both schools have worn down buildings and a limited amount of money. Some school in developing countries don't even have roofs. Sometimes They don't even have a building to learn in. Children have to sit outside and learn because they can't afford to build a school. The students in these countries also have to do chores for free just like the kids in the book. Students in developing countries will have to do things like wash the floors, collect water and wash the chalk boards. These are all thing that the Aboriginal kids in the book would have had to do in residential schools. In conclusion, the school in the book reminded me of schools in developing countries because both schools have little money and the kids have to do chores to keep the school running. In English class we have been learning about Aboriginal people. I have learned a little bit about Aboriginal people in previous grades but I didn't know about a lot of heavy stuff that is going on in the a Aboriginal communities. A lot of Aboriginals live on reserves. A reserve is the piece of land that the government has given Aboriginal people to live and practice there culture on. But in these reserves there are a lot of problems that people are going through. One problem that really shocked me was that they are living in small houses that are meant for a family four. Which is okay. However, they are living in these houses with a large amount of people. Houses are being occupied by approximately 18 people per house because they can't afford to buy them. Yep. There are people in Canada who are living in poverty. They are living poverty because the government has ruined their way of life. They now need money and job. But there are no jobs, so how can they afford anything? Another issue is because of global warming, they are having issues with hunting and gathering so now they need to buy food. But how will they buy food if they don't have money? These are serious problems that most people don't know about. The first step to a solution is awareness and without awareness this poverty in our own country can't be stopped.
Check out Canadian Feed the Children http://www.canadianfeedthechildren.ca/where/canada Who knows what a ted talk is? I do! For those of you who don't know what a ted talk is, a ted talk is speech, poem, presentation etc. that you can watch on a website called Ted.com. These speeches and presentations are presented to you for the purpose of spreading information and new ideas. If you haven't before, you should check it out. Since the beginning of the semester my class has been watching ted talks and recently my peers have presented this talk called "The Danger of Silence" by Clint Smith. This talk was really well done. In the ted talk Clint Smith talks about how everyone doesn't use there voice the way they should. People are silent and don't even know it. He tells us that your voice is very important, but people continue to not use it because of various reasons. In the talk I learned that you can't ignore things in life, oblivion is doing nothing but hide fear. People need to start using their voice and speak up for themselves, other people and everything in between. Clint Smith presented his ideas really well. He was clear, concise and captivating. His talk was interesting and he had solid points. I think Clint Smith's talk was well done because, he had a good relevant message and he did a good job presenting it. Good Job Clint!
I love basketball! Shoes squeaking, Suspenseful plays and cheering crowds are all things that make the game amazing. I love everything about basketball., it doesn't matter if I'm playing on a team or watching a raptors game. Basketball is AMAZING in any shape or form! All things in the game are great, but the best thing about basketball is SWISHES! For those of you who don't know what a swish is, a swish is when you take a shot and the ball touches nothing but the net and you hear that beautiful swish sound.
When I get a swish, I never believe it at first. That moment when the net wiggles and you hear that swish sound, its almost in slow motion. It reminds me of a movie. The whole moment is perfect. When you take the shot you don't know whats going to happen. You have to have to just let go and pray to the heavens that it will go in the basket. Its all about trusting your abilities. The best kind of swishes are the ones were it don't think its going to make it. When you let go of the ball and think. Oh crap! That's not going to make it, then... SWISH! Your heart jumps and you kind of freak out inside. A swish is like your moment of glory. You want to drop everything and start dancing because swishes are AWESOME! Some days walking home from school feels like climbing Mount Everest. And that's what it feels like without the snow! Walking home in the summer is okay, but walking home in the winter is my lest favourite part of the day. I really don't enjoy the hour long walk home every time I miss the bus. (and this happens pretty often). I hate slipping on ice, tripping over snow and falling into invisible holes that are covered by the snow. Yes, this has happened to me. And when things like this happen I always end up falling in the snow and getting my pants and socks wet. But even worse then the wet pants, is how embarrassing it is when people see you fall. There is not exceptionable way to react when you fall in public. Its funny if you laugh at yourself, and its even funnier if you try to play it off cool. That is why I love it when I finally get home. Walking into my warm house after a long cold walk is a great feeling.
The moment when you walk into a warm house after being in the cold is a beautiful moment. There isn't a better way to describe it. The first step almost feels like an accomplishment. When I walk into that doorway and feel the warmth on my face and I can't see my breath anymore, I think to myself... "I made it." I'm finally home and I can finally change out of my wet socks and pants. I'm usually soaked after falling into the snow about 5 times. But that doesn't matter once I've walked into through the door. The best part, is that I can feel my ears again! It's amazing how wonderful it feels to finally get home after a long cold walk. It just feels so warm! Even if the house is cold, it still feels warm. No more snow no more cold, just the comfort of your own home. Walking into a warm house is AWESOME! |