The Founding Vision Of Residential School Education



Review and Analysis

Review

The article is about exploring the strategy to focus on re-socializing Aboriginal children within residential schools. It was assumed in the article that in order to educate the Aboriginal children they have to be separated from their families and cut down their influence on them. The process of parenting has to be disconnected in their own favour. The Indian residential schools of Canada comprised of a network of boarding schools to cater the need of Aboriginal people of Canada. It has been funded by the Canadian government to look after the Department of Indian Affairs which is managed by Christian Churches. The infrastructure hold its origin in pre-confederation times yet is primarily active following the Indian Act 1876 till mid of 20th century. According to Barman & Gleason (2003), the vision later was re-instated via formative representation that created a correspondence among the church leaders, current politicians and some senior Indian Officials after 1879. The things changed till 1920 that rose to the philosophical discussions regarding residential concepts of schooling to manage the Aboriginal culture. This even went into parliament in Canada. They wanted to change the mindset of the people and wanted to curb their sense of helplessness. However, according to Reverend Wilson who was also the founder of Shingwauk Residential School the adults in those times were the old people beyond the possibility of improvement.

The Indian adults in the culture did not only believe in civilization but also they became as hindrances for the execution of the education process. The adults could learn little yet they the possibility for the children to learn was much greater than in comparison. The influence of the adults is quite deep on the children that are causing hindrances in carrying out the vision. The day school children learned little and forgot quickly because a child had influence at home where he spent bigger chunk of time. The communities in regions rich with non-Aboriginal settlements created additional difficulties. Out of them many difficulties seemed favourable towards schooling yet possesses educational agenda that could frustrate the intended assimilative function of schooling. The communities in pre-Confederation Upper Canada tried to use education as a mean to attain culture revitalization and as a mean to mediate between themselves and (the White) communities that were living around them. The official department stopped the over spread of the White communities and propagated the increasing trend of education. They had to deal with regulations to counter the dominance of the race. Children in the community had to attend the school to certain extent that could help them gain skills that could further help them in their communities. According to Harris-Short (2012), a few parents had the ambition to make their children learn and they even wanted themselves to learn for their children. They particularly could not be represented by the department in any certain way of interest in the present curriculum specifically designed to incorporate their ...