Canadians and their history

[Wilber]

Pretty Sad

Do schools teach Canadian history any more? If so, what do they teach?

[jdobbin]

Pretty Sad

Do schools teach Canadian history any more? If so, what do they teach?

I never learned about Arthur Currie. I knew of Billy Bishop because of the play of the same name.

I don't think they taught anything about the First World War in our school.

[Wilber]

Pretty Sad

Do schools teach Canadian history any more? If so, what do they teach?

I never learned about Arthur Currie. I knew of Billy Bishop because of the play of the same name.

I don't think they taught anything about the First World War in our school.

By far the most costly war in our history.

[bradco]

I just finished highschool a few years ago and can safely say there is no studying whatsoever of anything at all to do with Canadian history or politics. There really needs to be classes on Canada specifically, that are mandatory. Our current education system is too busy worshipping the studies of science and math though. Seriously I bet if you asked grade tens who the prime minister is the results would be:

-Wayne Gretzky: 50%

-Jean Chretien: 30%

-Paul Martin: 15%

-Stephen Harper: 5%

"In a multiple choice quiz, only 33 per cent of those quizzed identified First World War commander Sir Arthur Currie and legendary flying ace Billy Bishop as Canadian military heroes from a list of only four."

I could have named Billy Bishop...not Currie....sad, I feel failed by my highschool education lol

Although I would have been able to get Currie by process of elmination in the MC question by elimintaing Ulysses S. Grant and Douglas MacArthur.

[Wilber]

I could have named Billy Bishop...not Currie....sad, I feel failed by my highschool education lol

Although I would have been able to get Currie by process of elmination in the MC question by elimintaing Ulysses S. Grant and Douglas MacArthur.

This tells me you learned more US history than Canadian at school, or was it just from watching TV?

[Melanie_]

I talked to my son's grade 11 history teacher last year about this. I asked if they would be learning about recent Canadian history (FLQ Crisis in particular, as my son's interest was piqued by Romeo Dallaire's book, Shake Hands With the Devil). The teacher told me how frustrating it was for him, because he agreed with me that they should be learning about Canada in the 20th century, but his hands were tied because the curriculum mandated him to teach about Cabot and Cartier (again! They get that in elementary and again in grade 8!)

[bradco]

I could have named Billy Bishop...not Currie....sad, I feel failed by my highschool education lol

Although I would have been able to get Currie by process of elmination in the MC question by elimintaing Ulysses S. Grant and Douglas MacArthur.

This tells me you learned more US history than Canadian at school, or was it just from watching TV?

Definetly didnt learn it from highschool...dont know where though....maybe history at university?

"I asked if they would be learning about recent Canadian history (FLQ Crisis in particular, as my son's interest was piqued by Romeo Dallaire's book, Shake Hands With the Devil)"

Its amazing the FLQ Crisis isnt studied in highschool. I knew nothing about it at all until I wrote a research paper on it in first year. 20th century Canadian politics and history is completely ignored....it really is unbelivable.

Havent read Shake Hands With the Devil yet....is it good??? I went to a lecture with Dallaire last year...very inspiring man.

[Melanie_]

I recommend reading it. I found it really difficult at points to keep reading; the genocide, but also the UN's response to it. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but it seems that so much more could have been done. There were so many other world events at the time that overshadowed it (Bosnia and Mogodishu for starters), and there was little to be gained by first world countries in intervening; Dallaire's frustration is almost tangible at times. If you get the chance, read it.

[Borg]

Unfortunately, it is the rare Canadian under 30 who has more than a small amount of knowledge about Canada and the history of this country.

We are reaping what we sow.

Borg

[Canadian Blue]

Canadian history needs to be taught in more depth in Canadian schools. When I went to school we did history before 1770, and Canadian history after 1960 which was primarily taught. But not much was taught for both world war's, as well as confederation. I think what they ought to do is make Social Studies and History seperate. Social studies dealing with current events, civics, religion, culture, law, etc. While history is focused on Canadian history, world history, etc.

[Wilber]

Amazing. Nearly 10% of our population participated in WW1 and nearly 1% of our population died in it yet our schools don't think it worthy of mention. No wonder so many Canadians think we have only ever been a nation of "Peace Keepers". Talk about revisionist history.

[Canadian Blue]

Actaully, the most I ever learned about our role in both world wars was at CFLRS St Jean. We need to have a larger emphasis on our history and where we came from.

[jbg]

Unfortunately, it is the rare Canadian under 30 who has more than a small amount of knowledge about Canada and the history of this country.

We are reaping what we sow.

Borg

As an American, I must be even more ignorant of Canadian matters than the "average Canadian". I have, unfortunately, been in the position of explaining to a Peterborough, ON school teacher who I met at a NYC Great Big Sea concert what happened on the Plains of Abraham, and who Montcalm and Wolfe were.

[bradco]

Unfortunately, it is the rare Canadian under 30 who has more than a small amount of knowledge about Canada and the history of this country.

We are reaping what we sow.

Borg

As an American, I must be even more ignorant of Canadian matters than the "average Canadian". I have, unfortunately, been in the position of explaining to a Peterborough, ON school teacher who I met at a NYC Great Big Sea concert what happened on the Plains of Abraham, and who Montcalm and Wolfe were.

Its sad but highschool/elementary teachers are no more educated than most people on this forum. I think thats true in both Canada and the US

[jbg]

Unfortunately, it is the rare Canadian under 30 who has more than a small amount of knowledge about Canada and the history of this country.

We are reaping what we sow.

Borg

As an American, I must be even more ignorant of Canadian matters than the "average Canadian". I have, unfortunately, been in the position of explaining to a Peterborough, ON school teacher who I met at a NYC Great Big Sea concert what happened on the Plains of Abraham, and who Montcalm and Wolfe were.

Its sad but highschool/elementary teachers are no more educated than most people on this forum. I think thats true in both Canada and the US

My point is, what was I doing knowing about the seminal battle in which your country was formed, and one of your elementary school teachers knowing nothing?

[Wilber]

What happened? They used to teach this stuff in school. When did they stop? If present day teachers are so ignorant it must have been some time ago. We are fed this BS about being a nation of peace keepers. Peace keeping is a difficult and often dangerous job but it is only part of our history. Well over 100,000 Canadians died during the 20th century defending the freedom of others. Most of them are buried in the countries where they fell and many have no known graves. Do we have a generation of academics and politicians knowingly robbing our children of this heritage to fit their own agenda and rewrite history to suit their own vision? I hope not, that is a game of despots, dictators and repressive regimes everywhere.

[jbg]

Do we have a generation of academics and politicians knowingly robbing our children of this heritage to fit their own agenda and rewrite history to suit their own vision? I hope not, that is a game of despots, dictators and repressive regimes everywhere.

I am an American who doesn't know much about Canada. One possible observation is that another agenda, besides turning Canadian fighters into "peacekeepers" from being "fighters", is the effort to convert Canada from being an English-speaking country to a French-speaking country.

[jdobbin]

As an American, I must be even more ignorant of Canadian matters than the "average Canadian". I have, unfortunately, been in the position of explaining to a Peterborough, ON school teacher who I met at a NYC Great Big Sea concert what happened on the Plains of Abraham, and who Montcalm and Wolfe were.

What happened there? Great Big Seas first concert? Why didn't they call themselves Great Big Plain? And I know Montcalm. That's a hotel in Winnipeg. Wolfe is an American author.

[jdobbin]

What happened? They used to teach this stuff in school. When did they stop? If present day teachers are so ignorant it must have been some time ago. We are fed this BS about being a nation of peace keepers. Peace keeping is a difficult and often dangerous job but it is only part of our history. Well over 100,000 Canadians died during the 20th century defending the freedom of others. Most of them are buried in the countries where they fell and many have no known graves. Do we have a generation of academics and politicians knowingly robbing our children of this heritage to fit their own agenda and rewrite history to suit their own vision? I hope not, that is a game of despots, dictators and repressive regimes everywhere.

They never taught anything regarding World War II or II in our schools. It was hard enough teaching Canadian history. History ended at Confederation pretty much.

[g_bambino]

They never taught anything regarding World War II or II in our schools. It was hard enough teaching Canadian history. History ended at Confederation pretty much.

Well, World War I and World War II are Canadian history.

The school I attended managed to teach us, between grades 5 and 13, the major basics of medieval British history (Magna Carta, Norman invasions, etc.), the American Revolution tied into pre-Confederation Canada (Cabot, Cartier, Planes of Abraham, Macdonald, Charlottetown), the Boer War, WWI, WWII, the FLQ and the Cold War. I suspect that many ministers of education now feel that type of curriculum is far too Euro- and Anglo-centric for today's multicultural Canada, and is incompatible with the modern teacher's role of ethno-cultural educator.

[jdobbin]

Well, World War I and World War II are Canadian history.

The school I attended managed to teach us, between grades 5 and 13, the major basics of medieval British history (Magna Carta, Norman invasions, etc.), the American Revolution tied into pre-Confederation Canada (Cabot, Cartier, Planes of Abraham), the Boer War, WWI, WWII, the FLQ and the Cold War. I suspect that many ministers of education now feel that type of curriculum is far too Euro- and Anglo-centric for today's multicultural Canada, and is incompatible with the modern teacher's role of ethno-cultural educator.

I don't disagree. A lot of my texts were American though. They referred to the President, etc. The only history we did get a lot of was John Cabot, Frobisher and the like. Very little was done from Confederation on.

[Chuck U. Farlie]

I remember when I was in high school.... after Grade 13 was gone, but before OAC's were wiped out, between 1990 and 1994... in those days we only had to have 1 history credit out of the 30 or so credits needed to graduate. I, like most, took Grade 9 history and never thought about it again... I had way too many Maths and Sciences to take as thats what interested me and what I wanted to study in University. Since I studied sciences in University, I didn't have any history classes there either... about the closest resemblance to Canadian History was during a Human Geography class in which we learned about certain Native land claims and treaties... which I completely wiped from my brain the minute the exam was over.

[g_bambino]

I remember when I was in high school.... after Grade 13 was gone, but before OAC's were wiped out, between 1990 and 1994... in those days we only had to have 1 history credit out of the 30 or so credits needed to graduate. I, like most, took Grade 9 history and never thought about it again... I had way too many Maths and Sciences to take as thats what interested me and what I wanted to study in University. Since I studied sciences in University, I didn't have any history classes there either... about the closest resemblance to Canadian History was during a Human Geography class in which we learned about certain Native land claims and treaties... which I completely wiped from my brain the minute the exam was over.

Wasn't Grade 13 only just recently eliminated in Ontario? I thought that's why post-secondary institutions were facing the whole double-cohort crunch with a double sized class of graduates. Also, I had no idea OACs had been eliminated.

From my experience I had always thought that most kids got their basic Canadian history before Grade 9. Grade 9 for me focused in on Canada's role in WWI and WWII, and ended with the FLQ crisis. By Grade 10, where I was, we already had the option of taking electives like World Politics (which went much more in-depth into the Cold War, Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge, etc.). My specific history education ended there, though we continued to look at it for background to other topics, like literature.

Even with all that I still sometimes found myself embarrassed about what Canadian history and civics I didn't know. Though I'm still no expert, I now realise that the majority of people know far, far less, and it's getting worse; that I find disturbing.

[jbg]

From my experience I had always thought that most kids got their basic Canadian history before Grade 9. Grade 9 for me focused in on Canada's role in WWI and WWII, and ended with the FLQ crisis. By Grade 10, where I was, we already had the option of taking electives like World Politics (which went much more in-depth into the Cold War, Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge, etc.). My specific history education ended there, though we continued to look at it for background to other topics, like literature.

Even with all that I still sometimes found myself embarrassed about what Canadian history and civics I didn't know. Though I'm still no expert, I now realise that the majority of people know far, far less, and it's getting worse; that I find disturbing.

I have heard that most CDN historical education focuses on multiculturalism. Is that true?

[jdobbin]

I have heard that most CDN historical education focuses on multiculturalism. Is that true?

There is no Canadian history. Canada is too new as a nation.