https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_F_jl3BE-k I recently watched this video where Noam Chomsky is interviewing Sherman Alexie, a First Nations author. I have read Alexie's book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" and liked the book. Sherman allows Noam to delve into deep parts of his psyche and reveals a very troubled person whose craft of writing does not bring him comfort but reveals parts of himself that he is driven to reveal. He tells us of his alcoholic father, his bi polar disorder, his foot in two worlds perspective on life. At one point he says he is a tribe of one. I like Alexie's book and so I am interested in him as an author (like he says in this interview, transparency is what we like now as readers). Along with reading the history of the Mi'kmaq and listening to stories like the one told to my class about the residential school system, I am starting to see that there is a lot of healing needed for the people stuck in between unfair government policies that continue to this day, and public opinion that brands them as alcoholics and ne'er-do-wells that just want government handouts. It must be awfully difficult to be a First Nations person in this country. I think books like this, interviews like this, and conversations like this need to be had so that people can gain a greater understanding. I know that for me, greater understanding brought greater empathy. I see things very differently than I did before I learned about how this group of people has been treated in Canada. I hope I imparted that to my Grade 9 class this year.
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AuthorMasters in Education student at the University of New Brunswick, I am avidly interested in the future of education, especially for First Nation, Metis and Inuit students in Canada. I believe change is going to come from these sectors who have the most room for growth and the most interest in seeing the status quo changed. Archives
March 2016
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