Children, Teachers, and Schools: In the History of British Columbia. 2nd ed.

Luke Lawson is a teacher and administrator in Vancouver, B.C.

The prevailing ideology in most faculties of education in Canada today
is that of a good dose of postmodernism and poststructuralism combined
with social justice, feminism, child-centred and co-operative learning,
class inequality, power relations, and left-wing economics. This book
fits perfectly into that mould as yet another history of education based
almost exclusively on inequalities, racism, sexism, power, and bigotry:
in essence, the white Anglo-Saxon male was bad and oppressive, while
everyone else was a victim.

Children, Teachers, and Schools is a collection of articles by various
educators—most from the University of British Columbia—who are
focused on the history of B.C. education and specifically the plight of
Aboriginal children and residential schools, issues of racism, gender
issues, and bigotry. The treatment of Aboriginal children was deplorable
and, yes, racism and inequality did exist. Yet, despite the fact that
many students from all backgrounds have succeeded and made British
Columbia a strong and vibrant province, there seems to be nothing
positive in this long book. The mindset of most left-wing educators
today is that because there were victims in the past, the stereotype
should be perpetuated today. Take, for example, the chapter titled
“Pregnant with Meaning,” which deals with teen mothers. The author
makes a typically sweeping statement to support the current victim
mentality: “Native people must cope with the legacy of colonialism,
racial oppression and poverty.” It’s time to move on and stop
harping on past inequalities. Until the dominant culture of extreme
left-wing mentality shifts in faculties of education, we will not move
ahead.