On October 31st, the Toronto Star posted an interesting article entitled, "Dropout rates rise with immigrant child's age of arrival." This article discusses the two diverse perspectives of young brothers who immigrated to Canada from the Philippines. While it was an easy transition for the eight year old boy to integrate into his grade two class it became a difficult adjustment for the sixteen year old boy. Recently reunited with their mother Lorna Rivera, who came to Canada as a live-in caregiver in 2006, unveiled her concerns regarding her eldest child's integration into the school environment. "My younger one is learning so quickly, but the older one doesn't even want to go to school and is having a difficult time fitting in. I am worried that he will not graduate high school." According to the 2006 data derived from Statistics Canada, 15% males and 11% females who arrive to Canada before the age of nine withdraw from high school, compared to 10.3% and 6.3% respectively. Therefore, the statistics reveal the percentage of immigrant children dropping out of secondary school rises the older they arrive.

Nicholas Keung, the Immigration Reporter from the Toronto star, attributes the patterns of success are higher for younger children as they can learn new information quicker than an older child who may be more familiarized with their native language. In addition, older immigrant children may have more emotional and developmental issues that can make integration difficult to achieve. Rivera reveals to the Star, "for my younger son, everything was new, interesting and exciting. But it's much harder for my older son to make friends because others had already been friends. He's bullied here and he misses his good friends, grandmother, and everything else in the Philippines." Therefore, every family who arrives to Canada can be at different stages within the acculturation process. In reference to Rivera's sons, the youngest was able to recover from the cultural shock faster than his older brother. Ultimately, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to create a safe, welcoming, and nurturing environment for the child. Therefore, on-going communication and support between the student, family members, other class mates, and ESL teacher, is essential to attain.

Please refer to link below for the article:
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1079030--dropout-rates-rise-with-immigrant-child-s-age-of-arrival

The institution of the Africentric School within the Toronto District School Board made its mark in 2009. This week, I wanted to gain more insight into the intentions of the Africentric Alternative School program as well as how this establishment had emerged. Emphasizing Africentric epistemologies in the teachings of youth, it ultimately moves away from the dominant Eurocentric views that have been the framework of study. According to the school website, there are three distinct objectives the educators have for its students: high academic achievement, high self-pride, and a high motivation to succeed. By infusing the history of African descent with the Ontario curriculum, it can provide these students with a greater understanding of their heritage based on sources and experiences, while providing them with the emotional support as needed. Therefore, the purpose of this school seeks to empower a specific student body by providing them with a safe environment to learn. Although a positive and encouraging school experience is promoted, the school faces great criticisms.

This plan was first initialized in 2007 as community meetings began to engage in discussion regarding various approaches that would need to be enacted in order to ensure academic success for all students, including those racially marginalized. Many community members strongly believed these individuals were often segregated in the public system and often disengaged from their learning. In 2008, strong support from the Toronto African community prepared a report which highlighted Improving Success for Black Students. When presented to the Board of Trustees, they decided to institute a pilot program to be carried out in three schools, which involved integrating history, culture, experiences, and contributions of the people of African descent and other racial groups into the curriculum and the school environment in general. Ultimately, the Board responded to these declarations and acted in a way they believed were responsive to the needs of the entire community. By analyzing the divided reactions to the decision by the TDSB to open an Africentric school, re-emphasizes the importance of community. Regardless of the different types of schooling that may emerge, all students can gain a better understanding of the world through multiple experiences, perspectives and interactions of different people. This awareness of diversity offers a basis for learning as well as provides the foundation in developing a positive relationship between students, adults, and the community as a whole.

Please refer to: http://www.tdsb.on.ca/SchoolWeb/_site/viewitem.asp?siteid=10423&pageid=19951&menuid=23019

As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 nears, stories regarding this indescribable occurrence have flooded various media outlets including newspapers articles and television programs. This weekend of remembrance for America's great city does not just entail how the twin towers of the World Trade Center quickly collapsed before the world's eyes, but the lessons individuals have gained after this devastating attack. In particular, Mitch Potter, writer in the Toronto Star, published an article today entitled, "New Yorkers shrug off anxieties as 9/11 milestone approaches." Preparations are underway for Sunday's ceremony at ground zero as victims affected by the attack gather together to remember the one's they lost.

For additional information on the memorial, Michelle Shephard's article in the Toronto star is another useful resource as she attempts to understand how world events can "puncture our own bubble of security." Her book entitled, Decade of Fear, tracks terrorists, victims, and spies, around the world as she attempts to define terrorism and understand its roots. By visiting different places around the world and interviewing various people she uncovers that each region views the world in a different perspective. Therefore, it is important for students to recognize these differences in order to obtain a greater perspective on the complexity of the world.

Class discussion of current events when teaching or learning about social studies is pivotal in engaging the students to learn. Being able to draw resources from events or experiences is an essential part to learning about the complex history of our world. Referring to the Professor's previous post: critical thinking in social studies is imperative in order to "create a critical thinking culture in the classroom." Therefore, awareness of global issues is essential in order for students to make connections and draw conclusions. Reading the daily newspaper or watching the news is an extremely useful tool for students to gain a greater perspective of what is happening in our world.

Please refer to link below for the article of reference :
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1051868--new-yorkers-shrug-off-anxieties-as-9-11-milestone-approaches?bn=1