The Faculty launched a new Five-Year Strategic Plan setting its vision and direction for 2023 – 2027.

The family of the late Savitri Ahuja, an alumnus of York's Faculty of Education, created an award in her name to celebrate her passion, dedication, and legacy to break down barriers in education.

The Faculty launched a new video series 'Leaders Supporting Future Leaders in Education' to showcase the Faculty's bold leadership in education which helps create more just communities.

Professor Carl James was honoured during the 2023 Spring Convocation with a Distinguished Research Professorship.

Professor Sue Winton was appointed York Research Chair in Policy Analysis for Democracy.

The Faculty of Education commemorated its 50th Anniversary Year celebrating five decades of extraordinary education and leadership.

 

Walmart Foundation donated USD $750,000 to �첥��Ƶ to support a groundbreaking research project led by prof Carl James, the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora.

 

�첥��Ƶ and the Faculty of Education welcomed Minister Kamal Khera to campus to announce a $1.5 million federal contribution towards the Jean Augustine Chair in Education Community and Diaspora.

On May 18, the Faculty of Education and the Division of Advancement at �첥��Ƶ collaborated to host the first Education Alumni Network Mixer.

 

This past April, alumna, Korina Thomas-Reynolds and Kate Haiyun Mossop, were recognized as #YorkU’s Top 30 Alumni Under 30.

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Addressing racism in the classroom requires educators to ask hard questions of themselves, white discomfort, and the discarding of old traditions.

In 1920, , then-deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs is quoted for suggesting that his goal was to “get rid of the Indian problem.” Scott’s solution was to expand the forcing Indigenous people to assimilate. One hundred years later, the legacy of residential schools continues to impact Canada’s current school systems. that Indigenous children continue to experience systemic racism by their peers, teachers and the larger community. Needless to say, shaming and assimilation persist today.

Over the past 16 years, I’ve worked in education in various roles as a teacher, board lead, university course director and now as a vice-principal. Throughout this time, I’ve noted many advancements in championing Indigenous education and narrowing the Indigenous achievement gap by increasing graduation rates. But time and time again, I’ve also noticed deep discomfort and fear among educators when it comes to addressing anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism in schools.

“I don’t feel comfortable!”

For the most part, educators want to have a positive effect on their students. But when asked to participate in creating that change by addressing racism, I’ve witnessed some who squirm and say they prefer not to “rock the boat.” For systemic racism to be dismantled in Canadian schools, however, we need to address the that some educators feel in disrupting anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism in schools.

For example, during a staff meeting at a Scarborough school where I previously worked, an administrator asked staff members how racism was being spread at school. Was it the curriculum? Our choices of books? The way we speak to students? I thought these were excellent questions to ask to encourage self-reflection and to prompt discussion about potential areas for improvement. In response, however, there was a long silence.

By comparison, I asked colleagues at different schools if race-related conversations were also happening during their staff meetings. For example, looking at race-based data and examining in-school practices that might hinder Black and Indigenous students. Most said yes, but added that they were led largely by and racialized educators.

Why are some white educators so uncomfortable? Perhaps it’s fear that openly and honestly engaging in these critical conversations may result in being labelled “racist” or “insensitive.” That said, many racialized and white educators do want to speak up. They are on a journey towards unpacking their or – but they don’t know how and where to begin or what language to use. Sometimes, it helps if a critical friend engages them in discussion. But this responsibility usually falls on Indigenous, Black and racialized people, which is problematic because the work of is a personal journey that doesn’t involve others.

“ I do not feel safe”

This makes me wonder what the union’s role is in protecting racialized teachers from microaggressions and unintentionally or intentionally racist remarks. Whose safety matters when having these discussions? What role will the union play in dismantling racism at Canadian schools?I’ve witnessed colleagues respectfully correcting white educators for saying: “I do not think racism is that bad in our school…is it?” Unfortunately, some have complained to the teachers’ union that they “do not feel safe” or feel “attacked” whenever they’re corrected for making a racist or problematic statement.

There’s also significant discomfort among educators when it comes to using anti-racist language when teaching elementary students. I’ve consistently heard some say that children at this age have “tender minds” or are “too young” to learn, and that “we don’t want to instill fear” in them. Yet research suggests that from the age of two. That’s why anti-racist education shouldn’t be just one lesson or unit plan. Instead, it needs to be embedded in everyday practices, starting from kindergarten. And if a student uses the term “racist” incorrectly, teachers should take that as a learning opportunity to address the class.

“I have good intentions!”

There is no doubt that educators have good intentions for student safety when participating in school board-wide events, such as , and . But what happens when these events cause harm to students?

For example, the purpose of Orange Shirt Day is for educators to teach students about the cultural genocide committed against First Nations, Métis and Inuit children, so it’s an opportunity for the school community to unite in the spirit of reconciliation. Specifically, students learn that the RCMP forcefully removed Indigenous children from their families and communities, as the Canadian government’s goal was to “

That’s why, on Sept. 30, they read about , a residential school survivor from Northern Secwpemc in British Columbia. As the story goes, Phyllis’ grandmother bought her an orange shirt to wear to St. Joseph’s residential school, but when she arrived, school officials took her shirt away. As a 6-year-old, Phyllis expresses that she felt worthless and like no one cared about her.

Despite this focus on Phyllis and other Indigenous residential school survivors, though, their experiences are often decentered on Orange Shirt Day. How? I’ve seen students receive handouts with the sentence starter, “I matter because…” Students’ responses, which ranged from “I am lucky I have a safe school” to “I have a mom and a dad,” are all valid but the voices of Indigenous people are erased in the process. It’s essential that educators focus on Phyllis’ story because only then can Canadians move forward towards reconciliation. For example, educators can dive deeper into researching residential schools’ objectives, and then explain how they were wrongly informed by white supremacist ideologies.

Another board practice we need to reimagine is “spirit days” like Crazy Hair Day, which can be problematic if students choose to wear an Afro, cornrows or Native long braids as a costume. Students also learn that this type of hairstyle is “crazy,” which dehumanizes Indigenous and Black people for the sake of “making school fun” or “keeping old traditions.” What’s more, Sikh and Muslim students can’t participate in these activities because some wear a turban or hijab, so they’re automatically excluded.

Educators need to understand that some school traditions promote racism, sexism, classism and other forms of discrimination against marginalized groups. We can no longer say, “But we’ve always done it this way” or “It’s a school tradition.” For example, hold a spirit day when students identify acts of kindness among their peers and compliment them, or wear their favourite piece of clothing and share why it’s special to them. This would enable students to participate without having to assimilate or adhere to antiquated norms.

It’s time to involve students in critically rethinking past practices and reimagining new inclusive school traditions. Educators can no longer hide behind fear when Indigenous, Black and racialized students’ lives depend on it.

Ixchel Bennett is Indigenous Nahua/Zapoteca from Mexico. She is a vice-principal with Toronto District School Board in a school with a high population of Indigenous students. She is also a PhD Candidate with �첥��Ƶ’s first Indigenous PhD cohort.

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This month’s graduate student profile features international PhD Candidate, Mirco Stella. His research focuses on experiences of migration and displacement, and questions of pedagogy. "Crucial to my thinking about the world and education are the image of borders," says Stella. "What it means to simultaneously inhabit and deconstruct the lines and places we've learned to trace, to divide the familiar from the unfamiliar, as well as the same and different."

"To prospective graduate students I say to get involved with your local graduate student organizations and community as well as participating committees," says Stella. "I also tell them that whatever obstacle is coming their way to push forward because their voice matters and might create spaces for others."

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Dr. Shelia Harms, MD, a 4th year PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education is the recipient of the prestigious 2020 U21 Health Sciences Group (HSG) Teaching Excellence Award. The Award was established in 2014 by Deans of Medicine as a way to celebrate and reward exceptional educational scholarship, particularly amongst research intensive universities, across the U21 HSG network. The Award also helps to nurture international cooperation, one of U21’s key objectives, by offering faculty from different universities, and regions, to work together on exciting, interdisciplinary projects.

"Questions of learning in academic psychiatry simultaneously require a commitment to a discourse of the mind. It has been through the scholarly work of education that I have found a rich place to encounter thought anew,” says Harms.  “This award depends on the possibility for shared educational transactions marked by success and failure alike. For this I am deeply grateful to the many students and educators who have created a generative space for me to engage and explore what it means to have an education in psychiatry.  I am honored to receive this award and the possibilities it opens for ongoing educational transformation. "

Clinically, Dr. Harms practices as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at McMaster Children’s Hospital with a focus on general outpatient care. Academically, she is in the role of Associate Chair Education within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences. She is actively involved in supervising undergraduate and postgraduate learners as well as teaching within the Faculty of Health Sciences. Dr. Harms has acted in numerous educational leadership roles within the department including the program director for Postgraduate Psychiatry Training and has held the role of the inaugural program director for subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is also an active member on the Psychiatry Exam Board for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Harms directs the global mental health initiative in the department which includes leading a long-standing collaboration and novel educational initiative at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Western Uganda, where she also serves on faculty.

Dr. Harms is focusing on enhancing educational scholarship activities across the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. As part of these efforts, she is pursuing a PhD in education at �첥��Ƶ under the supervision of Distinguished Research Professor and York Research Chair in Pedagogy and Psycho-Social Transformation, Dr. Deborah Britzman. Harms dissertation is titled, “A different kind of education: Notes from a psychiatrist". Her focus is on critical histories in Psychiatry. Dr. Harms is particularly interested in thinking about medical education using psychodynamic concepts as they are applied to learning, in an attempt to understand educational phenomenology that are both relevant and pressing in contemporary medical education. The dissertation’s themes include studies of uncertainty in learning, difficult knowledge, the role of bodies in the study of the mind, and the work of encountering colonialism.

“It is my great pleasure to congratulate Dr. Harms on her illustrious award. The field of psychiatric education, as with any education today, must undergo major transformations and this award recognizes Dr. Harms as one of its creative international innovators,” said Professor Britzman. “Dr. Harms entered the PhD program with a four-year SSHRC and a deep interest in problems of psychoanalytic approaches to education. Her dissertation, “A different kind of education: Notes from a psychiatrist” is a model of humanity and generosity. Dr. Harms continues to distinguish herself as a leading scholar, now by opening psychiatric experience with autoethnographic methods with psychoanalytic sensitivity.”

Finally, Dr. Harms has been recently elected to the American College of Psychiatrists, the elite scientific college dedicated to professional leadership and highest standards of psychiatry through teaching, education, research, and clinical practice.

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