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Toronto-Age |OT2|
- Thread starter EvilMario
- Start date
When I was in elementary, this was in the 90s to 03 I think. Teachers were Catholic, students were (for the most part) Catholic too. We had a class on religion every year but it wasn't really like bible thumping if that's what you are thinking. We would do things like read the parables and interpret them and how they work into how we should act in real life (even if we are using elementary school interpretations - I have my own position on religion after my experience in a Catholic school but that's another discussion). We would have assemblies that doubled as mass/church for the school on certain days where we would all get lessons again, or just typical mass celebration. (and for the record, my church attendance is and still is abyssmal). The only things that involved going to Church at a Catholic school (if you were Catholic) is they would organize Communion for you as well as another rite (I totally cannot remember).firehawk12 said:
Other than that, I didn't really see anything different in English, math, history (which they could've laced with tons of "Catholic propaganda" but didn't), geography, science, etc.
These days my local Catholic school is probably less of a Catholic school from what I've heard as far as students and teachers go. Everyone that went to the school in the neighbourhood has pretty much not left so the school is more willing to take other non-Catholic students and teachers. I'm pretty sure this is part of a more broad phenomenon elsewhere in the GTA though, possibly. I have a Muslim friend who attended a Catholic high school for all intents and purposes but she is pretty much still a Muslim.
firehawk12 said:
Well, elementary has already been covered, but at my high school it's required that every student takes 1 of 2 possible Religion courses in each year of enrollment (though the courses usually aren't Catholic, or even Christianity exclusive, if you are a non-Catholic student attending a Catholic school I don't believe you have to attend that class). We have a chapel, we wear uniforms, we have a morning prayer, we go to a local church at every major point in the year (beginning of the year, Christmas, Easter, and end of year), and we have crosses in each of our classes.
At least in my school, the religion didn't really bleed into any courses. Like I wasn't measuring things with a crucifix shaped ruler or anything, haha.
EvilMario said:Thanks everyone, it's great to be a citizen finally even though it has felt like I've been Canadian for years!
And the news that the TTC 'voice' will be replaced by a computer generated voice in the coming years got to be wondering who exactly does all the voices for the subways, etc.
The woman on the left is Cheryl Bome, and she voices the streetcar / bus routes, and on the right is Susan Bigioni, who has been voicing the subway stops since 2007. Openfile Toronto did a small piece on them recently. http://toronto.openfile.ca/toronto/text/meet-voices-ttc
Okay, this pissed me off more than it should had. Also, they have voices in buses? I never really noticed.
added_time
Member
I love my warm hat. It's gonna be another easy winter for me!
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Yeah, they've had voices ever since they added that GPS-based sign thing onto them. I'm still baffled about that.Azuran said:
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On Catholic school - so it seems like these schools exist more as some form of tradition because no government is going to risk pissing off voters rather than any actual need for a separate "Catholic" education then?
added_time
Member
firehawk12 said:
Every rational person knows that there shouldn't be one religion tied in with the public school system in any way. It should be all or none. (of course I mean it should really be none)
As you say though, no politician wants to be the one to do what is obviously the correct thing to do as it would bring too much heat on them.
firehawk12 said:
Yeah there's no logical justification for the Catholic school board, merely a historical one. They were a powerful group back during the formation of the country and they used their clout to gain certain special priviledges. Politicians who muse over ending the system in the name of equality tend to not get elected. John Tory got burned by this very issue.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Ah right, now I remember what happened two elections ago. Yikes.
Well, to bring it back on topic (there's a topic??), I suppose if the Afrocentric school isn't explicitly segregating kids (that is, it's not their fault if non-Black parents aren't sending their kids to this school), then really it just exists in the same state as a typical Catholic school. It's the same education with some of cultural trappings that help kids better engage with the curriculum.
Well, to bring it back on topic (there's a topic??), I suppose if the Afrocentric school isn't explicitly segregating kids (that is, it's not their fault if non-Black parents aren't sending their kids to this school), then really it just exists in the same state as a typical Catholic school. It's the same education with some of cultural trappings that help kids better engage with the curriculum.
added_time
Member
ZZMitch said:
This is correct. My wife is from Massachusetts and confirmed this for me. Although she had friends who attended schools in other States where they wouldn't teach evolution. I think that it does happen in the US but only in very few districts.
oh and by the way... you are the person that came to Toronto for school, right? How are you liking the city so far?
Similar but not the same state. Even in elementary we had events where we celebrated multiculturalism, things like productions or even potlucks where we would bring some cultural dish to lunch and we'd get a mix of Italian, Chinese, Polish, Indian, Sri Lankan, Filipino, etc. food. I'd wager the Afrocentric school program is trying to recruit the same things that already work in other school systems but more focused. Believe me, I think they are a fantastic idea to their students engaged and willing to learn, but my main concern is that they are segregated from everyone else and they need to figure a way out to reintroduce them into the greater multicultural society in Canada if not by the end of the elementary phase then it has to start during the teen years or something.firehawk12 said:
Yeah I came to Toronto for school. I am having a great time so far. My grades are good and I love how I can walk anywhere inabout five minutes. I love all the underground stuff and the street food vendors are awesome! The campus is beautiful too, there are wedding pictures at least once a week outside of my dorm.added_time said:
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Honestly, it probably doesn't help that even though Canada has a rich Black history - for both good and ill - it really isn't taught in school because it's not "easy" to teach like, say, MLK Jr. Pretty much everything I know about Black Canadian history outside of the perfunctory mention of the underground railroad I learned outside of my public education... so I can see why, say, having a curriculum that focuses on Black Canadian history and literature and music would be a very good idea, especially for a demographic that typically does not engage with the traditional structures of learning. I'm assuming that the curriculum isn't trying to posit an "us vs them" mentality either though.Sober said:
I do feel that tokenistic multiculturalism does more of a disservice than anything. It's just a reminder of difference that is only allowed to be expressed at certain designated times of the year.
Speaking personally as a Chinese Canadian though, I would have loved if my Canadian history class included a section on Chinese Canadian soldiers who volunteered to help the British infiltrate China as spies despite the fact that they faced racism in Canada, or a history of Kew Dock Yip, the first Chinese Canadian lawyer, and his fight to end the Chinese Exclusion Act. Again, these are things that I feel are a part of my greater experience as a Chinese Canadian and impact me more than some guys who fought in Quebec whose names I can't even remember, yet I only learned about them in my 20s - through my own research.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
The only part of Canadian history involving China that I remember learning is that the British basically screwed over the Canadian soldiers stationed in HK and left them to fend for themselves when the Japanese invaded. I'll say, it wasn't exactly the most diverse historical education anyway.ili0926 said:
I don't necessarily want to blame the curriculum either, because if you want to create a generic education that serves millions of kids, then there's only so much you can do, but I can just see why some people would enjoy a more specialized education tailored to their specific ethnic or cultural situation.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
They are actually riding the subway train. Why do you think each car has a little conductor's booth?!Entropia said:Do they do it live?
Ok, I'll mostly talk about my high school experience. I went to school in middle of fucking nowhere, Northern Ontario, where everyone is catholic. I attended catholic school for my whole pre-university life. The extent of catholic influence in high school was that there was a prayer before the announcements every morning(after the national anthem) and that there was usually an assembly in the auditorium for Christmas and Easter.
On the topic of catholic schools making everyone right wing. I can't talk about the catholic school boards here in the south, but up north, which is very rural and catholic I might add, the school boards are very liberal. We've never worn school uniforms, and the motion got rejected by the school board handily every time it was up for a vote. We only needed one religion credit to get our high school diploma - and it was a world religion class where we learned about every major world religion and the roots of modern religion. A lot of kids were out of the closet, and the teachers (that I knew) were very supportive and nice. Some weren't even catholic.
Only once do I remember the school sponsoring a "right-wing" event, and that was a pro-life presentation in the auditorium. Which I skipped. And when the presentation was over, my teacher opened up a discussion about it in his class, and he started by saying that he was pro-choice. In fact, I would say my high school was more into promoting francophone identity than catholic identity (I've always attended French schools). Not to say it didn't care about its catholic identity.
So yeah, I guess I support publicly funded catholic school boards. And like I said, I'm not a practicing catholic, and I didn't hide it. A lot of people didn't. But since I actually had an experience in one, which lasted over 12 years, I know what really goes on in catholic schools, and it's not as scary as you think.
On the topic of catholic schools making everyone right wing. I can't talk about the catholic school boards here in the south, but up north, which is very rural and catholic I might add, the school boards are very liberal. We've never worn school uniforms, and the motion got rejected by the school board handily every time it was up for a vote. We only needed one religion credit to get our high school diploma - and it was a world religion class where we learned about every major world religion and the roots of modern religion. A lot of kids were out of the closet, and the teachers (that I knew) were very supportive and nice. Some weren't even catholic.
Only once do I remember the school sponsoring a "right-wing" event, and that was a pro-life presentation in the auditorium. Which I skipped. And when the presentation was over, my teacher opened up a discussion about it in his class, and he started by saying that he was pro-choice. In fact, I would say my high school was more into promoting francophone identity than catholic identity (I've always attended French schools). Not to say it didn't care about its catholic identity.
So yeah, I guess I support publicly funded catholic school boards. And like I said, I'm not a practicing catholic, and I didn't hide it. A lot of people didn't. But since I actually had an experience in one, which lasted over 12 years, I know what really goes on in catholic schools, and it's not as scary as you think.
Kuro Madoushi
Unconfirmed Member
Didn't notice stop announcements? Pay attention to the bus announcements nest time...
As for Catholic schools, I'm surprised to hear those impressions.
As for Catholic schools, I'm surprised to hear those impressions.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Pretty much. Although I do remember a case somewhere in Canada where a Catholic school fired a gay teacher or something like that.
There are just some histories that are hard to teach to anyone that is not at a university level. I occasionally still chat with my high school history teacher and while I was taking all these cool history courses she would always comment on how impossible it is just try to teach say, Islamic or Arabic history or even Chinese. I don't remember even doing much if any Chinese history in high school.firehawk12 said:
It was 2005 and even then, grade 12 history was "West and the World" (literally that was the course name) and it was still mostly 11th to 19th century European (as much of the big topics you can teach to high schoolers) while trying to integrate the rest of the world into it (sadly most of it involves 18th, 19th century colonialism). Even then there wasn't much because even though the board mandated teaching a broader history in the scope of European history you miss plenty of things, like China and Japan pre-Imperialism or never touching the Arabian peninsula.
Grade 11 was Ancient civs and we never went anywhere East of Mesopotamia (i.e. skipped China, Japan, Persia, India, etc.). There just simply isn't enough time to teach it all.
Black history in Canada wasn't exactly all sunshine and lollypops either when I took Canadian immigration history at U of T. Granted it was better than living even in the northern US but there was still racism and segregation in Canada for the longest time. How do you even teach that to grade and high schoolers? Much less anything that happened to any other minority in Canada (and Canadian history in Ontario schools at least are still pretty shady on what they discuss).
Did any of you guys watch The Lang & O'Leary Exchange yesterday with the Egyptian guy who backed Wind Mobile? Here are some of the quotes.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/11/17/f-naguib-sawiris.html
You guys see the new Blue Jays uniform/logo? It's a throw back to the original logo and I love it. It'll be the first time I buy a BJ fitted hat in almost 20 years and I can't wait.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/new...17&content_id=25996396&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/new...17&content_id=25996396&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
added_time
Member
I love new logo and jerseys! Just perfect since they look so much like the old school ones that everyone loves!
WrenchNinja
Member
So is anyone going to the Zelda launch event? Anyone go to the booth yesterday?
I went to the 'event' this morning to pick up my wrist strap. I didn't stick around to play the game, but they have a little setup at the north end of Eaton Centre, outside Sears, with 7 units setup for play.
The wrist strap lets people buy the Collector's Edition at Futureshop at 9:00pm tonight. It's not really worth all the work it took to get it 12 hours early, but I did pick up a bunch of Streetpasses (around two dozen this morning) and I'm sure there will be more tonight.
I'll keep an eye out for any obvious GAFers.
WrenchNinja
Member
Oh man, I hope they still have wristbands.
First 150 Friday and 150 Saturday. I doubt they do anymore. ;_;
I went yesterday and got a wristband and took a few shitty pictures of Link and Zelda and Ghirahim.
And today I'm incredibly sick so I won't be able to pick the game up. Going to have to send my husband out, I guess. WrenchNinja
Member
Managed to snag one! Wish I had gotten my picture taken, felt too dorky going by myself.
Still Ive got a Zelda preorder at an eb near my house, not sure if I should cancel it and go downtown today or just pick it up on my own time.
And I'm surprised that so many of y'all are surprised.
You guys really thought Catholic schools were basically the US Bible Belt transplanted into Canada? Wow....
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Well, that's what "Catholic" evokes after all!Boogie said:
BigJonsson
Member
You guys see the new Blue Jays uniform/logo? It's a throw back to the original logo and I love it. It'll be the first time I buy a BJ fitted hat in almost 20 years and I can't wait.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/new...17&content_id=25996396&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
That blue jersey is excellent, I thought I was done buying sports jerseys but that one is very tempting. I'll be getting a new hat for sure.
Fixed.
You guys see the new Blue Jays uniform/logo? It's a throw back to the original logo and I love it. It'll be the first time I buy a BJ fitted hat in almost 20 years and I can't wait.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/new...17&content_id=25996396&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
I don't know which player to get for the jersey, and I don't wanna just leave it blank. The hat is a must for me, as well.
I already have Jose Bautista on my (now) old Jays jersey.
WrenchNinja
Member
Just came back from the zelda event. If anyone saw a brown guy in green hoodie with glasses along with a kid with glasses, that was me. Got my picture taken with the Zelda costumed people. Was a lot of fun.
Oh and the street passes, they kept coming, oh my god
Oh and the street passes, they kept coming, oh my god
I was the Mr. Miyagi Mii, and my wife was the Napoleon dynamite one if you picked up either of those.
You guys see the new Blue Jays uniform/logo? It's a throw back to the original logo and I love it. It'll be the first time I buy a BJ fitted hat in almost 20 years and I can't wait.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/new...17&content_id=25996396&vkey=news_tor&c_id=tor
Hopefully they stay with this one for a long, long time. I'm tired of the Jays changing their logos and uniforms every 5 years or so.
I never get names on my jerseys. Besides Halladay, Vernon Wells, and Sundin, I seriously can't recall any other players that stayed longer than 5 years in this city.
WrenchNinja
Member
Yeah! I got Napoleon. I think I missed you though. Mine has brown dude with glasses wearing the Link hair and hat.
BladeWorker
Member
Five years would be an improvement.
Really?
Dave Keon
Darryl Sittler
Rick Vaive
Nik Antropov
Wendel Clark
Tie Domi
Darcy Tucker
Tomas Kaberle
Doug Gilmour
...your point that pro sports teams have a habit of trading players routinely is made, but there are lots (a few above, just from the Leafs) who do stick around for the mid-term.