Self- Segregation in Cardston Junior High School

By: Taryn Salik

Due: April 11th, 2016
ID: 001157045

Cardston Junior High School has two distinct racial groups:

Caucasian and First Nation. If you were to walk into one of my Grade 6
classes, you would see these two races intermingling within the
classroom. There would be students sitting with their friends, no matter
what race they are. When you switch to my Grade 8 class, you would
notice that the two races, if allowed to choose where they sit, separate
themselves into their racial groups. The same concept applies when
you walk down the halls, the younger students do not mind sitting,
eating, chatting, and mingling with each other, no matter the race.
However, the older students self-segregate themselves based on the
race they associate themselves with.
As an individual who spent most of my primary and secondary
school years in a community where Caucasians were dominant, and
sometimes the only race to be seen within the classroom, it was
interesting to see the difference in Cardston. As a teacher in this
school, I have not seen certain individuals specifically discriminate
against an individual based on their race; however, the students
segregate themselves into their own racial groups. Sadly, this is a
common occurrence in the 21st century, where individuals of separate
race may not be forced to divide themselves due to law, but do so
anyways (Allen, 2013).
Taking this perspective into consideration, I became thoroughly
interested in seeing what kind of impact this had specifically on the

students at my school. According to Statistics Canada (2015), more

Caucasian individuals go to post secondary compared to First Nation
individuals. More specifically, approximately 50% of First Nation
individuals go to some form of post secondary, whereas approximately
65% Caucasians obtained a post secondary education (Statistics
Canada, 2015). If I applied these statistics to my school, I could make
an educated guess that, if the students intermingled between races
more than they are at higher grades, the motivation to continue to
post secondary for First Nation individuals may increase due to support
from peers and friends also continuing down that path (Canadian
Government, 2013).
Many factors influence the differences in post secondary
education between the two races. Specifically, for the First Nation
individuals, a difficult home life impacts the students ability to learn
during the day. This is not to say that a Caucasian individual may not
have a difficult home life, but with everything that First Nation
individuals have had to overcome, there still may be struggles that
certain households have to face. If a child comes from this particular
household, their ability to focus and their support at home may be
impacted (Canadian Government, 2013). Therefore, this is something
to consider as their teacher.
Similar struggles outside of school may also be causing students
to self- segregate because of the common connection between the

similar races (Canadian Government, 2013). I personally believe that

having someone relatable in your life has significant benefits because
that person can be an outlet for those individuals. However, the
negative impact associated with listening and being compassionate is
that it may be emotionally taxing on that individual. At such a young
and developing age, I can see how individuals turn to their racially
similar peers in order to help them through life as they could be
potentially struggling with a similar issue.
As an educator in this situation, the impact on my classroom was
dramatic when the segregation was present. During the Grade 8
periods, I found if I let the students self-segregate through no seating
arrangement, I would have to address certain groups more often
because of increased distraction. Both Caucasian and First Nation
individuals struggled at staying on task and I found myself addressing
students more often than I should. Self-segregation, whether due to
race or other factors, impacts the classroom environment significantly.
For example, productivity decrease, motivation to work decreases, and
frustration increases. Although peer support can bring a positive
influence to an individuals life, when it causes decreased productivity
in the classroom, education may suffer in the long run. As a teacher, I
need to be aware of these situations in order to create an efficient
work environment for everyone.

To address class productivity, I made seating arrangements to

specifically mix the self-segregated, which ended up increasing
productivity for many of the students. I found the mingling between
races increased during the class period and everyone worked together
to figure out difficult questions. I was pleased with the positive
difference that a simple seating arrangement could do. Based on
hallway interactions and subtle classroom interactions of these two
races, I knew no racial discrimination needed to be addressed.
Therefore, when forced to mingle, there was no conflict present and
work was completed in peace. As Crozier and Davies (2008) noted,
[while] we do believe it is important that these young people have
safe and supportive spaces, schools need to look to themselves and
seek to de-center and embrace diversity. Therefore, I strive to have a
classroom where there is no separation of any kind, whether due to an
individuals race, physical abilities, education capabilities, or for any
other reason. I want my classroom to be a room that promotes learning
in everyone and where everyone can feel valued and safe to express
themselves.
The one recent difficulty that has come up in my Grade 8
classroom, is that students are currently working on a project that
requires them to work individually anywhere in the room as it is a self
paced project to build a house. This has resulted in a decrease in the
productivity of certain individuals who segregate themselves into

groups with peers that tend to distract each other rather than
promoting a working environment. Three solutions I have come up with
are as follows: to have specific goals they have to reach at the end of
each class, to check in with them regularly, and to potentially split
them up throughout the classroom. A seating arrangement is not
possible because the houses they are building are too large to isolate
to just the tables as a workspace. Thankfully, the above solutions have
worked during most classes but I also find it depends on external
factors such as the day of the week, what events occurred the night
before, how motivated they are to work that day, and so on. I can only
regulate their work ethic to a certain extent and from that point their
effort comes from self-regulation.
This experience has taught me a lot including the importance of
getting to know my students and their home life as well as the impact
ethnicity can play on collaboration between students if given the
choice. In the future, I hope to pay close attention to my students
beliefs as to not force individuals into awkward or even harmful
situations, such as bullying or targeted isolation. In the same regard, I
will pay attention to these details to have an idea as to what is
happening at home. When I have more information on every students
out of school life, I can paint a better, more productive picture in my
classroom by bringing together collaborative groups and seating
arrangements because I will know what difficulties may occur if certain

individuals are partnered up together. If I have a better understanding

of where my students come from, I can also be an additional person
they can rely on rather than always turning to peers.
Furthermore, I have learned the impact of a good seating
arrangement. This goes for every grade, but especially in situations
where students self-segregate into unproductive groups. If there are no
existing discrimination issues, it is beneficial for everyone in the class
to learn to work with other students. Students all learn in different
ways and it is important for everyone to learn and teach each other
because it broadens concepts every student in a diverse way. These
skills include learning to collaborate with assigned peers, teaching a
peer a certain concept, working individually and with others, that, as a
teacher, are not mandatory to teach. I hope to implement this
extended curriculum within my classroom in order to bring the
community together.

References:
Allen, R. (April 3, 2013). Our 21st Century Segregation: Were Still
Divided by Race.
In TheGuardian. Retrieved on April 2, 2016 from
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/03/21stcentury-segregation-divided-race
Canadian Government. (October 21, 2013). First Nations In Canada. In
Indigenous
and Northern Affairs Canada. Retrieved on April 2, 2016 from
https://www.aadncaandc.gc.ca/eng/1307460755710/1307460872523
Crozier, G., Davies, J. (2008). The Trouble is They Dont Mix: SelfSegregation or
Enforced Exclusion? In Routledge. Retrieved on April 2, 2016
from

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13613320802291173#.VwBY
l1QSAdc
Maslow, A. (1943). Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. In Psychology.
Retrieved on April 2,
2016 from http://www.researchhistory.org/2012/06/16/maslowshierarchy-of-needs/
Statistics Canada. (December 23, 2015). The Educational Attainment of
Aboriginal

People in Canada. In Statistics Canada. Retrieved on April 2, 2016

from https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-012x/99-012-x2011003_3-eng.cfm