Week Eight: We Had a Voice

I attended school in Strathmore, Alberta; in ways it did seem to make citizenship education a priority. I remember in my social studies class in grade 6 we got the chance to take part in an ‘election’ that involved a variety of schools. This was the year of the Canadian election and it allowed students to get involved and feel as if we have a voice. However, in the grand scheme of things, our voices really were not heard as our votes did not actually ‘count.’ It was set up to mocked the actual election and overall, it really made us feel involved as Canadian citizens. Another example is every Monday to Friday my school would play the anthem over the intercom in the mornings. On Friday’s they would play the anthem in french as that is one of our official languages of Canada. These are the two things that stick out to me when I think of citizenship education I received throughout my schooling.

It made it possible for students/citizens to feel involved and feel like they have a voice. It really helped me to stay focused in social studies because I grew interest because I was able to get involved. I find students are able to learn more effectively by learning hands on which is exactly how I felt. It made it possible for each student to understand how the government works and how voting takes place and how confidential it really is. All in all, through my education many things were made possible in regards to citizenship education.