It really is evident. Just look at those faces! Look how serious most are; check out their posture and position of hands. Nowadays, you’d believe it to be some divine school, at the exception of a female abecedary! This picture, handed to me by my father, is a class picture of my father’s sixth grade class. Observing this picture, a couple aspects stand out. First of all, they are all well dressed Caucasian male children in an obviously religious school. Most have serious faces, and they all have their hands together as if they were praying. The atmosphere of the picture seems very serious, as if they’re at school for one and only purpose: to learn; not to play, nor to have fun. Contrasting today’s society, this picture goes to show how many differences lie from the past to the present, whether it concern race, religion or even perspective.
This picture contrasts today’s school atmosphere and society in multiple ways. When I see this, I imagine life almost as a misery. Thinking of how I live today and how school is for me, I can’t imagine being in such a school where discipline and rules are enforced in such a way to wipe the smile off most faces. Nowadays, when you walk in a school, you can observe many differences. The first: there are females! Imagine that, intermixed gendered students in classes! This aspect of our modern world goes to show how our perspective has changed of intermixed gendered students in classes. We’ve become substantially more open to the concept of females and males mixed together. Furthermore, it demonstrates how women have gained more freedom over time as well as more rights, no doubtable a good change in our society.
Second of all, modern school environments, no matter where you go, are multiracial. We find Caucasians, Asian, African Americans and many other races mixed in one society. This creates a multi-cultural society, rendering racism and many other cultural differences. This difference in school environments has taught us to appreciate others for who they are, and not necessarily for their beliefs. We have learnt much of our peers’ cultures, and have been able to adopt new traditions and lifestyles consequently improving our own. For example, I’m in a school where you find Asians, Caucasians, African Americans, and many others.
Learning from their experiences and how their religion and politics function, I’ve learnt to appreciate the country where I live since I now know that in many countries, politics rule peoples’ decisions in life and how they function as a being, an influence more powerful than any other. I’ve learned to appreciate their beliefs and their loyalty to their beliefs. Living in a multicultural society has helped me, as well as others, look at situations, events, and ideological beliefs in many different ways, giving us each a unique perspective of our world but one unified by many different beliefs. The students in the picture are taught to believe one thing: the Bible. It is understood that if you are in a school in Ontario, that you are catholic. No other religion is taken into account. No other beliefs are acknowledged as a kind matter. This goes to show how much, not only our province, but our country has changed. We’ve become one of the most multi-racial, multi-cultural countries in the world.
It seems that this picture brings to mind a timeline, or even a different era. In the picture, the students are little minions of a catholic army, while in today’s classes and schools students are free to believe what they want. We celebrate not only catholic traditions, but many others. It goes to show how much we have changed, how much we’ve accepted each other for who we are instead of what we believe. The purpose of school today is not only to educate, but to socialize and have fun. I’ve most certainly experienced this, as my father has experienced the opposite. We’ve changed as people, as we’ve changed as a society. It brings to mind one question. When my kids look at my school picture, what differences will they write about?
