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[itstristanfromtoronto]

Learning Activity 3.5, Task 4: What do I believe in?

In my opinion and from my experiences in life, the only policy that actually helps students grow past bad behaviour is restorative justice. I’ve been suspended before, so I know first hand that it does absolutely nothing for either the student or the school. It annoyed my mom, gave me a day off to play video games, gave my teachers extra work to help me catch up, and the next day I was back with not a single lesson learned. If the point of schooling is to shape students into smart, loving, and mature adults, then yelling and suspensions causes only regression. On the other hand, restorative justice does the complete opposite. It helps students understand what they did, why it matters, and how to do better next time. I believe in this, because I’ve been through it and really felt an inner change when a teacher took the time to talk to me like a human. #StudentVoices

When a punishment is meant to hurt someone in some way or form, you’re only teaching them to conform out of fear of punishment. Punishments like suspension or expulsion only feel like the school’s way of getting even. These forms of punishment don’t prevent future infractions. I remember in my high school, they would send people home for violating uniform policies, wearing black sneakers instead of black dress shoes was an absolute crime. It happened to me once, but my mom snapped on my principal, so I got away with it for all four years. When it happened to other students, you’d see them lingering in the area, smoking, hanging out, definitely not learning their lesson. That’s the problem right there, schools are so focused on enforcing rules and punishing students who violate them, that they can’t even teach you why they exist. That’s not education, that’s control, and it only makes rebellious spirits want to rebel even harder.

This is what learning looks like when a student gets suspended:

This type of punishment is a classic example of a power imbalance. School faculty hold authority over students, and students are just expected to be submissive. During these instances where students break a rule, schools go from being a place of learning to institutions of control. A punishment like suspension reinforces this power imbalance, protecting those who hold it, and silencing those who don’t. Educational institutions should be only that, rather than a battleground between authority and rebels.

It’s vital that schools shift away from this dynamic. Being one of the most important agents of socialization in a person’s life, school’s not only shape the way a person acts in their adult life, but consequently shapes society. Teaching obedience to kids while not teaching them why gives no room for them to grow. It only teaches them how to be fearful and naive, two terrible traits to have. With restorative justice, instead of harming students while simultaneously building bad traits, there is room for people to build themselves and become better members of society, it breaks the cycle. Mediation between two students who may have conflict, counselling for children with troubled homes, or even just mature one-on-one discussions are all it takes to change a student’s perspective. I know from experience all I needed was a good teacher who cared about me to redirect me off of a bad path. I strongly believe that people deserve a second chance, and teaching students what they did wrong can make that second chance worth giving. Treating students like criminals before the ripe age of seventeen only sets them up to become that - criminals. #YouthDeserveBetter

[itstristanfromtoronto]

Learning Activity 3.5, Task 3: Who am I?

A white man growing up in a low-income neighbourhood, my experience with struggle isn’t so different from the people around me.

[itstristanfromtoronto]

Learning Activity 3.5, Task 2: What has influenced me? Growing up near Jane and Finch in Toronto, I never identified with my ethnic background. Although I love the Germans and Newfies in my family, it is just impossible for me to tie my identity down to just those places. Instead, the person I’ve become has been influenced and built by everything around me. From the lunch special at the Jamaican spot across from my home, to my Japanese rock playlist that fuels my Muay-Thai workout, my identity has always been rooted in Toronto’s cultural blend. My everyday life is so affected by food, fashion, entertainment, and even architecture, I truly am a product of a cultural mosaic.

The most present influence from other cultures in my life is food, and with over 9,000 restaurants in my city, could you blame me? I will literally eat everything, sushi platters, jerk chicken, shawarma wraps, schnitzels, poutine. It’s not just the food I’m consuming, but the culture too, with spots like Daldongnae where me and the boys learn so much about Korea just from talking to the servers. Every meal comes with a side of culture whether it’s learning a couple words in a new language, or the entire history of India from a drunk guy at Tamasha. Food has always been the easiest and my favourite way to step into someone else’s world.

The scene of my life is shaped a lot by fashion and entertainment as well. Clothes, music, and self-expression are the core of how I live my life. I might pull up to a Korean Karaoke spot dressed in Japanese streetwear, or train at the gym in Thai boxing shorts.

Once you indulge in hobbies from other cultures, the fashion kind of just seeps its way through the seams of your life. Music does the same thing. You can’t listen to as much punk rock as me and not let it change the way you dress, talk, and think. Entire playlists consisting of U.K. punk will have you dressing in ripped skinny jeans and black leather jackets during the hottest Toronto summer days.

Let’s not forget about how important architecture is to the diversity of a city. I spend a lot of leisure time downtown, and every building I pass tells a different story. You’ll see a glass tower right next to an old worn down Victorian style townhouse. I’m typing this out from a brutalist library next to a century old church. This contrast is not only cool to look at, but is a physical example of cultural diffusion. Where else can you see two completely different buildings, from two completely different cultures, stand right next to each other? It is said that tradition and modernity often clash, but Toronto proves otherwise. Just like our social environment, our city’s buildings are diverse and adaptive.

After stepping back and looking at my life, it’s surprising to see how many different cultures affect almost everything I do. What’s even more surprising is just how easily these influences are blended in. Food, music, entertainment, every day activities, and even architecture from different cultures seep into my life in a beautiful way. Living in Toronto, you never hear the word “acculturation”, because you feel it all the time. It isn’t thought about, it’s just the way it is.

[itstristanfromtoronto]

Learning Activity 3.5, Task 1: Where do I live?

Growing up in Toronto and being completely immersed in a multicultural environment for twenty-three years has shaped my identity and honestly the way I view the world. Seeing people from every corner of the world build and share communities has made diversity not just a part of my life, but an expectation. My best friend is Filipino, my girlfriend is Persian, and my go-to dinner place is Kinka Izakaya #sushi4life. You don’t notice how multicultural things are until you step back and realize not everyone grew up like this, but looking at the stats makes you realize Toronto really is a cultural mosaic. 

Toronto wasn’t always as beautifully diverse as it is now. Since I was born, the percentage of residents who identify as visible minorities has grown from around 40% to over 55% (City of Toronto, 2021). The amount of migration and acceptance of other cultures has completely reshaped the way Torontonians live. Although I grew up in a marginalised neighbourhood, not everyone in Toronto did, so the norm of diversity that I’m used to could be a new concept to other citizens. 

Although diversity is not only present but #thriving in Toronto, there are still issues within our general demographic. As time progresses more and more of us are retiring, or having kids. We as Torontonians tend to overlook the fact that about a third of our population isn’t in the workforce at all, this is a large chunk of our population that are dependent on the rest of us. 

This dependency load adds pressure to institutions like our healthcare, transit, housing, and even education. Trust me, you’d feel the effects of this pressure if you spent copious hours in the Humber River Hospital waiting room with a broken nose. In a fast-paced city like Toronto, this issue isn’t talked about nearly enough. 

Despite the issue of dependency load, Toronto is working towards fixing it. The city has started investing in programs that help older adults stay active and independent, like Toronto Senior Strategy. This plan has been designed specifically to ease the dependency load by improving access to healthcare, safe housing, social inclusion, and transportation for older residents. The goal is to keep seniors healthier for a longer time so they can stay independent. Smart planning and demographic awareness is key if Toronto wants to keep advancing. Addressing the problem and strategizing should keep us two steps ahead.