Lessons Learned
Parents and educators bridge peace, increasing children’s success
By Jane Schmidt
The first thing that greets people entering Etobicoke’s Kipling Collegiate Institute is the montage of faces: 800 students and staff. Lined up on each side of the mosaic are the 54 flags of the countries representing the heritage of the student population. About 200 of those students are Somali.
Until 1988, there were only 200 Somalis in all of Canada, but a brutal civil war in Somalia caused thousands to lose everything and by 1995, there were almost 60,000 Somali refugees living in Toronto alone.
Their first encounter with the Toronto education system was not a happy one. Many of the refugee children were assessed within months by the schools as special education candidates. Some were sent, without parental consultation, to schools for the developmentally delayed or emotionally disturbed. The parents were shocked and insulted by what they felt was discrimination and judgments against their children.
Abdirahman Sabriye, Community Development Worker for Family Service Association of Toronto, said, “The children were placed in “age appropriate” classes without background consideration.” During the civil war, adults and children had witnessed atrocities and were displaced from their homeland. They lived in the harsh conditions of refugee camps and in such circumstances, traditional education was rarely possible.
Even though refugees to Canada settle in a country of peace, they still face great challenges. The Somali refugees dealt with a new language, climate and an unfamiliar culture in which their Muslim religion is not predominant. In addition, Canada did not recognize the adults’ academic or professional credentials. Families that might have once been well off often found themselves living in poverty in less-desirable neighbourhoods in the city.
The difficulty of adjustment was further exacerbated by a high incidence of depression and feelings of despair within the community, which lacked adequate supports and guidance for adapting to a new society. Traditionally, Somalis rely on a community of extended family. The experience of war and immigration split many families. One-parent families headed by mothers became more common as men were killed in the war, left behind to fight or stayed back as a cost-saving measure.
Toronto’s schools did not take into account or were unequipped to deal with the language barriers, cultural differences, experiences of interrupted schooling and the trauma of refugee camps and a war in which children witnessed killings.
Discouraged by the obstacles, many parents wanted to give up on the school system. They lost faith that education was a great opportunity for their children. At Kipling Collegiate, only 30 to 40 parents came to parent-teacher interviews five years ago. Less than half the students passed the grade 10 government test and the school averaged 125 suspensions a year.
Community leaders, including Sabriye, intervened. The school’s principal, Roger Dale, and Sabriye agreed that the Somali students were frustrated, had low expectations and lacked hope. Sabriye spent most of his time working with the parents, helping to strengthen the community and bridge the gap of understanding. “The neighbouring wealthy Muslim countries did not accept the Somali refugees. We can be thankful that Canada allowed us to come to this country. Despite the hardships, it is still a good opportunity. Education is important.”
Together with other leaders, Sabriye arranged meetings with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). “The TDSB was not open at the beginning. It took four years of meetings with the TDSB, parents and politicians.” Finally the TDSB agreed to wait a year before assessing the children. That gave the newcomer students time to adapt and prove their ability.
At Kipling Collegiate, Dale and the teaching staff created an open door policy. “We started reaching out to parents with phone calls to the point now where we get over 300 parents out to parent teacher interviews. We have involved and engaged the parents in the kids’ education.” Now there is a 79 per cent pass rate for the grade 10 government exam. Only two suspensions were issued last year. Dale believes that community service within the school is more constructive as a discipline measure than “banishment”, which is interpreted as a rejection of the child.
Kipling Collegiate also made a connection with over 20 community agencies to provide assistance for the students and parents. Academic supports put in place are seen as resources rather than remedial help, which carries a stigma. Kipling became and remains a hub for the community, where all nationalities feel respected and honoured.
The Somali Youth Association of Toronto (SOYAT), a vital component of the community, offers tutoring and mentorship by Somali university students to six schools, including Kipling Collegiate. The mentors understand and relate to the stresses that children of immigrants face: the tension between two cultures and the pressure to do well because the parents have sacrificed so much.
There is still a long way to go. Few schools follow the example of Kipling Collegiate Institute, which Macleans Magazine has hailed as one of the top 30 schools in Canada. But there has been progress. The establishment of a climate of trust, respect and positive role models leads refugee students towards the belief that there are possibilities, there is hope and they don’t have to settle for mediocrity. And what is good for refugee students is really good practice for all students. At Kipling, students changed the name of the multicultural club to the “Human Culture Club” with the motto, “Humanity is Our Culture”.
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