The Nature of Risk and Curricular Practice: The Canadian Context

• In Event: Theorizing Gun Violence: School Shootings, Politics, and Curriculum

Abstract

The increased prevalence of gun violence in American schools is notable. Following the Columbine Tragedy, a comparison was made in Michael Moore’s film, Bowling for Columbine, to show the distinctions between American and Canadian schools. The film portrays a stark contrast between the gun mentality in the United States, and the vastly different Canadian context. Specifically, Moore walks into an Ontario town to find that the owner of the house has left his door unlocked. He proceeds to talk to the owner, who, instead of having a sense of threat from Moore, invites him into the house to have a chat. Similar distinctions are made between the urban ghettos found in the United States as compared to Canada. And despite similar numbers of gun purchases in both Canada and the United States, a dualism is played out between American and Canadian gun violence.

This paper has three primary aims. First, I challenge the stereotype that Canada has not experienced gun violence in schools. This is simply false. Eight days following the Columbine shooting, a copycat shooting occurred on April 28, 1999 at W.R. Myers High School in Taber, Alberta whereby 14 year old Todd Cameron Smith shot three students, fatally killing one and wounding another. In the more recent Newtown Sandy Hook tragedy, numerous schools were closed across Alberta, including a school in Devon, and schools in Rocky Mountain House, Ponoka and Medicine Hat (Hoang, 2012). Other closures were a result of messages posted on social media that students would be hurt at an unnamed school. Given these copycat incidents, clear procedures have been put in place in Canada’s schools that include: locked entry ways, emergency response procedures, and clear and explicit lock down procedures.

While the prevalence of American gun violence has changed policies and procedures in many of Canada’s schools, of greater concern is the heightened awareness of risks that are involved in curricular practice. In the second part of the paper, I wish to draw upon one case in Calgary, Alberta whereby students embarked on an off-piste skiing excursion in the Canadian Rocky backcountry as part of the outdoor education program offered at the independent school. On February 3, 2003, a large avalanche buried and killed seven high school students. The events of that day called for a greater critical evaluation and review of the nature of risk particularly related to curricular activities.

In the final section of the paper, I attend to the policies and principles that underpin curricular policies in Canadian schools related to risk and liability. While it is recognized that risks are inherent to many activities, it is also recognized that risks, when properly managed, contribute to the benefits of the learning experience. Faculty, staff and contractors should be organized and prepared so as to avoid hazards, and if problems occur, they must be capable of adequately handling the situation.

Author

• Dianne Gereluk, University of Calgary