Matt DeFouw says his son knows better than to text in class. But when a picture of a social studies worksheet popped up on his screen, the Kamloops father had to reply.
“Instantly, I was like, ‘Wow, you have to bring that home,’” DeFouw said.
The purpose of the assignment was supposed to teach Grade 10 students at Valleyview Secondary School about the different views in partisan politics. Students were given a list of questions and were asked to answer either political left or right.
“Question No. 3 was, ‘Which person is racist?’” DeFouw said. “The… correct answer was ‘right-wing people.'”
Other descriptions tied to the right included: A person who believes that convicted murders should be hanged, that women should stay home and be mothers, and that Canada should restrict immigration.
DeFouw, who is a right-wing conservative, said students should be taught that the political spectrum is much more complex.
“You have conservatives… being painted as misogynist, racist xenophobes who want to enact a brutal police state that hang people,” he said.
The Kamloops-Thompson School District was alerted to a post that DeFouw put up on social media and has since spoken with the parent.
Assistant Supt. Bill Hamblett says the school district is investigating.
“It is an oversimplification of those very complex ideas, which we need to revisit with those students,” said Hamblett.
Valleyview students told Global News they were uncomfortable with the questions on the worksheet.
“It’s basically a teacher saying, ‘This is my opinion — learn it and it will be yours too,'” said one student.
“I feel giving us a worksheet like that, it’s not really fair,” said another.
DeFouw said that he does think the teacher needs to be disciplined but hopes this can become a teaching moment that creates a larger discussion.
As for his son’s answers, DeFouw said it only made him proud.
“The one for, ‘Who is a racist?’ he just wrote racists.”
A copy of the worksheet below provided by Matt DeFouw: