b'GRADUATIONSimilarly, a 2018 report by the Auditor General indicated that even when regional variationsAbsenteeism are factored into on-reserve high school graduation rates, theyAbsenteeism among Indigenous students in high schools can be are still significantly lower at 24grouped into two categories: non-traumatic and traumatic.per cent. Their non-Indigenous counterparts are graduating at 87Non-traumatic absenteeism causes: per cent.Hunting, fishing, trapping seasonsThis statistic for on-reserve gradu- Family or ceremonial time on the landation rates is an interesting aspectSibling and elder careto consider in the current context of Indigenous secondary education.Dont like the teacher or subjectAlthough residential schools, withTrips outside of the community for health care, sporting their appalling track record, wereevents, shopping or entertainmentabolished and the last one closed inFunctionally illiterate in multiple languagesthey feel 1996, many FNMI students living indefeated and discouragedremote, isolated regions of CanadaPeer pressure to skip classes or school still do not attend secondary school in their own communities. TheyHavent mastered intrinsic motivation for learningmust leave their families, language,Do not understand the value of education and how culture and connection to the land,additional qualifications determine future possibilitiesalong with their support networks,Tremendous autonomy at a very young age to get a basic education as boarders or billeted students.Social medialate night scrolling, false perception of realityOne could assert that this isVideo gamingGRADUATIONa similar concept with similarTraumatic absenteeism causes:outcomes. Even my home commu-nity of Six Nations of the GrandBullying River, located in southern OntarioLack of proper seasonal clothingwith one of the largest First NationFood insecuritypopulations in the country, sendsNOT WHAT IT USED TO BE all but a few of its high schoolOvercrowded housinggenerally poor housing conditionsstudents off-reserve to get theirTransient parent or familysecondary school education. ItAddiction issues of the parent and/or the studentseems ridiculously unnecessary to me, but thats politics, I guess.Teen parenthoodDuring my stint as a teacher inAbusethe North along the Quebec side of James Bay, the Cree students I taught were graduating, but often late. Typically, in Quebec, high schoolers enter CGEP after Grade 11 or Secondary 5 when they are 16 or 17 years old. Where I was a teacher, the majority of the high schoolers graduated around the ages of 19 or 20. Some might not fully grasp the nature of the relationship that Quebec has with FNMI communi-ties or the realities of the various impediments to education and 2022indspiration31'