Focus Question #3 Truth and Reconciliation
Throughout my K-12 education, I have learned a vast amount of knowledge with respect to Indigneous history in Canada. For example, during a social studies or history course in elementary, I was mainly taught about how the Indigenous peoples arrived in Canada and where they were located across the region. As I moved onto high-school, I started taking history courses where I learnt about these peoples’ trading process, their cultural dances and ceremonies, and how these were prohibited by the Canadian government. These courses were helpful because they further deepened my understanding of Indigenous perspectives.
Last year, I also completed the Education for Justice: Self and Other (ECS 101) course. One of the discussions I had in this class was about how the Peter Pan film misrepresents the Indigenous peoples. The director of Peter Pan does this by claiming that these peoples are “savages and liars” (Laskow, 2014). More recently, I have finished the Indigenous Studies 100 (INDG100) subject where I received a more in-depth understanding about the Indian title, the BNA Act, the Manitoba Act, the treaty formation, and how all of these terms build upon one another. These subjects were useful because they showed me how the Indigenous peoples are viewed by the media, as well as their relationship with Canada and the Crown.
Furthermore, I recall being placed in a grade 4 / 5 classroom on my third day at the Albert Community School. In the morning lecture, the students were watching a YouTube video about how Harvard University is rejecting the admission of Asian-American students (YouTube, 2020). After the video ended, the instructor highlighted the term “heritage”, as it was mentioned in the video. She explained that heritage is important for children to take note of as it helps them to understand our history. Keeping this term in mind, I would also like to include a point from the Truth and Reconciliation Booklet. This teacher guideline mentions that everybody has the right to know everything. From my perspective, this point of understanding the truth is helpful because it can prevent people from misrepresenting and using stereotypes towards the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
The grade 4 / 5 teacher also honored Indigenous knowledge in her classroom by using the Seven Grandfather Teachings. These teachings include respect, love, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth. She told her students that these seven teachings are important because they give us a relationship with the land.
The Truth and Reconiliation Booklet (TRC) provides teachers with full insight about why it is important to know the truth, what a teacher’s responsibility is after knowing the truth, and how people can reconcile after knowing the truth. Keeping this booklet in mind, I want to learn more about the history and purpose of the Canadian Reseidential Schools, the health impacts that the survivors faced after enduring such an assimilation, and how the individuals have healed from this incident. For a call to action I want to know how I can teach my students about this topic and what my responsibility is as a future educator. Uncovering this truth is helpful because it will prevent similar mistakes from happening again.
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