Throughout my life, I was not exposed to much Indigenous history or culture. I decided to enter the Faculty of Education to further my knowledge and share my knowledge with the future generations of Canada. Until I entered university, my knowledge of Truth and Reconciliation and the suffering Indigenous peoples have been through was minuscule. I was briefly introduced to the history of treaties, residential schools, and Indigenous ways, but the main discussions and lessons were based on earlier Canadian history. I began my journey towards reconciliation and research into Truth and Reconciliation as part of the secondary education program at the University of Regina. This journey and the research I have done have been genuinely insightful; I often ponder on how I can participate in reconciliation and how I will be incorporating it into my classroom in the future. I am a history major, so educating students on Indigenous knowledge and past events will be significant in the curriculum.

I began my research by looking into the history of residential schools. I wanted to know the big five: who, what, where, when, and why? Residential schools were schools used to house and assimilate Indigenous youth between the years of 1831 and 1996. Across these 165 years, 130 residential schools operated, in which an estimated 150 000 children attended, and an estimated 6000 died (Marshall & Gallant, 2012). The records were poorly recorded and are being updated as more information and evidence is found. These numbers are significant to Truth and Reconciliation. We must recognize the foulness of the past to develop a better future.

After learning about the horrific statistics of the residential schools, I wanted to know stories from survivors. I came across an interview with John Jones, a survivor from Port Alberni Indian Residential School. Jones shared his experience of abuse and assimilation at this school, saying, “A friend told me not to speak my language or talk about tradition because if you do, you will get punished.” (Chang & Chakrabarti, 2021). Jones’ father attended the same school before him, and they both shared the experience of sexual, physical, and mental abuse. Jones also shared his experience with Mr. Plint, a supervisor that commonly sexually abused the children at this school. The interviewer, Chakrabarti, responded, “In 1995, Arthur Plint pleaded guilty to abusing 18 children at sentencing, Judge D.A. Hogarth described the abuses as the worst he’d seen in his 45 years on the bench.” The fact that the judge said it was the worst case of abuse he had seen in 45 years is absolutely disgusting, and worse off, abuse like this occurred at all residential schools.

The research I have done shook me to the core. The terrible conditions in residential schools are reprehensible, and no one should ever suffer those conditions. But people did. This is an issue that needs to be addressed now and in the future. The Indigenous peoples who suffered these conditions and their generations to come need to have a voice. Society must listen to what happened, accept what happened, and make a change for the better. Children are easily influenced and must be taught about the trauma endured in these schools and continuously be educated. We must expose the truths of the past and incorporate Indigenization into the education system more so all Canadian children understand the past relationships in Canada. We must make Indigenous people feel comfortable and accepted by exposing Canada to the truths of the past and their ways of being.

The Indigenous ways of being are essential, as their culture was stripped from them at residential schools. After discussing it in class, I wanted to learn more about one specific piece of their culture: The Seven Teachings. The Seven Teachings is focused on the spiritual essence of seven animals important to the Indigenous peoples. These animals are the buffalo, bear, wolf, turtle, sabe/sasquatch, beaver, and eagle. I was intrigued by this idea of spiritualism; each animal resembles a critical moral principle that they used as guidance. Joseph Naytowhow, a knowledge keeper at the University of Regina, stated, “Animals can look after humans, but humans can barely take care of humans,” during a lecture for ECS 101. That quote resonated with me based on everything I have researched. The Indigenous people look to animals for guidance because humans cannot trust another human to care for them. This is evident with The Seven Teachings, as the animals guided their morals. This is also evident with residential schools, where the supervisors did not care for the children.

What does this all mean for me as a future teacher? This means I will have a responsibility beyond teaching students the course material; I must educate them on the history of Indigenous peoples and the agony of residential schools. I hold the responsibility to spread awareness of the past and encourage a better future. I must develop a safe and comfortable learning environment for all students and encourage students to never stop learning, sharing knowledge, and listening. Most importantly, I must teach students the meaning of Truth and Reconciliation. “Reconciliation is about UNITY and RESPECT between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people.” (CTF, 2016). Above all else, I must continue educating myself on these matters so I may share my growing knowledge with students for years to come. The students learning starts with me, and my learning starts with understanding the true meaning of Truth and Reconciliation.

I believe my learning of this subject has just begun. I only know a small amount of the atrocities of residential schools and an even smaller amount about Indigenous culture. I plan to continue growing my knowledge so I can share what I know with my students. I hope my knowledge will develop open minds in the youth and teach them to be accepting, respectful, and knowledgeable young adults. I hope my lessons are exciting and impactful enough that students will go home and tell their parents what they learned, similar to what I did in school.

For my aesthetic representation, I decided to write a poem about The Seven Sacred Teachings. I found the teaching very interesting and impactful. The 7 teachings directly relate to life, but not everyone knows this Indigenous perspective. Should one know, understand, and share the teachings, they have the potential to live a virtuous life. After learning more about the teachings, I have begun reflecting more on my daily life; the actions I make, the words I speak, and how I plan my day. I know I have much to learn, as I have only grazed the surface, but incorporating these teachings into my life as moral guidance feels like a great start to my life-long journey towards reconciliation.