Blog #4: Treaty Education

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Treaty Education is very important in the classroom, especially where there are a few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit students. It is extremely crucial for teachers to talk about Indigenous content and perspectives in order for all students, especially non-indigenous students, to understand what it means to share this treaty land with Indigenous peoples. In Claire’s lecture, she highlights the importance of treating Indigenous students fairly because a lot of times these students feel that the color of their skin is a barrier to their success. The same idea is mirrored in Dwayne Donald’s lecture “On What Terms Can We Speak?” (2010). He describes the Aboriginal culture as something that is framed extremely culturally, which can be a problematic idea. For example, our society makes the assumption that Aboriginal students don’t do as well in school because of their culture. To teach Treaty Education in classrooms where there are none of very few Indigenous students is extremely important because non-indigenous students are the ones without the knowledge of the Indigenous culture and history, things that Indigenous students already have knowledge of.

Learning about Treaty Education, as mentioned by Claire, is learning about “the benefits and responsibilities of sharing this land and honouring the long history of this place” (Cappello, 2017). We are all treaty people after all. We share this land with the Indigenous peoples – whose land was taken away from. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have rights and responsibilities. More importantly, as teachers, we have a responsibility of creating a safe space for all students so they can feel that they belong and therefore feel valued. However, in order to appropriately carry this out, I think teachers need to address the topic of racism in the classroom. Like Claire mentioned in her lecture, teachers “need to stop making racism and colonialism the underlying curriculum” (Cappello, 2017). Treaty Education makes our society better in a way that educates not only students but also their parents. At the same time, through treaty education, students gain a deeper sense of their identity, relationships and the country they live in. Treaty Education is one step closer to making a change in Indigenous lives and a step closer to reconciliation. It is important to teach Treaty Education because it’s one way to honour it. As long as the sun shines,  the grass grows, the river flows, we all share the privilege of living in this wonderful land.

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