In order to move into a more just future, we need to look into the past and learn from our mistakes. To do this we need to acknowledge the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions Calls to Action to educate our youth on the history of residential schools, Treaties and Indigenous contributions to Canada. The Treaty Education outcomes throughout the Saskatchewan Curriculum need to be addressed at all grade levels.
In my classroom, there will be a focus on holistic wellbeing for my students. The Circle of Courage is an indigenous philosophy based on the Medicine Wheel that outlines four essential elements that every child needs in order to flourish. The Circle of Courage promotes belonging, generosity, independence and mastery, covering all the dimensions of holistic health. I hope to use this model to guide students’ learning everyday.
I believe in the importance of teaching about truth and reconciliation. As Ryan McMahon stated during the Treaty Ed Camp pre-conference, its not enough to simply acknowledge that we are on Treaty territory without understanding what that means. So my goal for this is to not only acknowledge Treaty land, but encourage others to dig deeper into what this means.
In my classroom, I would like to teach that Indigenous ways of knowing should be valued equally to western philosophies. I also think that it is so important to use outside resources, such as the Aboriginal Perspectives website, to support my own teaching. Calling upon the help of elders or other speakers can only help to strengthen the message. This year I attended the Treaty 4 Gathering at Fort Qu’Appelle for the first time and I came away feeling torn. I learned so much, and also had to accept that there was much more for me to learn in order to deepen my understanding. I plan to attend again in the future and would love the opportunity to provide that experience to my students. As I am still learning about what it means to dig deeper into treaty education, I think it is important to continue to work towards educating myself.
