Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Educational Calls to Action Response

62. We call upon the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in consultation and collaboration with Survivors, Aboriginal peoples, and educators, to:

i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.

 63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:

i. Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.

ii. Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.

iii. Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.

iv. Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.

As a teacher, it is my job to deliver these Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Calls to Action both appropriately and effectively in my classroom. I feel that my teaching pedagogy sort of aligns with these Calls to Action, in the classroom. The call to action that I resonate with the most is 63.iii., building a classroom community that fosters not only intercultural understanding, but overall understanding and respect for our peers. This means understanding and being respectful of the fact that we are all different culturally, religiously, body-wise; as well as in our families, our feelings, our learning styles and so much more.

When it comes to covering Indigenous histories and their contemporary involvement in Canada, it is necessary to first know your students. Knowing what aspects might be hard to hear or work with and how they can be supported in that, at any age is so important. There are lots of age appropriate materials that have been created to support Truth and Reconciliation education. Starting from animated videos providing a surface level history, to accounts from Indian Residential School (IRS) survivors physically walking you through their experience at IRS. 

One thing I have not considered was addressing the shared effects of Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples. So often, we are concerned with the intergenerational trauma faced in Indigenous families, when on the other hand there are “emotional consequences of carrying systemic racism – guilt, shame and denial” (Ensouling our Schools p.49 Figure 3.2). By creating an environment where your students feel supported by the teacher, and their peers, students feel safe taking risks and fully engaging in this topic. 

Covering the topic of Truth and Reconciliation and why it is needed to heal the wounds left by Canada’s colonial histories can be daunting for teachers; Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. This history is not only emotionally charged, but it comes with the fear of covering material improperly, feeding stereotypes and/or overstepping boundaries related to cultural appropriation. As many teachers are learning about this subject in order to teach it to their students, an Inquiry approach to instruction can foster co-learning in the classroom, providing the space where teachers can learn with students. 

Resources:

  • (2017, December 18). Retrieved February 8, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zuRQmwaREY
  • Freeman, K., McDonald, S., Morcom, L., Reid, E., Parker, C., Chan, A. W. Y., … Bostrom, S. (2018, May). Truth and Reconciliation in YOUR Classroom. Retrieved February 6, 2020, from https://www.edcan.ca/articles/truth-reconciliation-classroom/
  • Katz, J., & Lamoureux, K. (2018). Ensouling our schools: a universally designed framework for mental health, well-being, and reconciliation. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Portage et Main Press.