Towards Reconciliation in the Classroom

  As teachers, we know students are struggling with mental health. We have PD on helping them to develop resilient mindsets and set up support teams in schools. Counselling offices are busy from 9 to 3, every day. Still, the above graphics (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2022) show that the situation in Canada is dire.  Yes, the pandemic is being blamed for a lot of this sharp downturn in mental health, but even prior to COVID, students were working hard to maintain a positive mindset. For example, Werner (2016) talks about how studying world issues such as poverty, famine, ecological stress, social chaos and international debt, can have a profound effect on student state of mind. Anxiety, despair for the future, etc. can contribute to near complete student shut-down. The author talked about how learning is affected in these situations. He said "without hope, there is no incentive for learning". I would argue, based on the above infographics, that more than just l...

  I accidentally found the above printed resource while I was reading another document, and decided to check it out as I thought I could link it to my blog content. It did not disappoint. This is a 200+ page pdf published by Alberta Education and had 7 chapters dedicated to helping teachers connect with First Nations, Métis and Inuit learners. I wanted to explore aboriginal educational philosophies, from a First Nations point of view. This blog post will speak, in particular, to aboriginal world views, how they compare to Western PBL ideas . The authors identify common threads that run through many Aboriginal cultures are can therefor be referred to as foundational worldviews. These are: a holistic perspective the interconnectedness of all living things connection to the land and community the dynamic nature of the world strength in "power with" Furthermore, Aboriginal education is based on spirituality, relationships and the expression of traditional values, and within each ...

This is the question I am now asking myself. Yes, there is dialogue at the national level. Yes, investments and committees have been dedicated to Reconciliation and movement has been made in a positive direction. But what is the readiness of teachers, curriculum planners, and publishers to engage Reconciliation? To begin, let's look at a few sources that talk about how teachers are feeling. In a CBC video, Isaiah Shafqat, the Indigenous Student Trustee for the Toronto District School Board, is interviewed. He states that, in his district, students are more than willing to learn about indigenous perspectives, and teachers are more than willing to teach (CBC The National, 2021). In PEI, Nancy Peters-Doyle says things are moving in the right direction. She is Mi'kmaw herself, is a member of the Indigenous Education Advisory Committee and teaches at 2 island schools, one on reserve and another in a small nearby non-aboriginal community. She states, in her interview, that cogs are t...

The image above shows part of the PEI provincial legislature chamber, the room where PEI provincial delegates meet to discuss matters at hand. It is located in a historic building, named Province House, where, long ago, the Fathers of Confederation met to discuss the creation of a provincial union and independence from the Crown. I figured that looking at my home province should be the logical next step for my inquiry as it would be here, in this room, that decisions regarding provincial education and indigenous affairs would be made. I wanted an up-to-date snapshot of the situation here, and a quick search online revealed that a new provincial report has just been published in June 2022. Let's begin with an interview with Mark Sheridan, who is the Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Director in PEI. Here, Sheridan spoke about the importance of publishing an annual report on Reconciliation progress ( CBC/Radio Canada, 2022) . This is good news, as an annual status report would ...

In my search for blog post inspirations, I stumbled upon a report from the Government of Canada entitled "Education for Reconciliation". In it, the government reports on its progress with each of the 4 Calls to Action related to Education.  As you will see, much work has begun, and much work remains.  Call to Action #62 What it states: Call to federal, provincial and territorial governments to ensure that aboriginal studies are included in all grades from Kindergarten to Grade 12; Provide funding for post-secondary teachers and teachers in Aboriginal schools about how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms; create a new position, at the federal government level, dedicated to Aboriginal content in education. The federal government's response thus far: In its report, the federal government outlines that it has (Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 2022):  invested money (budget 2021 proposed $726 mil...

I figured the best place to begin with my inquiry was to go back to the organization and its guiding documents that brought education about residential schools and aboriginal culture to the forefront of our nation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  Some reading about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reveals that Truth f orms the backbone of this organization (University of Manitoba, n.d., About ).  First, the Commission collected individual truths from residential school Survivors. For the first time, Survivors were given a voice, direct to the federal government, a space in which their abuses in the system could be expressed and acknowledged. The Commission promises to keep and honour these truths, for future generations.  As well, the Commission has pledged to speak only the Truth. There is a devotion to sharing Survivor truths with the world, exposing residential schools for what they were: institutions run by the government and the church which hastened...