The following is my response to Call to Action 62 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and how as educators we can achieve this call with ideas to use in the classroom.
As future educators we play a role in ensuring the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is in fact carried out. We can do this specifically throughout classroom practices and address call number 62 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.” (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015, Call to Action 62, i) Already as a teacher candidate I have tried to do this and make Indigenous content my priority when lesson planning and this is the key to fulfilling this call to action.
It can be used in any subject at any grade. Some examples include a unit to begin the year that shows when we paddle a canoe we must work together and incorporate a lesson on traditional Secwépemc use of the canoe since discussing history of local Indigenous people is a part of this call and incorporates classroom building and social studies. Another example could be an activity incorporating a word wall using the Indigenous languages of the local First Peoples in English Language Arts. Teaching about Residential schools also needs to go past Orange Shirt Day while it should still be commemorated there needs to be more learning than just on that day. There are so many great resources such the First Nations Education Steering Committees online website, specifically, FNESC/FNSA Indian Residential Schools & Reconciliation Gr. 5 Teacher Resource Guide (First Nations Education Steering Committee, 2015) which can help generate ideas and activities. I hope to utilize all of these in my future classroom. Every day we must do these things to continue to work towards reconciliation, we cannot just check the boxes.