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Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
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Dear Listen & Learn Community,
This morning I noticed that a number of my previous articles were being accessed more than usual in preparation for Orange Shirt Day tomorrow, so I thought I would send a quick email in case others might find them useful.
Take good care,
Angela
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I'm in the first two weeks of a new semester at OISE/UT and the teacher candidates in my classes are questioning "what age can and SHOULD we begin to discuss uncomfortable subjects with our students?" What I love about When We Were Alone (written by David A. Roberston and illustrated by Julie Flett [Cree-Métis]) is that after reading it, candidates immediately began to see how a subject like Residential Schools can be approached in an age-appropriate way.
I love this book for so many reasons, beginning with the warm and comfortable relationship between the young girl and her kokum (grandmother) who are engaged in conversation propelled by questions from the child throughout the story. I also love that as kokum tells of being separated from her brother or having her hair cut off at school, she shares ways that her and her friends came together in moments of peace, connection, and resistance when they found themselves alone and unsupervised in the school.
Click here to read the whole article
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Developed by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, these are a child-friendly version of the Calls to Action. Click on the title above to access the PDF.
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Have you or your students heard of Mary Two-Axe Earley? Mary, a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder from Kahnawake, was an activist and a pioneer of the modern women’s movement on this land. You can learn more about her here, here, and here.
If you have access to a CAMPUS subscription through the National Film Board, beginning this month you will be able to view Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again and have access to the study guide which connects this film with Civics/Citizenship and Indigenous Studies, and is geared towards students aged 14+.
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Full disclosure: I grew up in the Catholic education system, and my family identifies as Catholic. I am also not currently aware of any official policy or guidelines from any board which answers this question. Perhaps this is why I struggle so much when I get asked, "What can I say about the Residential School system?" by teacher candidates who wish to work in the Catholic education system and teachers already employed there.
I interpret these inquiries as indication of a strong discomfort, the lack of sustained response from the Church on the topic, and that not enough dialogue is occurring in some boards. I also have experienced that discomfort and even fear when faced with bringing these topics up in a religious context.
I know of great examples of teachers who are doing bold and honest work in this realm, and so I want to begin there!
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This month, I have worked with a new group of teacher candidates in the course I teach, and a new group of educators in rural Ontario through facilitating a Collaborative Inquiry process. Both groups reminded me of a question that I have been consistently asked in the past five years, one that has spanned locations, contexts, grade levels, and years of teaching experience:
What if parents object to me teaching about Indigenous topics?
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