As a teacher, September is a time that is very busy for me as I begin to get ready for the upcoming school year. September is filled with change – from new classes to teach, and new students to meet, clubs to plan for and events to run. It can be very stressful for me, but it is also a very exciting time as I, and I hope the students, begin to get back into the swing of the school year. Today, September 30th, I am taking time to reflect and remember that going back to school has not always been an exciting time for many members of our society – going back, or beginning to attend, a residential school would have had a significantly different feeling.
September 30th is recognized as Orange Shirt Day, and it honours the story of Phyllis Webstad. If you have not listened to Phyllis’ story, I encourage you to listen below.
The voice of the First Nations people in Canada has been long silenced. I am very fortunate to work in a school where I am able to have discussions on reconciliation with some of the youth in our city. Our school recognized Orange Shirt Day and we participated in a liturgy to focus on the voice of Residential School Students. Last year I had a group of very passionate grade 12 students who began our Treaty 4 group with me and a few colleagues. This year, I was concerned that there would be lack of interest, but our group increased in size. They took the leadership to lead our school and educate them on reconciliation, focusing on how they will use their voices this school year.
Some of the members for the Vanier Treaty 4 club this year.
Our liturgy took place in the gym, and had a much different tone than other liturgies. A main difference was that we seated the students in a circle on the ground, rather than in our bleachers. Taking time in the day to talk about Reconciliation, to share knowledge, and give voice to students who have been long silenced in our country, was a very powerful moment.
I wanted to be able to share our presentation as a resource for other teachers, or anyone who is interested in further educating themselves. The slideshow includes resources beyond the document that can even further your education. You can find this slideshow here.
Some of the staff and students at Vanier who participated in Orange Shirt Day.
The Treaty 4 group made many challenges to the staff and students during the liturgy. They challenged everyone to become familiar with the 94 Calls to Action, and to listen to listen to Read the TRC Report. They also challenged Vanier to fill their social media with facts on Residential Schools, and to share what they have learned with at least one other person. We already had a Twitter begun, which has documented their journey for the past year, but we also began an Instagram page to help spread the awareness further. We challenged the school to use their voice for something important this year, and had them fill orange shirts with how they plan to do this (pictures to come). The last challenge we proposed to the school was to learn 100 days of Cree. We discussed the importance of revitalizing Indigenous languages. Since our presentation focused so strongly on voice, it was very suited to begin this challenge. Taking Cree 100 this semester has also motivated me to help the Treaty 4 group do this, as I myself am focusing on learning Cree this semester. The group made their first video, and will be posting each day to learn a new phrase or word. You can follow our journey on twitter or on instagram!
In closing I would like to quote Justice Murray Sinclair when he stated, “Education has gotten us into this mess, and education will get us out.”
Samantha's Blog 