Thinking About Equity

KAIROS Canada

came to our Social Studies class yesterday to present an interactive short history of Canada’s First Nations in order to spread the message of their Take Action initiative for Indigenous Rights into the Brock Faculty of Education. It was extremely thought provoking and emotionally powerful. We stood on blankets and took turns reading from scrolls about the atrocities which occurred during the European exploration, “discovery” and colonization of Canada. The idea of the experiential retelling of history was to create empathy and urge us all towards incorporating social justice into our teaching practices.

I will admit I was a little bit disturbed after the presentation, not knowing how to digest the experience or how I would incorporate it into the P/J classroom. I thought of my future students. Would they be sick with feelings of helplessness or guilt that they or their ancestors were responsible (sick like I felt)? With the knowledge that we can’t “turn back time” - we need to ask our students to discover what steps can be taken now so that history doesn’t repeat itself.
I then wondered how early we should teach about Canada’s sordid past (and sadly, present) in terms of the inequities experienced by our First Nations, Metis and Inuit populations? I was told that it is important to teach solidarity, equity, social justice and community building in JK and not to wait until the Pioneers unit in Grade 3. Is providing stories from a variety of indigenous cultures and perspectives enough?

"For the mistakes of the past, Canadians need to hear and tell the truth. With the promise of reconciliation, Canadians need to end the inequities of the present."