September 29, 2024 – Truth and Reconciliation
Look at this day… a beautiful sunny day… as if the skies had opened up for us this day. It was raining almost every day (including September 26, 2024 in the afternoon) but this morning was gorgeous. I could not believe it. I felt lucky!! For EDUC 394, I have designed the first few weeks of the course to scaffold to the fourth week of the course to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (on September 30th) and Orange Shirt Day to create a foundation of understanding of “the hard work” required to comprehend BC’s Curriculum, First Peoples Principles of Learning, Professional Standard 9, and the TRC.
We started the class with the Blanket Exercise with Dr. Daniel Sims from the First Nations Studies department. We’ve collaborated on the Blanket Exercise for the last few years with teacher candidates. I appreciate his willingness to offer his time, knowledge, and expertise with teacher candidates in this exercise. It’s not an easy topic but it makes the history of Canada visible and experiential. As a consequence, the learning experience can be very difficult and challenging. I was proud of the courage and vulnerability these cohorts had expressed in the morning. I regret the sadness it provokes and the heaviness it creates, but the morning’s class was planned with intentionality having September 30th in mind.
The morning was difficult and challenging and to complement the Blanket Exercise, the UHNBC Traditional Drummers joined the class outside at the university’s Ceremonial Fire Circle where the teacher candidates built a fire. Thank you to the UHNBC Traditional Drummers of whom I shared our morning’s activity with the blanket exercise and how the teacher candidates were feeling. I am so grateful to the UHNBC Traditional Drummers for holding the space for the teacher candidates and sharing their compassion, kindness, and joy with us. The drumming session started with much heaviness such that one teacher candidate was brave to share their vulnerability, sadness, and gratitude. With each song and opportunity to participate in drumming and sing, the class ended with the eagle dance. Thank you EDUC 394 (Fall 2024) for doing the (hard) work. It’s not easy.
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