Teaching Canadian History: Past as Present

     In 2006, I started teaching at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School. My first class was Grade 2, with sixteen of my 29 students being First Nations. Many of these students came from Cree communities along the eastern James Bay coast of Quebec. Some of them had never been away from their community, and  many others had experienced trauma at the schools in their communities. All of them were coming to our school to get a “good education”, something their parents felt they could not get at home.

I instinctively knew that I had to form meaningful relationships with my students in order for them to trust me. I asked them questions about their communities, such as what they ate and what seasons they hunted particular animals. At my request, my students also taught me some words in Cree. They often laughed at my accent while I attempted to say the words that so naturally rolled off their tongues. Here I was, their non-Indigenous teacher, wanting to learn their language and sounding so funny while trying! I don’t think I realized the incredible “pedagogical power” of relationships until these experiences with my first class. Over the years, my “approach” has become centred on relational pedagogy, whereby the teaching and learning of history is not secluded in the confines of the past, but is a collective endeavour, which brings us together and creates ethical spaces for dialogue, thinking and action. My approach to teaching Canadian history centres on recognizing our role in learning history, taking steps to make amends, and connecting the injustices of the past to current issues of today. In the paragraphs below, I will give a detailed synopsis of one of our project’s in narrative form rather in a traditional lesson plan, reflecting an indigenous pedagogy centred on story, rather than a western-based sequential approach. 

The Project: Jordan’s Principle

There are several concrete projects that my students and I have created and engaged in over the years, but I have chosen to describe the most recent project, which was writing and filming a Public Service announcement for Jordan’s Principle. I will present  my project as “ A day in our classroom”, which brings to life the way I teach Canadian history. Using the historical thinking concepts as guiding principles, I will describe the project in detail, illustrating how my students not only gain understanding of Canadian history as a whole, but also become actively involved in history as a collective movement of our present. I will also draw attention to several other unique projects that my students and I work on to show my commitment to teaching Canadian history by raising awareness and creating inspiration.  

Project Background

“Jordan could not talk, yet people around the world heard his message. Jordan could not breathe on his own and yet he has given the breath of life to other children. Jordan could not walk but he has taken steps that governments are now just learning to follow.”

-Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director First Nations Child & Family Caring Society

Jordan River Anderson was a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba who was born in 1999 with multiple disabilities. He lived over two years in a hospital because federal and provincial governments could not agree on who would pay for his at-home care. The reason for this is that federal and provincial/territorial governments cannot agree on which government should pay for services to First Nations children on reserves, so they typically do not provide the service until they can sort out the payment issue.

Jordan River Anderson

    Unfortunately, Jordan died at the age of five before he could experience living in a loving home. This simply would not have happened to a non-Indigenous child living off reserve in similar circumstances. The Provincial government would have covered the costs immediately. Sadly, Jordan’s experience is not unique. Research has shown that First Nations children all over Canada are routinely denied life-saving and life-wellness services available to other children due to government jurisdictional arguments. Through Jordan’s experience we know the price that many First Nations children pay. Jordan’s death ignited a movement to uphold human rights for all First Nations children through the creation of the child-first principle called “Jordan’s Principle`. 

      When I introduced my students to Jordan's story, they were immediately engaged. To them, Jordan represented a story that was not an isolated event, but rather a narrative that was happening to many Indigenous children across Canada. They spent time reading, researching and questioning the causes and consequences of policies such as the Indian Act. To help my students engage with the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, I rewrote the script into a Reader’s theatre, which my students and I spent over a month working on. They listened to Jordan's family speak on video, they looked at historical documents such as maps, and they even invited Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (FNCFCS),  to our classroom to ask her questions about Jordan`s principle. Cindy  They questioned historical perspectives and connected past and current racism towards Indigenous peoples to the policies that ultimately caused Jordan to be denied the care he deserved. Through this research, reflection,  and dialogue, my students were able to engage in ethical spaces and wanted to be involved in changing the way children like Jordan are treated.  My students wrote countless letters to Prime Minister Trudeau, explaining what they had learned, asking questions and respectfully demanding action. They became knowledgeable about the case before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which, in January 2016, ruled that Canada was discriminating against First Nations children by failing to provide the same level of child welfare services that exist elsewhere. In response to this, the First Nations Child and Caring Society and Health Canada decided to engage youth in creating a public service announcement (PSA) to contribute to the dissemination of information about Jordan’s Principle. Due to my students extensive work on reconciliation projects, and in particular, their activism and research around Jordan`s principle, they were asked to make the PSA. This included writing a script, deciding how it would be filmed, participating in the filming process and reflecting on their experiences. 

Bringing History to life: A day in our classroom

 The day before the filming, my students were excited and nervous. They felt a huge responsibility to teach others about Jordan's story, and to explain the historical significance of Jordan's legacy. They spent the day making finishing touches on the script, discussing decisions about the details of the day, rehearsing lines, giving each other feedback and deciding who would be responsible for greeting our guests, and monitoring the door and hallways for noise during the filming. My students understood the honour that had been offered to them. They understood that by creating a commercial to help Canadians understand Jordan’s Principle, they could be agents of change and change the course of history. 

    The day of the filming, I walked to school early, thinking  about the power of community and of relational pedagogy. It was clear to me that my students were able to examine Jordan's legacy from a place of inspiration and engagement because they felt safe to do so in our classroom. They felt encouraged to engage with history through an examination of perspectives of the past and an understanding of the causes and consequences of these belief systems. They felt empowered to question and think critically about the intersections between colonialism and racism, between current policies and both past and ongoing discrimination. They were able, through dialogue and discussion, to create ethical spaces to engage in difficult questions about their histories as Canadians. It is my belief that this sense of safety and exploration comes from our classroom culture that is founded on respect, humility, accountability and a deep sense of belonging.  This culture is created and nurtured through daily sharing circles, classroom meetings, shared chores and responsibilities, an expectation of contribution and kindness and an acceptance and love for each other. 

Sharing Circle

     Upon my arrival, I turned on our classroom lamps and looked at the way my students had organized the room for the day. They made sure that there would be space for all of our guests to sit comfortably in a circle. They decided that we would begin the day with a sharing circle, and this is exactly what happened. Our guests arrived, with a committee of students welcoming them at the door. We welcomed Matt LeMay, Metis filmmaker and his assistant, as well as Jennifer King and Daxton Rhead from the Caring Society and two Health Canada officials. We began, as we always do, by acknowledging that we gather on unceded Algonquin territory, and by introducing ourselves, including our names, our ancestral lands, and something we would like to share. Through this approach, we recognize that we come from different lands, and are each unique and important to the circle. By sharing in circle, we have accountability to each other, and can take risks and engage in a way that may otherwise be difficult for many. By recognizing our ancestors, we are drawing immediate connections between past and present, and our relationship to Canada. We also used the time in the circle to reflect on Jordan's life and family, and to share how we saw Jordan as significant to the work we were doing today. Our circle ended with decisions about where to do the filming and how each student would be involved.

  Filming  

The filming took place in our classroom, with the students deciding where and how it would happen, along with the filmmaker, of course! Once the location was decided, the students who had been selected to read the script (by vote and choice) got ready. Other students were able to decide between taking a seat in the “audience” or to sit “on set”, thereby helping the filmmakers with a number of tasks, including monitoring the hallways for noise, holding up the script for their classmate to read, or holding other equipment. The students monitoring the hallway made signs that said, “Quiet please. We are filming a production to make Canada a more equal place”. During this process, all of the students were involved in the production in the way that they felt most comfortable. The ability to choose, to contribute and to have a voice in all aspects empowered all of my students to feel the transformative power of film. At one point, a student spoke up and said, “Wow...we are actually making history! We can do anything!” During the filming, my students supported their classmates with their lines. They offered encouragement, support and celebration. They knew we were doing important work. They knew because they created it. They knew because they understood it. They knew because they could see the connection between past and present stories. 

Writing and Drawing

The students who chose not to speak on camera used their time to write about Jordan’s principle and to write letters to the Prime Minister. They also created posters that they took to “Have a Heart Day” on February 15, 2018, on Parliament Hill. Have a Heart Day is an annual event that brings students, teachers, community members, politicians and activists together to remind Canadians that not all children in Canada have access to equal services, housing, education or health care. 

Reflecting and celebrating

   Once the filming was done, letters written and posters created, the students and our guests came back into the circle. I asked students to share their feelings, thoughts, and questions about the day. One of my students who did the narration said that, “It was the best day of my life. It is sad, because it is hard to learn that Canada does not treat all children equally. But I know the history about it, and I know that today I did something to change that history.”  Another student (who is Indigenous) commented that he “never knew that ‘white’ kids could care about ‘his people’ so much,” and that he really “hopes that other kids are learning about Jordan too”. My students said that they still don’t understand how the government could be ‘so mean’ to First Nations kids, but they considered the historical perspectives of the time much of the policy that governs First Nations people living on reserves was written. They understood the historical significance of Jordan because they knew he was only one of  thousands of other children in similar situations in the current day. They understood the concepts of continuity and change by recognizing how little things have changed in government policies regarding services for children on reserves, and how discrimination continues today in spite of the orders of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. My students were able to form ethical opinions  and make judgements about the decisions of the federal and provincial governments to not fund care for children who need it. They were able to face these issues and connect them to historical colonial oppression of the past. By learning about the past, they were able to face the ethical issues in Canada today. By learning about Indigenous history, including Indian Residential Schools, the sixties scoop, the Indian Act, Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, my students have learned that this history belongs to us all. 

Learning in Action: PSA, Journal Submissions and Have a Heart Day

     My students had their letters and drawings featured in the February edition of the First Peoples Child and Family Review, which is a special edition and a chance for children and youth across Canada to share their thoughts on the past 150 years, along with their hopes for the future. My students attended “Have a Heart Day” on February 15 on Parliament Hill, and four of them chose to read their letters to the Prime Minister on the steps of Parliament Hill. They understand how social justice can redress historical discrimination and change the course of today. My students will soon see their faces and hear their voices on television, radio, youtube and social media as they speak up – and speak out – for change. They not only think they have the power to change injustices, they KNOW they do.

Listen to Lisa speak about the project here.