Standard 9

During our Truth & Reconciliation day on Sept 26th, we completed the Blanket exercise and had a drumming circle at the Fire pit at UNBC which was emotionally and mentally draining. Then on Sept. 30th, I went to the Walk and Talk at the Canada Games Plaza in the morning.

The day was filled with many emotions, the blanket exercise was very emotional. I have seen a portion of the exercise, but not the full thing by standing on the outside in another class last year. Watching the exercise take place was emotional but taking part in the exercise on Sept 30th was very eye-opening. I believe that it was very eye-opening because from what I have already and from what we have learned everyday from a visual standpoint. I have talked about/learned about Canadian history in past through reading and learning in class. Seeing the Blanket Exercise done visually opened my eyes in how the Canadian government horribly treated Indigenous Peoples. The visuals of the exercise also shows how the government take and use the land. The blankets that we used in the exercise represent the land that the government took from Indigenous peoples then “gave it back” for them to live on. This representation shows the Mal-treatment that Indigenous People faced when colonization occurred. Reading the scrolls that were apart of this exercise highlights the horrible comments and actions that Government officials made towards Indigenous Peoples and comments of Indigenous Peoples that faced atrocities.

Truth and Reconciliation matters because as a society we need to recognize that the atrocities that has occurred in the development of Canada and the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada and that there is valuable knowledge that we can learn from from Indigenous communities. Standard 9 states that Educators respects and values the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past, on the present and the future. As a Teacher, the Standard 9 is important to teaching because as an Educator we need to be open to understanding Indigenous ways. Also, an Educator needs to understand that the power of focusing on connectedness and relationships to oneself, family, community and the natural word. I think for me as a settler and a Educator, I need to step out of my comfort zone and continue to learn about Indigenous cultures and Indigenous ways of learning and their perspective while also being who I am in relation to the land.

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