This week in ECS 210, we were given the following prompt to create our blog post:
During fall semester 3 years ago, I (Mike) received an email from an intern asking for help. Here's part of it:
As part of my classes for my three week block I have picked up a Social Studies 30 course. This past week we have been discussing the concept of standard of living and looking at the different standards across Canada . I tried to introduce this concept from the perspective of the First Nations people of Canada and my class was very confused about the topic and in many cases made some racist remarks. I have tried to reintroduce the concept but they continue to treat it as a joke.
The teachers at this school are very lax on the topic of Treaty Education as well as First Nations ways of knowing. I have asked my Coop for advice on Treaty Education and she told me that she does not see the purpose of teaching it at this school because there are no First Nations students. I was wondering if you would have any ideas of how to approach this topic with my class or if you would have any resources to recommend.
This is a real issue in schools. As you listen to Dwayne's invitation/challenge, as you listen to Claire's lecture and as you read Cynthia's narrative - use these resources and your blog to craft a response to this student's email. Consider the following questions in a blog post:
1. What is the purpose of teaching Treaty Ed (specifically) or First Nations, Metis, and Inuit (FNMI) Content and Perspectives (generally) where there are few or no First Nations, Metis, Inuit peoples?
2. What does it mean for your understanding of curriculum that "We are all treaty people"?
I'd like to note once again that once again, in the blog hub all formatting and paragraphs have been lost however, on my website I do have indentation, spacing and paragraphs!!!
Dear student,
Firstly, I appreciate your concern for the lack of Treaty Education in your school. It’s a shame that such an important part of our studies is so often overlooked. I admire your determination to have your students understand and value First Nation perspectives.
It’s possible that because your school and Coop think that since Treaty Education is not needed from the lack of Indigenous people in your school, that the students have never received any form of such education. In this case, I’d recommend showing them that we are all Treaty People so that students, teachers and the Coop alike understand that treaties affect us all. Being a Treaty Person means that we live on treaty land and it’s because of such agreements that we are allowed to live on the land. You can show your class the treaty map of Canada and you’ll see that all of Saskatchewan is covered by treaties. Furthermore, you can remind your Coop that Treaty Ed. is a mandatory part of the curriculum and is not optional.
Treaty Ed. is a way to help preserve the First Nation, Inuit and Metis culture as well as teaching students how to form positive relationships with Indigenous people. It also gives us all the opportunity to learn a new part of Canadian history. We can look at the terms on which the treaties were signed and learn the benefits and responsibilities that come with the treaties from both the Indigenous and the settler perspectives.
I also believe that it’d make Treaty Ed. much easier if you were to start with the kindergarten curriculum and work your way up, even if the students are in a higher grade. The students need a foundation to build their knowledge on. Much like in math how you can’t learn multiplication until you know how to add, you have to know the history to fully understand the present.
Treaty Ed gives students and teachers the opportunity to learn not only about Canada’s history, but the present as well. I wish you the best of luck on getting your school to understand that the treaties affect us all and that we are all Treaty People.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Cottenie.