Ontario kids are now taught Indigenous curriculum earlier. Here's why that matters, say advocates
Teachers, students speak out on why Indigenous education is important to them
Students in Ontario are learning about the residential school system, Indigenous history and First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities earlier than they ever have before, but some say Indigenous curriculum should extend well beyond that to make a long-lasting difference.
Starting this school year, the province mandated Indigenous curriculum for students from Grades 1 to 3, compared to the previous mandatory curriculum starting at Grade 4. With the new move, Indigenous curriculum is now mandatory in Grades 1 to 7, as well as 8 and 10.
It's a move that Elaine Johnston, the chair of the Indigenous Trustee Council of the Ontario Public School Board Association, says is encouraging. But to have a greater impact, she believes curriculum should be mandatory for all grades.
"It's a slow process to educate people," said Johnston, speaking from Serpent River First Nation. "Now it's trying to catch up and figure out, how do we do this?"
Advocates say while the move shows progress, it comes years too late. The previous Liberal government committed in 2016 to update elementary and secondary course content to teach all students about the legacy of residential schools, but those plans were scrapped by the current Progressive Conservative government, right before curriculum-writing sessions with Indigenous educators and elders were set to begin.
CBC Toronto asked the province's Ministry of Education if it would extend the mandate to all grades.
"We are committed to recognizing the contributions of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals, communities and nations to our province and country," said Isha Chaudhuri, a spokesperson for Education Minister Stephen Lecce, in a statement Saturday.
"That is why we have included Indigenous content and voices in every elementary grade of Ontario's curriculum — including mandatory learning on residential schools to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples."
But with a long way to go until all 94 calls from The Truth and Reconciliation Commission are met, educators like Johnston say more needs to be done to support that work, and hopefully make the curriculum mandatory for all grades.
"We're talking about reconciliation. This is a ongoing process. It just doesn't happen overnight. It's about relationships, and how do we establish those relationships and maintain them?" she said.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded schools between the 1870s and 1997. The schools, known to facilitate widespread abuse, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children while eradicating Indigenous languages and cultures.
What Indigenous education means to students
CBC News spoke with students at Essex Public School and Hawthorne II Bilingual Alternative School in Toronto to learn more about what National Truth and Reconciliation Day and Indigenous education means to them.
Grade 6 student Joshua Hylton says while he feels safe going to school, he's scared just at the thought of being taken away from his family like thousands of Indigenous students were when they were sent off to residential schools in the 1800s.
"I think it's terrible that kids were taken away, kidnapped and killed sometimes, and the parents not even knowing why this happens and not being able to do anything," said Hylton.
"It's so important to remember this history to [make sure] that it never happens again," he said.
Mijanou Martini, a 9-year-old girl in Grade 5, is Cree. She says she's been teaching her friends about how Indigenous people have suffered and the abuses they've endured, particularly leading up to Orange Shirt Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Knowing that her friends and peers are paying attention to her culture and heritage today is something that makes her feel "powerful," she said.
"A long time ago, people weren't really supposed to learn about residential schools... they never knew our side of the story," said Martini.
What it's like teaching Indigenous history
Shirali Ruparelia, teaches Grade 3 and 4 students at Essex Junior and Senior Public School, where students and staff set up memorials featuring children's shoes and hand prints to honour the Indigenous children who died at residential schools.
She says it's a difficult topic to talk about with children. That's why she focuses on activities that highlight remembrance, honouring the lives lost and centring the lived experiences of people who have gone through it.
"It's a forgotten history that's come to light and every child needs to know," said Ruparelia. "It has been long forgotten and it needs to be something in people's mind, not just today but every day."
Johnston said teachers uncomfortable teaching the curriculum right away for fear of getting things wrong should lean on Indigenous education partners, speakers and storytellers for help.
"Each board is encouraged to have an Indigenous advisory council, so it would be really good to to reach out to the Indigenous advisory councils to say, 'I need your help,'" said Johnston.
That's where teachers like Audrey Madsen come in. A Grade 4 and 5 teacher at the Hawthorne II Bilingual Alternative Junior School, she also serves as the lead of the school's Indigenous education committee. She says despite what some may think, kids are not too young to learn about the topic.
"The students can really relate and be empathetic to some of the survivor stories that we've been talking about and experiencing," said Madsen.
Madsen says many teachers already incorporated Indigenous teachings into their lessons before the province mandated the curriculum for Grades 1 to 3. Still, she says education on the topic will now be more consistent.
"It's really important to be able as teachers to bring in Indigenous voices so we can learn alongside them not only about the colonial history of residential schools, but also what are the current contributions, what are the current problems that they're experiencing.
"What are our jobs as settlers to help bridge the kind of horrible history that we've been learning about?"
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With files from Deana Sumanac-Johnson and Lorenda Reddekopp