62 i. Make age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for Kindergarten to Grade Twelve students.
TRC, 2015
I feel this should be done because the older you teach the history of Aboriginal peoples’ the more, they do not understand. I have heard some stories from feel Indigenous students when in class there where some people who were very ignorant about learning the history. If you teach students young, they will grow up and learn and have a better understanding of what really happened. They will also not have to ignorant of their parents’ influence and bias, even though they will still try to put there two cents in at least you can try. When teaching this in class I have a few resources but I think a good one to teach the effects of residential schools to kids in grade 4,5 is “On the Trapline” (David A. Robertson, 2021). It’s a story of a grandfather who is taking his grandkid to all the places he grew up and fished, hunted, and how they lived before the residential school. I also found a link last semester about “The Indian Act” (https://www.cbc.ca/radio/secretlifeofcanada/teaching-guide-the-indian-act-1.5290134). This will be a great to teach about the Indian Act because I feel a lot of people don’t understand the history of the Indian act and it effects a lot of indigenous people for example status card