What is reconciliation? And what does it mean to reconcile?
I equate reconciliation with healing because I think that true reconciliation only occurs if thorough healing from the trauma has occurred. When working towards Truth and Reconciliation, we should really be aiming for the healing of the lives, souls, and culture of those who have suffered from generational trauma due to residential schools and colonization. Accomplished reconciliation and healing means that society as a collective has worked hard enough for an undetermined amount of time to undo the trauma caused by the European settlers while ensuring that the harsh history of our country does not go forgotten or ignored. I think that remembering and continuing to acknowledge the cause of the generational trauma is an important part of reconciliation because the goal is not to just sweep these historical events under the rug, but to understand and acknowledge what we have done to make up for it and that we have learned from our mistakes.
What I have learned throughout the course of the program and in the interwoven course of EDUC 446 is that true reconciliation will not take place by simply acknowledging that change needs to happen, we need to be the change. We can be the change by understanding and having compassion for our students and their families or communities who have suffered because of Canada’s dark history while practicing the First Peoples Principles of Learning in our methods of teaching. We also need to take what we have learned, either through formal education or experience within schools, about connecting with such families or individuals to ensure that we are connecting with them on a level where they feel safe and respected. If we had the mindset that all of our students and their families came from the same past, we would be leaving out an enormous population and would therefore be completely unable to develop true relationships of trust. Reconciliation means putting in effort to receive trust and respect, while holding compassion and showing our own trust and respect for their past and culture.
When thinking of reconciliation, it makes sense to compare it to a small-scale conflict. Imagine that you and a friend get into an argument because you cooked them dinner but failed to remember a food allergy of theirs. Now, they have eaten some of the food that you made with good intentions and are beginning to swell, itch, and become frightened because of what is happening to them. A response affecting them physically, emotionally, and mentally completely out of their control. Next, imagine that instead of feeling shame or regret at your choice of ingredients you begin to become defensive. You tell them that they should have reminded you that they were allergic, or that the ingredient is healthy for them, and they should just get over it. Or imagine if you told them that their allergy is not your problem and that it was up to them to fix it on their own and that they should be grateful that you even cooked them food in the first place. So, your friend leaves your house in distress and with longstanding issues because of the incident. If you did not believe that you need to reconcile, you might just ignore them and move on with your life, assuming that they got it fixed and that everything is fine, meanwhile leaving them alone to suffer the consequences of your actions. Or you can work towards reconciliation. Reconciliation in this example would take a long time because you were in the wrong. The first step is to recognize that you made a mistake that has affected someone else deeply, you will also need to acknowledge that because of this mistake you have deeply wounded a relationship. Reconciliation means remembering that this person has an allergy in the future, it means making sure their medical and emotional needs are taken care of going forward. It means understanding that the relationship has been badly damaged and might never be the same. These are all things that we, as a society and country, need to remember when working towards reconciliation with Indigenous members of our community. It will not happen overnight, and if we remember what our mistakes were and provide opportunity for love and care, we can ensure that we are always moving forward towards healing.
This concept of reconciliation relates back to our model presented in Block 1 of EDUC 346: The River Model. With this model, we equated the First Peoples Principle of Learning “Learning is embedded in history, memory, and story” with the river and its’ water cycle. We will learn from our historical mistakes. We will make sure that we remember to work towards reconciliation by keeping our memories active. We will actively work towards reconciliation in our classrooms by teaching and learning with traditional Indigenous values and storytelling. Like the river, we can weave our own pedagogy with the First Peoples Principles of Learning to better educate and heal our students, ensuring they feel cared for and safe. Then, once our actions have caused an effect, they can take their learning and connect it to self and place.
As someone who is not of Indigenous ancestry, I do not assume that I am entitled to trust and respect from my Indigenous students or their families. Historically, public education has not operated with Indigenous peoples’ best interests, culture, language, or values in mind and therefore I go into teaching with a complete understanding that I will have to earn trust and respect. I will have to prove that I am an ally and that I actively work towards including Aboriginal education in my lessons or activities as a method of reconciliation. While I am only one person, I can make a difference in our country’s journey towards healing by understanding that as an educator I am indebted to the Indigenous communities and families that have been negatively impacted by the education system. To reconcile means to not only fix our mistakes, but to learn from them.