Classroom Supports → First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Perspectives

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Indian Residential School, designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. As a spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told the story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year-old girl. September 30th is now recognized across Canada as a day to commemorate the loss and suffering experienced by children who attended Residential Schools.

Orange Shirt Day

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario welcomes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Final Report and Calls to Action. In response to the importance of educating Canadians about residential schools and eliminating educational gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, ETFO will continue to support ETFO members in their journey of learning about and understanding their history of Canada and its relationship with First Nation, Métis and Inuit people, and the steps towards reconciliation. ETFO has two Truth & Reconciliation webinars for members on the residential schools and reconciliation. These webinars were streamed live in April 2016 for members and have been recorded for the learning of all.

ETFO Webinars: Truth and Reconciliation

Are you unsure who to follow for information about First Nation, Metis, and Inuit issues? OpenCanada, a digital publication sitting at the intersection of public policy, scholarship and journalism, shares a listing of more than 100 social media influencers in the global Indigenous community. The list includes biographies for each entry.

OpenCanada.org is a publication of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, an “independent, non-partisan think tank with an objective and uniquely global perspective.

Twitterati: The Indigenous Voices Edition

Many teachers struggle to incorporate First Nation, Metis, and Inuit content and perspectives in their classroom, citing a lack of personal background as a barrier. Through this link in their Spirit Horse website, ETFO has curated two guides/protocols to help teachers understand the roles of elders and senator, as well as appropriate methods to approaching and having an elder or senator come into the classroom to share.

First Nation, Metis, and Inuit Cultural Protocols

This is a site from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada that offers activities, games, and stories for youth and educators about Indigenous peoples’ culture, history, and languages.

First Nations, Metis and Inuit Children’s Site

This online brochure introduces ETFO members to First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) people, the legacy of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples and the move towards reconciliation. It is hyperlinked to different websites.

ETFO FNMI resource, “What have you heard? An introduction to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.”

This poster outlines some mistaken beliefs about residential schools and provides accurate, detailed information to refute misconceptions.

Misconceptions of Residential Schools Poster, Aboriginal Healing Foundation

The residential school resource list compiled by the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) includes suggestions of books, videos, websites, and news articles for a variety of ages.

Truth and Reconciliation Resources for Teachers