Tag Archives: survivor

Module 1: Post 3 – Project of Heart

Source: Project of Heart (2015)

Project of Heart shares the hidden history of residential schools. It is important for us as educators to understand and share the truth about residential schools to students so that the healing can start and continue to be recognized. As a student growing up in Vancouver, I did not learn about residential schools until University. That is not OK. This has to and must change.

There is history that is shared, stories from elders describing their experience, and explaining the Project of Heart. This project allowed elders to come into schools to tell their experience of being in residential schools. Students were given wooden tiles to draw what they had learned, paid tribute to those children who had died, and to also honour those survivors. Those tiles were then collected to be used in a large piece of art which became a powerful healing piece. Tsleil-Waututh carver, Derrick George, created a canoe which was where those wooden titles were placed. This piece is called the Project of Heart Commemoration Canoe which can now be found in Alert Bay at the U’mista Cultural Centre. This piece is absolutely beautiful, touching, and powerful. Below is a screenshot from the PDF that is linked to this post.

Source: Project of Heart (2015)

This resource also discusses “heart gardens” for residential school survivors. This is a project that I believe all schools should be doing each year to honour survivors and to let the healing begin and continue on.

Teacher’s wear orange to bring awareness to Kamloops residential school

Module 2 – Entry 1 – Tyler Ohashi

This morning, I was reading CBC as I usually do and I read this article about school across BC are going to have their flags at hast mast from May 31 to June 4 and teachers are going to wear orange to help bring awareness to the atrocities that happened at a Kamloops residential school.

Image source: CBC News

The article was very impactful because it made me think of our responsibility as teachers to our students. We are a safe person for our students, someone they can come to if they need help, someone to look up to NOT someone they fear. I cannot imagine being fearful of school.

The horrors the students of these residential schools faced every day, left lifelong scares. Rich Joe, a member of the Chilliwack school district puts it like this,

“Joe’s traditional name is Skalúlalus and he is member of the Lil’wat Nation. He says he has family members who attended Kamloops Indian Residential School where the remains of 215 children were discovered this past week.

“I’m still dealing with it,” he said upon learning the news on Friday.

“I attended Indian Day School, so I’m a survivor as well and my grandmother attended that school … and I believe my grandfather did as well and I was devastated. I cried probably about 10 times yesterday.” (Pawson – CBC News, 2021).

Having found the remains of 215 children buried around the residential school in Kamloops residential school is a confirmation that students of this school had a real reason to fear school.

Hate is a strong word, but I hate that these students had to endure such a poor environment.

Reference:

Pawson, C. (2021, May 29). Teachers in B.C. to wear orange, hold special ceremonies over discovery of children’s remains | CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/teachers-in-b-c-to-wear-orange-hold-special-ceremonies-over-discovery-of-children-s-remains-1.6045964.