Reconciliation in the Classroom: Tensions and Opportunities

In “Teaching for Truth: engaging with difficult knowledge to advance reconciliation” Tupper & Mitchell (2021) investigate teacher successes and challenges in advancing reconciliation in their classrooms. They outline common resistance by students in classrooms and consider effective tools and strategies for teachers. I felt the authors did a good job of exploring the challenges and recognizing tensions that do not have simple, easy answers. After discussing the major themes in our seminar, I found myself with some points of tension that have stuck with me.

One point of tension is the desire to center local Indigenous voices in the classroom, while also recognizing that their time and energy should be respected. Tupper & Mitchell (2021) note that while inviting community members to the classroom can be beneficial, it can be traumatizing for them to continually speak to past and current injustices. On top of this, I think it’s important that educators don’t let themselves off the hook; with so many resources, they have a major role in understanding and teaching about local nations. Of course, it’s a tricky line; I don’t want to overstep and speak to customs and issues that are not mine to speak to.

I hope that the school I work at in the future has resources and staff committed to help the Indigenization of the classroom. Even understanding customs of inviting a guest in, how to thank them, etc. is something that I imagine varies from district to district and guidance and connections would be valuable; I would have liked the authors to have delved more into these types of supports. To me reconciliation takes intentional and specialized knowledge and practices but is also intertwined with many other pillars of good teaching such as creating a safe and inclusive space, engaging students to think critically, and integrating place into the content.