Reading Response 1: Shattering The Silence

Reading Response 1: Shattering The Silence

After reading “Shattering the Silence”, by Shuana Niessen, I learned much about residential schools and about the Canadian government. Prior to reading the article I did not know a lot about what the Canadian government promised to First Nations people, though reading this article I gained a better understanding. While reading the article I began to understand why First Nations people were upset; this was because their land was sold without their knowledge and promises were never held up. I applaud the Chiefs and their devotion to their people as they did all they could to try to keep their land free and safe for later generations. I also learned that children were sent to residential school unwillingly and that some parents actually had tepees outside the residential schools so they could be as close as possible to their children. Looking at the picture in the article of the tepees it made me uneasy because there was nothing the parents could have done but hope that their children were not stripped of their culture entirely and wait to see them. In “Shattering the Silences” (2017), the author attempts to provoke a response in the reader by stating “[o]ne day, you are taken far away from your mom and dad, your grandmothers and grandfathers, your aunties and uncles, cousins and friends by a pale-faced stranger. He takes you to a large, cold building, a residential school. You realize with dread that you are here to stay, possibly 10 years or more will go by here with only brief visits home, if any at all.” I connected to this section as I pictured me watching my siblings being taken away from my family by a “pale face stranger” at the age of 5. While picturing this occurrence I thought of what would be going through my head. I then began to think about the many children that were forced to endure this. I could not begin to imagine how the children felt after being removed from their families, forced to reside in a foreign school, being brain washed by teachers and not knowing what to believe. Ultimately, though this article I gained knowledge on the trauma that the residential schools inflicted and how hard it was for people to adapted back to their normal life. Throughout this dark period in history, many parents were forced to watch as their children were taken from their homes, and their language and culture being stripped from their identity. The process of regaining trust in people and their culture is one that would be unbearably difficult.

One question that arose following reading this is why did it take so long to close residential schools? As a future educator and being a person of color, I want to make it my mission to educate young people about our history. Being a physical education teacher, I can do this by incorporating traditional dances from various cultural backgrounds into lessons. Reflecting on teaching and becoming a future teacher I wonder what the residential teacher’s beliefs were and what they wanted the students to accomplish. From my perspective, it seems as if the students were only learning trades and experiencing cultural genocide in the process. It is very refreshing to see how our education system has changed for the better. In school we learn trades, how to read and write as well as life lessons. After reading this article I think that residential school teachers were not concerned in helping the children develop into their best selves and giving the tools to succeed in all aspects of their lives rather they were only concerned about assimilation.