North Vancouver teachers discuss residential schools after Kamloops discovery

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Teachers across B.C. are wearing orange this week as they highlight the need to talk about what happened in Kamloops, after the remains of 215 children were found at a former residential school.

In North Vancouver, the school district has sent teachers resources to help their lessons, with difficult discussions expected to take place in classrooms across B.C.

Brad Baker — the district principal who overseas Indigenous education in North Vancouver — says residential schools aren’t a new topic.

“It’s part of the B.C. curriculum, discussions around what happened in Indian residential schools. I think the awareness level after the news last week has increased the need for the discussion to happen,” Baker tells NEWS 1130.

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He says he’s already seen interest from all ages in discussing the residential school system.

“Because the national spotlight is on Kamloops and what happened there. So there is a topic of discussion,” Baker said.

Baker believes wearing orange shirts and acknowledging what happened in a public manner helps bring awareness to what was discovered at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, and recognizes the tragedy that so many Indigenous communities faced across the country.

Parents have also been provided with a list of resources to help them have a conversation with their kids.

When it comes to these difficult conversations in the classroom, Baker says there’s a big focus is on compassion.

“We want to provide our students the opportunity to voice their opinions, their concerns, their questions. I think the teachers, we have a collective responsibility to hear those voices but also to bring some understanding that this was part of Canada’s history and bring up discussions on how to move forward,” he explained.

He says in addition to using the resources provided by the district, parents should do their own research too.

“That’s where the conversations will happen with their kids, to share the history we have as Canadians,” Baker said.

“Through these difficult times, us as a country, we’ve got to acknowledge our past but also acknowledge that the survivors of the Indian Residential School are still with us.”

The Kamloops Indian Residential School opened under Roman Catholic administration in 1890 and operated until 1969. The federal government took over the operation from the church to operate as a day school until it closed in 1978.

The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996.

The BC Teachers’ Federation says it’s working with educators across the province to organize orange shirt walk-in in honour of the 215 children whose remains were found in Kamloops.

All schools have also been asked to lower their flags to half-mast.

We will be working with our #bced locals across BC next week to organize orange shirt walk-ins to honour the 215 dead children found at the Kamloops Residential School. We are also asking school districts to lower all flags to half-mast. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/a55hPi5mUA

— BC Teachers’ Federation (@bctf) May 30, 2021