This autumn, learners spent time reflecting. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Thanksgiving, and Remembrance Day all fall in the autumn months. Understanding each holiday requires learning about aspects of Canadian culture and history. Each instructor approaches these topics in their own way, but reflection is often an important tool for learners to understand and relate to the material. Learners reflected on truth and reconciliation, the history of colonization, the costs of war, and what they are thankful for. These topics tend to hit home for learners, many of whom have come from countries with histories of colonization and war. They remember and reflect with both somberness and gratitude.
Making symbolic art is a great tactile learning practice. Learners talk about what they learn, reflect on it, and do something with that learning and reflection. Paper orange t-shirts, pumpkins, leaves, and poppies decorate the halls. Learners wrote how they will be part of reconciliation on the orange shirts, writing that they will, “talk to friends and family about residential schools”, “learn about Indigenous art and music”, “honour survivors”, and “listen, learn, and walk the path of reconciliation”. Autumnal leaves and pumpkins held messages of thankfulness. Learners were thankful for their houses, Canada, their teachers, their work, the government, safety, their families, today, and much more.
The warm autumnal breezes this season gave the Mission LINC class bright mornings in their Community Garden, where students cleaned up their class plot and harvested the pumpkins and garlic they planted late last spring. To celebrate Thanksgiving, students took advantage of the site kitchen and worked in teams to follow three different harvest recipes in preparation for a reading assessment on following instructions, as well as their Thanksgiving breaktime feast. For Halloween, students dressed up in uniforms. Some brought their own spooky work gear! They had a dance party role play where classmates practiced conversation about jobs related to their uniforms. After the party, they planted new garlic in their community garden plot.
These holidays of reflection, thankfulness, harvest, and fun fall among days of beautiful dying leaves and life-giving harvests. There is a poetic sense to reflecting on the difficulties and bounties of life through every classroom’s different activities.
Written by Kendra Thompson and Karla Hiltermann