As with all teachers, my life experiences are part of what I bring to the classroom. The opportunities that I had, whether it be because of the federal government—often in a bilingual environment—or as a student and as a teacher, enabled me to grow professionally.
At a conference at the Historica-Dominion Institute in Montreal, I talked about the past, present and future of our country with other teachers from across the regions.
At the teachers' conference, I learned a lot about our parliamentary system. I also came to appreciate Ottawa's bilingual spirit.
Next summer, I will be in France and I will participate in The Cleghorn War and Memory Study Tour. Together with 18 Canadians, I will gain a better understanding of the role of our anglophone and francophone soldiers in the two world wars.
For educators, these experiences outside the classroom are rich and invaluable, but the students are the real winners. In the classroom, they will be exposed to a wider range of viewpoints. They will better understand their country and the entire world. They will be better citizens.
In my classroom, because of my own experience, I have always taken the time to teach the history of French Canada. I try, as much as possible, to show my students multiple perspectives when studying topics such as the October crisis, conscription and the referendums in Quebec.
For instance, at a seminar last week, my students looked at various articles about the battle of the Plains of Abraham and the conquest written by anglophones and francophones. As a facilitator, I led the discussion by incorporating personal stories from my studies in Montreal and my visits to the Plains of Abraham. I think those practices help anglophones in the west to better understand a new and complex history, and at the same time, to develop empathy for the struggles of French Canadians.
Our students and teachers can often experience history and the French language outside the classroom. For a number of years, Raymond and I have taken our students on a historical walk of the city. In Saint-Boniface, our students interpret the heritage of Métis leader Louis Riel by going to see the controversial statue and his tombstone. For some students, it is their first contact with a French-speaking community and their first visit to Université de Saint-Boniface.
I recently organized a class trip that was a little more ambitious. I organized a trip for students to France and Belgium to visit the Canadian battlefields of the two world wars. It was an authentic and meaningful experience for my students. Not only were they exposed to a rich history, but they were also immersed in French and Belgian culture. We visited several Canadian cemeteries. To pay tribute to the dead soldiers from our school, my students created a memorial video that was partially bilingual. For the 100th anniversary of Kelvin High School, which took place last year, the video was presented to our students and the community.