Liana Molinaro

They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School by Bev Sellars.

Bev Sellars is a Canadian writer who published this book as a memoir of her childhood experiences as a student at a church-run residential school called St. Joseph’s Residential School in Williams Lake, British Columbia. This memoir tells the story of how these institutions aimed to “civilize” Native students through Christian teachings, forced separation from family, language, and culture, and strict discipline. As Sellars talks about her time at the school, one can understand the hardships of the children and the families of the children that were forced into this school system. Sellars details life after the residential school and how she and her family suffered from severe depression and even suicidal thoughts.

I think this would be great to use in a grade 10 Canadian history course. I would not read the book in its entirety with my class; instead I would select meaningful, relevant, and significant passages from the book to complement the curriculum. In this grade, students learn all about Canada’s past including the treatment and mistreatment of Aboriginals. Using passages will give the students a better understanding of the experiences faced by these children.  I think this is a great learning tool as students get a firsthand account of the measures taken to assimilate Aboriginals in Western culture. This will provide a perspective other than the textbook account which will deepen student understanding and provide meaning and context to the curriculum content.