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"Without a doubt, it wouldn’t have happened without this man,” says alumnus, former associate professor, and current member of the Trent University Board of Governors, Harvey McCue. He is talking about Indigenous education at Trent and he is pointing, of course, to Professor Tom Symons, the first president of Trent, who, along with Professor McCue, co-founded what was then known as the Indian Eskimo Studies program, the first of its kind in Canada.

Both men had just come from a ceremony where they were installed as elders in recognition of the work they have done to advance Indigenous education at Trent and in Canada. Former prime minister, The Right Honourable Paul Martin – also well-known for his work in Aboriginal Education – joined them for a panel discussion on the topic of Indigenous education in Canada.

The mood in the crowded room was energetic with Mr. Martin, Prof. McCue and Prof. Symons in lively discussion with elders, students, faculty, members of the community, and several local politicians. The chief of Curve Lake, Phyllis Williams was on hand to welcome everyone to the traditional territory of the Mississauga Nation.

Although the state of Indigenous Education at a post-secondary level was praised, with Trent in particular cited as a continuing leader in the field, discussion soon broadened to early education and how to better prepare both students and teachers for the challenges and opportunities that indigenous children bring to the classroom, whether on the reserve or in the public school system. As Mr. Martin was quick to point out, children don’t drop out in grade ten, the process has already begun in the early grades when they find they can’t relate to the curriculum or to the teaching methods and lose interest or start to fall behind. This is just starting to be addressed in nominal ways, he added, noting that OISE, for example, has hired its first advisor to the dean on Aboriginal Education, just this year.

In one of the more poignant moments of the evening, Dan Longboat, director of Trent’s Indigenous Environmental Studies program,stood up from the audience to suggest a paradigm shift: “Many of our discussions about Aboriginal education focus on a deficit model,” he explained, “and while there is without question a deficit when it comes to the quality of education and the curriculum that needs to be addressed, that’s not good enough. The true nature of Indigenous knowledge goes beyond the classroom. It is embedded within our culture, our traditions, and our language. When we speak about Aboriginal education, it is this contribution to Canadian society that needs to be recognized – we make people more respectful, more passionate and responsible not just to themselves and to their families and communities, but to creation as well.” His remarks were greeted with enthusiastic applause.

Following the discussion, politicians, community members, elders and faculty mingled, speaking animatedly amongst themselves.  Prof. Symons paused to reflect on his first days at Trent, and the profound connection between Trent and the Indigenous Studies program. “I was concerned about the state of knowledge and teaching about Canada itself and it seems to me that teaching and research by and for the Indigenous peoples is fundamental to our understanding about Canada.”

“You know,” recalled Prof. Symons, “The first day I was president at Trent I was in my office. I had a folding chair and a wooden table, both rickety, and the only other person in the building was the janitor and he came to me and said, ‘There’s some people here who want to see you.’ As it turns out, they were the band council from Curve Lake and they had come to welcome me to Peterborough. They were the first people to do so, and they had brought with them a hundred-dollar gift to the university. So there you are – the connection between Trent and the Indigenous people goes to day one – day one and before.”

Posted on Thursday, May 16, 2013.