Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future: LKDSB Observes National Indigenous History Month
Every June, classrooms across Canada are filled with stories, songs, and lessons meant to open hearts and minds. For the Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB), National Indigenous History Month is not simply a commemoration—it's a commitment.
It is a time to listen.
It is a time to learn.
It is a time to change.
A Time of Reflection and Responsibility
June is a sacred opportunity—an invitation to reflect on the history, contributions, cultures, and enduring strength of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. For LKDSB, observing National Indigenous History Month is more than symbolic; it is a reaffirmation of the Board’s responsibility to educate with truth, respect, and reconciliation at the heart of every lesson.
The classroom becomes more than a space for reading and writing—it becomes a space for truth-telling. Students are taught not just the facts of residential schools, land treaties, or the Sixties Scoop, but the human weight behind them: the children who never came home, the languages nearly lost, and the communities that have survived generations of systemic erasure.
Why It Matters in Education
Education is not neutral. What we choose to teach—and how we teach it—shapes the future.
For decades, Indigenous voices were excluded or distorted in Canadian education. That silence was not accidental; it was a tool of colonization. Today, LKDSB is working to dismantle that silence by intentionally centering Indigenous knowledge, resilience, and perspectives in its curriculum.
This work is not done in a single unit or assembly. It requires courage—from educators who confront painful truths, from students who challenge inherited misconceptions, and from communities who partner to reclaim and restore rightful narratives.
Through partnerships with local Indigenous leaders and Knowledge Keepers, LKDSB is ensuring that learning is not only accurate, but alive—grounded in relationships, stories, and the living cultures that surround us.
More Than a Month
National Indigenous History Month is a powerful reminder, but the work doesn’t stop when the month ends. LKDSB sees June as both a celebration and a call to action—a chance to uplift Indigenous excellence while acknowledging that real reconciliation is year-round work.
It’s found in the Land Acknowledgments spoken with intention.
It’s found in art projects that depict not just pain, but beauty and resistance.
It’s found in bookshelves where Indigenous authors take their rightful place.
It’s found in young learners who ask hard questions—and expect honest answers.
Walking Forward, Together
To honour National Indigenous History Month is to say: we see you, we hear you, we believe you. But more importantly, it is to act on those words—to ensure that Indigenous students see themselves reflected with dignity and pride in the education they receive.
As LKDSB continues its journey of truth and reconciliation, it does so with open hearts and listening ears—knowing that the path forward must be walked together.
This June, and every month after, LKDSB commits to teaching not just about Indigenous history—but with Indigenous voices, for Indigenous futures.