DAY 1: Groups, Gold, and Graveyards

The first stop of the trip was the grave of Charles Morgan Blessing, who was murdered by his travelling companion during the Cariboo Gold Rush. After taking some time to view the grave and learn about the history of that site, we split off into groups to develop an activity that we would do with a class. My group came up with the idea of an activity where students had to look at the land around the grave and think about what Blessing and other miners would have carried with them on their journey. Students would develop a video-game-style inventory with all the important items and why they think those items would be important for a miner to have. We reformed as a cohort and shared our activities.

The next stop of the trip was Stanley Graveyard where we did place-based responsiveness activities. Each student teacher was able to select a reflective activity that they wanted to work on as they wandered through the graveyard. I decided to do a single-line drawing of one of the headstones and also a soundscape.

After our time at the graveyard, we stopped at a nearby creek to try panning for gold. The SY’s had previously learned this skill so it was a chance for us to try it out again and also walk the EY’s through a new skill. It reminded me of my most recent practicum where I was teaching a topic that I was very unfamiliar with. There was a bit of trial and error with trying to help out my classmates and in the end they were able to each retrieve a few flecks of gold. I know that with more time and experience I would have done a much better job of helping them out.

We made our way to Wells and Emily HM and I wandered into the old church building in town. Inside, there was an art gallery and an artist who only paints on-site scenes. He will often paint a small version of the landscape and then use that piece to paint out a larger work. I like that his work wholly captures his experience out on the land. There is a sense of connection and emotion that you feel when you look at a scene that is only captured in this form.

After exploring Wells for a time we had the pleasure of visiting their elementary school and watching the student give presentations about Barkerville. Again it was wonderful to see the deep connection to land, many of these students grew up in the area and know people who work in Barkerville. Their presentations impressed me with their quality, level of information and the confidence of the students in presenting what they had learned. You can see the agency that the students feel and the level of ownership they have in their school and learning. I was also impressed by the teacher who has a class of 12 ranging from grades 1-7. I am sure it is a job with some very unique challenges and benefits.

In the evening when we reached Barkerville, we all met at the campground for a cohort campfire. One of the highlights of this time was coming together to talk about our practicum and sharing our experiences through stories. It was a wonderful time of connection and learning.

DAY 2: Exploring Barkerville

We spent the entire second day within Barkerville, exploring the buildings, attending events and watching the theatre show. Some highlights include the horses, the printing shop, the morning drum circle, the bakery, realizing the multiculturalism of Barkerville and exploring with my classmates. In particular, I love that walking around with others means that we all notice different things to point out to each other and it improves the experience as a whole.

The biggest highlight from this day however was an unexpected example of teaching that I absolutely loved. During the show, there was a skit where the actors portrayed different kinds of wildflowers. There was fireweed, paintbrush, forget-me-not, and buttercup. The whole premise of the skit was to point out that the buttercup is an invasive species and had taken over the flower patch where the others were living and had lived for thousands of years (well…. except for the forget-me-not, but they kind of forgot about him). It was filled with fun, good acting, hilarious lines, and some awesome cross-curricular content. I loved that the skit had a scientific lens that taught about invasive species, why they can be bad and how they spread. I also loved the connections to colonialism and the messages about traditional lands and Indigenous inhabitants. It was tactful, lighthearted and extremely educational. I admired the combination of education and entertainment and it really stuck with me as a highlight for the whole trip. I may not get to the point of dressing up and acting for my class in order to make learning fun, but it inspired me to find other ways to make learning an enjoyable and cross-curricular experience. Oh, also it had deep connections to land! The whole point of this field trip!

Overall this trip was a complete success. I deeply appreciate all the work that went into the organization and I will never forget all the things I learned and saw in those two days. It is a wonderful spot and although I won’t likely take students there myself (I plan to live further west), it did inspire me to take my students out on the land and do more land-based learning in my practice.