“The Secret Pocket” Story Context

Before the book was published (2023) I shared my Mum’s story to raise awareness of Indian Residential School in BC Schools. With permission, i added the story to my role-drama history lesson i had been teaching for decades. When I taught the lesson to Teacher Candidates at University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) one year the story resonated and plans were made to create an Indigenous graduation initiative. Elder Dr. Elizabeth Phillips was then asked to add a Halq’eméylem name to the story (see audio file at bottom of this page). Dr. Phillips and my Mother were thanked and honoured by UFV (June 2019). The story continues to be shared with ALL Indigenous UFV graduates.

“The Secret Pocket” Lesson Ideas & Initiatives

There have been three themes:

1. Memory pieces, and

2. School Graduation, and

3. Salish Weaving Literacy

1. As a Memory piece, i created felt & wool or paper cut-out pins (see above pictures). The idea is to hear the story and then pin the pocket on. The mission is for folks to pin it onto themselves and only take it off until someone asks them what the pin is they are wearing. The wearer is then obligated to re-tell their understanding of the story and give the pin to the new person with the same mission— to wear it until someone asks.

2. The first Graduation initiative was done by University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) for their Indigenous Graduates. Each Indigenous Graduate received a grad stole with a pocket sewn on the inside with the story on an index card.

   The second Grad initiative was done at Chilliwack Senior Secondary School (CSSS) where ALL graduates received a ribbon with a brief explanation of the story and clear sticker with the Halq’eméylem name on it. The mission is for the graduate to give the sticker to someone that has shown them the meaning to perseverance and share via social media of choice using #TheSecretPocket.

   EDIT: I have removed this opportunity from SD33 beginning May 2023 because the district dissolved the Teacher job title that championed this initiative.

   The third Grad initiative was done in Mission School District (SD75) by the Mission Teachers Union (MTU) where ALL graduates receive a ribbon and an enamel pin.

3. There are currently 3 Salish Weavings (see below galleries) created with “The Secret Pocket” as their theme. The 1st was woven by Weaver, Frieda George (Squiala First Nation) as part of a British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) Teacher Inquiry Project (TIP) co-hosted with Chilliwack Teachers Association (CTA). So, it is in Chilliwack School District. The 2nd and 3rd are owned by the Dan Milo Society and are housed at UFV (Chilliwack Campus) and Mission School District (SD75). UFV’s was created by Frieda George and her apprentice and daughter, Roxanne George; SD75’s was created by Ang George and her apprentice Caitlin (səlilwətaɬ First Nation). All three are exquisite art pieces that speak to a specific theme, truth.