Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past on present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Metis.
One of My Experiences with Standard Nine:
Before I entered into my second practicum in kinder, I was very apprehensive about incorporating Indigenous content, knowledge and ways of knowing into my teaching practices. By this point I was comfortable with incorporating the First People’s principles of Learning meaningfully and talking about these concepts with my students, but it isn’t enough, and I knew I needed to do more. This Indigenous content and ways of knowing are very important to me, and this importance is only growing. Although I never want to incorporate it “just because I have to” or just here or there. This learning needs to be intentional and meaningful. Even though this has always been my intention and goal, I was unsure of what this could look like in a daily classroom setting.
During my practicum in kinder, I had a coaching teacher who incorporated Indigenous perspectives and knowledge so flawlessly and I was very privileged to see how she did it. For example, this teacher taught the core competencies explicitly in lessons because it was important for these communication, critical thinking, and personal or social awareness needed to be taught before the students could be expected to exhibit these skills. To connect this learning to Indigenous knowledge, my coaching teacher taught these lessons using the book, The Six Cedar Trees. In this book, each communication, critical thinking or social awareness skill is taught through a northern BC animal and their characteristics. For example, salmon was a critical thinker and so when we would be doing an activity that required this skill, we would tell the kids “for this job, you are going to need to use Salmon’s critical thinking skills to problem solve, work hard, and to not give up”.
Reflecting on My Past Use of the Six Cedar Trees:
So, more recently than this experience in kinder that I have talked about above, it has been brought to my attention that this book is not the most authentic Indigenous resource. Upon this discovery, I am shifting to use more local Indigenous knowledges and resources.
Even though it is hard to me to look back and see that I was using a source that might not have been the best resource, I know that my intent was sincere and I can shift in my learning. As an educator, our knowledge and how we teach is always changing and evolving. For me, our use of Indigenous knowledges needs to be just as adaptable.
Going forward, I am going to focus on always reflecting on my use of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. It is also a goal of mine to work hard to incorporate more local knowledges, from local authors and elders. A first step towards these goals was meeting with the Indigenous and Land Based Support Teacher to make sure I was aware of the options around me.
Reflecting back on this learning experience, incorporating Indigenous history, knowledge and content isn’t as scary. This learning has always been incredibly important to me because I truly believe that better including these perspectives in our teaching practice is the foundation in which a better understanding can grow between all Canadians on these subjects. I am thankful to have seen a teacher who incorporated these perspectives as much as she could even in kindergarten. By starting this learning in our students young we are building a better foundation for their future learning.
I feel that the more teaching and learning opportunities that I have on these subjects, the better I will become as an educator.