On September 25th I partook in my first professional development day as a teacher candidate. It was a bit weird to have my first ever pro-d day completely via virtual sessions, but luckily the speakers were engaging and truly were able to convey their thoughts and ideas in a way that kept me glued to the screen. This particular day focused on Indigenous ways of learning and history. It started with a keynote by Dr. Dustin Louie, followed by two more focused sessions, and ended with a second keynote from Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair. The first thing that struck me about each of these talks was that an underlying message throughout them all existed; indigenous peoples’ ways of learning and knowing are valid, useful, and should be seen as equal to “western” approaches instead of just some add-on.

Dr. Louie’s Opening Keynote

Dr. Louie spoke about how important it is to not just recognise indigenous history/struggle, but to also inform your teaching practices with traditional ways of knowing and learning. He delved into some history of indigenous education in Canada, as well as giving ideas on some of the difficulties when it comes to decolonisation. I could go on for pages about all the things that were said, but I’ll try to boil it down to the key points I took away.

  • As educators in a colonial framework, it is our responsibility to learn and act to decolonise, we can’t expect it to just fall in our lap
  • Indigenising our classrooms is pointless if we don’t first act to decolonise
  • Don’t be afraid if you don’t know where to start the process of truth and reconciliation, doing something is better than doing nothing
  • Reconciliation is more than just an apology, it is an active process of righting historical injustice to mend relationships torn apart by colonisation.

This was an excellent overview covering both historical and contemporary issues, while inspiring hope for the way forward.

Session 1 – Trustee Trent Derrick “The Unwritten Rules of Systemic Racism”

This was a truly powerful session. Trent did not mince words, and the full effect of what he spoke of is still just setting in. Through both anecdotes and policies, he talked about the disenfranchisement of Indigenous people in Canada, and how historical “unwritten rules” surrounding the treatment and perspectives of Indigenous people are still reflected in Canadian law and culture today. It helped me think about and confront my own, sometimes unconscious, biases.

Session 2 – Dr. Dustin Louie “Transforming our Approach to Indigenous Education”

I participated in the second half of Dr. Louie’s session, which focused on Indigenous pedagogies. The key point of this session was to encourage us to think not just about what we teach, but also how we teach. Including Indigenous content is obviously important, but teaching different curriculum without making an effort to also change your ways of teaching to reflect Indigenous ways of knowing and learning is leaving out perhaps the most important part. One thing that really struck me in this session was a study Dr. Louie undertook in which Indigenous children were more likely to associate white children with positive attributes than Indigenous children when shown a picture with both. It’s this kind of internalised oppression that is so heartbreaking, and it is our responsibility as educators to create positive environments where Indigenous students feel that they are valued and have just as much potential as anyone else.

Dr. Sinclair’s Closing Keynote

Dr. Sinclair’s keynote was difficult. Coming to terms with the racist and oppressive history of Canada, especially when it comes to Canada’s education system, can be emotionally taxing as a white person entering into the field of education. A standout piece from Dr. Sinclair’s talk spoke about how today, if we are not able to commit to learn and inform our practices with truth and reconciliation, we are “unemployable”. I know that many people would hear that and think it’s too radical or extreme, but I believe he is absolutely correct. It is our job as educators to not only teach curriculum, but to foster an environment of positive growth for our students. It is clear that there is no “clean slate” at which every person starts, and ignoring the generations of oppression of Indigenous peoples when forming your curriculum and teaching methods is nothing short of malpractice.

I’m extremely grateful for the time these speakers took out of their day to share their knowledge with us. It is a privilege to have our Indigenous brothers and sisters share their stories with us and my hope is that I, along with my fellow educators, will use this new knowledge and perspective to shape our classrooms to better reflect the students inside them. There’s only so much you can take in during one day, and I will admit that doing everything over video calling inevitably makes a few things fall to the wayside. Luckily, both keynote speakers have endless amounts of material available to the public to further our learning. I look forward to using these resources, as well as others, to continue to shape how I want to fulfill my responsibility as an educator.