For this Pro-D opportunity, I had the chance to listen to some amazing speakers talk about their life stories, as well as scholarly work around Indigenous ways of learning and knowing. Some of the stories were difficult to hear, but even more difficult to think about in the context of what they mean for us as educators. This difficulty is not surprising, because things that are difficult are usually so important to engage in. Personally, the recent report about systemic racism issues in SD57 has made me feel more responsible to make my practices more open and accessible for all, and especially Indigenous students.
While I have a duty to teach the curriculum that is expected, the new curriculum does open up some new opportunities to put different ideas and ways of learning into practice. Instead of chugging through a load of content, hoping everyone keeps up, I believe that it would align more with Indigenous ways of knowing and learning to give students time to engage with their work, and seek out knowledge rather than just receive it from me. One thing I really want to do is allow students to try to solve problems without or with little intervention. Learning sticks much better when it is not forced. In the end, I am a young educator who has so much to learn, but my hope is that everyday I will be able to get a little bit better at recognising signs of systemic racism and counteracting it.
