For our first professional development day we were encouraged to go to PGSS and listen to the Keynote Speaker Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, who is a professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Sinclair emphasized the importance of Indigenous education and how it is beneficial and meaningful to everyone.
One issue with Indigenous education in schools is that there is often a disconnect. While you may be diligent and meaningful in your incorporation of Indigenous language and culture, once the students leave your specific classroom, or go home, that goes away. It is so important to fill our schools and communities with Indigenous culture, so that when students leave the classroom they are still surrounded by it and understand it as part of the entire community, not a separate one from their own. There may always be some that show misunderstanding or fear, however, we must always be willing to learn and to be open. If everyone opened their mind, the world would be a much kinder, more inclusive place.
One thing Dr. Sinclair talked about that really resonated with me, was when he spoke about his niece experiencing her first menstruation. He talked about how, culturally, menstruation is a big deal, and celebrated publicly. When looking into this further, I found a resource that states: “Ojibwe women historically conducted a ritual for their girls when they started their first menstruation, part of which included fasting from eating strawberry, or heart berry, known as Ode’imin, for an entire year. This was also a time to learn valuable wisdom from women elders.” At the end of the year, she is fed a strawberry by all the women in the community. Not only does this teach women to appreciate and honour their bodies, it also teaches them the biology of their bodies and how incredible it can be. In western society, speaking about periods or just bodily functions in general can be a taboo subject that many avoid altogether. This can cause feelings of shame, guilt and fear in children who are just learning about their bodies and the way they work. This ritual that the Ojibwe women do for their girls is so inspiring and meaningful, and I hope that feeling of celebration can be translated into the way we all speak of the amazing things our bodies do.
Overall, this was a really impactful keynote to listen to to begin our program and our teacher candidate journey. This is exactly what we need to be thinking about as we go through our program and have in our minds for the rest of our careers. How can we be inclusive? How can we include different cultures in a meaningful way? And, most importantly, how can we create an environment that fosters the success of ALL students?
