After attending school with little to no learning of Indigenous culture, history or traditions, I feel that it is extremely important in my own practice to acknowledge the Indigenous lands that I live, work and play on as well as passing knowledge on to the next generations so they can continue to work towards reconciliation. These are the stolen lands of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nations people, and I feel so fortunate to be able to be here and to have journeyed across Canada to land in this beautiful spot.
As we’ve seen in our Blanket Exercise, as well as our course with Dr. Sims in Block 1, Indigenous communities have a broken relationship with the education system. For decades, education was used as a way to erase Indigenous history and traditions and attempt to assimilate Indigenous people into western society. Change and trust between educators and Indigenous students will not happen overnight, however, it is our duty to build and re-build that relationship and trust. We must include Indigenous ways of knowing, language and tradition into the classroom, as it is imperative to creating an inclusive and safe place for all students. We must, as educators, be willing and open to learning, not matter how hard it may be to hear the history that has plagued this country. We must be willing to grow and learn about our local cultures and know when to bring in Indigenous voices in our classroom.
During my practicum, I had the privilege of seeing a lot of Indigenous language and imagery around Nukko Lake Elementary school. The students see Dakelh everyday on the walls of the school and in the classroom. These students attend “Bear’s Den” or Sus An, every week where they get to participate in Indigenous-based activities, including drumming, create art, create stories with puppets and watch a show about Indigenous stories and the traditional animals that are a big part of First Nations culture. Students often play “Molly of Denali” in their free time in computers, which is a game where students can carve, and participate in Indigenous traditional practices alongside Molly. These experiences bridge the gap that has been created between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Students see these things as part of their everyday, and do not isolate others for being different because of them. This was awesome to see during my practicum.
I commit myself as an educator to always be aware of my privilege and to use that privilege to uplift others and create a safe and inclusive environment for all my students.