What Did I Learn?
The profession development day that we had today provided me with a great learning experience. Whether it was the keynotes from Dr. Louie and Dr. Niigaanwewidam or the workshops we participated in, they were great opportunities to learn. The two keynotes showed me. In the second keynote, what stood out to me was the word assimilation and how it still reflects a loss of identity. It results in people losing who they are and give way to whatever is the dominant culture. I really enjoyed the two workshops that I went to. Both the puppetry and restitution/restorative showed me the importance of how we talk and interact with our students. That placing accountability and forming strong relationships is vital and important to forming a good classroom community.
Why Does This Matter?
Our pro-d day helped bring more of a sense of comfortability to me when it comes to bringing indigenous knowledge and traditions in my classroom and practice. What has sometimes bothered me was if I said the wrong thing or if I’m even the right person to be teaching this to my students. Even though I knew that I’m probably not the only person to ever feel this way, it was still something that stuck with me. Why is it important to learning and teaching? If I want To be the best teacher, while providing the best learning opportunity for the students, it’s vital that I become more comfortable and confident when I’m going to step outside of my comfort zone.
What is the Next Step?
After all this, I believe the next step is for me to continue becoming more confident and comfortable with teaching/incorporating Indigenous knowledge, traditions, and language into my classroom. As it relates to my pedagogy, it will help bring more of a sense of open-mindedness and create a better learning experience in the class. It will lead to a better relationship between the teacher and students.