In a video that I watched recently titled, “If not here, where?” the speaker said, “Success for me is when we don’t need Aboriginal Education, we just have Education.” This reminded me of how we decide assessment or the “how will we know they get it” part of our lessons and units. It speaks to the future date of how will we know the Government gets it in terms of reconciliation and I think it’s a powerful phrase that needs to be shared.
The image below is something I came across while reading the Aboriginal Resources Guide from the Surrey School District. I think this visual is really important for us and our students to see the differences and begin to practice them within our everyday lives.
While reviewing resources, I thought I’d share a resource from my own school division’s First Nations, Metis and Inuit Success Coordinator, Sandra Lamouche. Sandra has been part of our school division (Livingstone Range School Division) for the past four years. She is a Cree Hoop Dancer, educator as well as a wife and mother. In our school division, Sandra works with staff and students on First Nations history, culture and ways of knowing. Sandra also works with schools to not only teach hoop dancing but also to share oral stories, plan lessons, connect with elders and support teachers in a deeper understanding of First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures. Sandra, “Uses hoop dance teachings to inspire others to live in balance and harmony with themselves, their friends and family, and with the environment. She uses hoop dance teachings to inspire others to live in balance and harmony with themselves, their friends and family, and with the environment.” Last spring, Sandra gave a TedTalk with the University of Lethbridge called: The Beautiful Struggle of Life and Other Hoop Dance Teachings. She speaks to her connections with her culture, her work with the school division and her own personal story of how her son was able to connect to his daycare through music and dance.
