On Friday, September 25th I was fortunate enough to attend the 2020 Lhulh’uts’ut’en We Come Together VIRTUAL Indigenous Professional Development Day as a student attendant. Dr. Dustin Louie led the introductory Keynote discussion, a remarkable conversation which reiterated or crystallised developing thoughts I have had surrounding promoting, mediating, and augmenting social change. In short, change will not happen when it is being filtered through an aggressive lens. It is my desire to hold this fact at the core of my praxis, and to use it as a tool in the development of my pedagogy. Especially when considering some of the topics of discussion surrounding social change in Canada, it is paramount that as educators, we facilitate a space where these discussions can happen in a way that leaves students with enough time to unpack, and leave the conversation feeling safe. I sincerely appreciated the words of Dr. Louie, and very much enjoyed exploring the thoughts I was left with.
The two seminar sessions I attended were heavily focused on storytelling, and the ways it can be expressed through voice, as well as artwork. Jolene Andrew, a Gitksan Witsuwiten artist and community leader, gave us an incredible lesson on the shapes used in Coast Salish artwork, touching briefly (as thoroughly as she could within the 45 minutes we had together) on the ways in which the shapes were learned and taught, both by the artists themselves, as well as through the inspiration from nature. In my mind, it was incredibly interesting to see how her lecture worked in layers. She was passing along knowledge about the technical aspects of the artwork, so we were learning theory. Simultaneously, she used the lesson in theory to tell us a story, imparting other knowledge on us regarding community, culture, and history. On top of that, there was a third story being told. While educating us about the shapes, while weaving in a lesson about culture, Jolene was also able to use the shapes, and the story to create a wolf on her canvas, discussing how it invokes stories of the wolf, where she could incorporate faces and other significant markings, and what they would mean to her. Finally, she was able to touch briefly on the topic of the ownership of knowledge, specifically in regards to our permission to pass on the knowledge she shared with us.
The second session I attended was hosted by Darin Corbiere, an Anishinaabe educator from Ontario. Darin gave an exceptional synopsis of the Anishinaabe Creation story, and compared/contrasted it against his understanding of the Christian Creation story. In-so doing, he was able to effectively articulate the myriad of differences which can and will exist in the classroom (or any group setting) when concerning individual worldviews, ways of knowing, and the resulting life-ways. I sincerely appreciated having the chance to listen to Darin about these subjects, due to my core belief in the importance of recognising the individual. Theological differences do not simply account for subtle differences in the prayers families might speak, or in the gatherings or ceremonies individuals might attend; they can also account for a tremendous difference in the ways in which an individual processes and interprets information. As educators, we need to pay close attention to the ways in which our own biases, and ways of knowing, may inhibit an individuals capacity to learn, and to be constantly pursuing personal growth in our adaptability to learning strategies and the dissemination of knowledge. Keeping this sentiment in the centre of my learning, I intend to become an educator able to bring a flexible and approachable praxis to my classroom.
My experience throughout my own day of learning was overwhelmingly positive, albeit informationally and emotionally dense. I left the conference with many thoughts present at the front of my mind, but the majority of them led to positive resulting reflections. I am sincerely grateful to the incredible people willing to attend and to share their knowledge. They have made irreplaceable contributions to my journey to becoming an educator, and I can not thank them enough for that. With a renewed sense of passion, and duty, I am excited to continue learning new ways to deconstruct systemic prejudice, and encourage positive social change.
Thank you.