As I embark on my teaching journey, I will continue to strive to do my part in Truth and Reconciliation. As educators, it is crucial that we use our platforms to educate students on Canada’s history and find ways to Indigenize our classrooms and student learning. While this can be a challenge, it is crucial that we make our calls to action authentic. One thing I will always strive to do as an educator is to bring students along on the journey with me. It is about more than simply connecting a lesson to the First Peoples Principles of Learning, but explaining to students what the First Peoples Principles of Learning are, ensuring they understand why they are important, and recognizing how they connect to the activities brought into the classroom. Another responsibility of mine as an educator that I will always strive for is to bring Indigenous knowledge into the classroom by reaching out to individuals within the community who can share sacred knowledge that I am unable to. Indigenizing my teaching practice is not just something that I have to do, it is something that I strongly desire to do and something I will always take pride in and put great effort into.
Every child matters. Every child in my classroom(s) will always know they matter.