Educators respect and value the history of First Nations, Inuit and Metis in Canada and the impact of the past on present and the future. Educators contribute towards truth, reconciliation and healing. Educators foster a deeper understanding of ways of knowing and being, histories, and cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Metis.
I work hard to be inclusive and respectful of the history of aboriginal peoples in my lesson planning. For example, I use stories from First Nations, Inuit, and Metis to introduce topics. I asked the school Librarian and the Aboriginal Educator for advice when I was developing a lesson. For example, I asked them for information or asked them for their opinion on the aboriginal content I selected. I also researched several aboriginal stories for each exercise and chose the ones that I thought would best appeal to the young learners. In my opinion, there are many options for including aboriginal content into one’s lessons, and I am curious to discover more information. I think it is important to be open to learning about aboriginal culture, and when I show my curiosity, it is contagious to the students. Here are two examples of how I applied aboriginal culture into my lessons. When teaching nighttime and daytime activities, I told the young learners a First Nations legend about Mother Moon and Father Sun. The students asked questions, and we discussed the importance of myths as a way of making sense of the world. Second, I made a strong effort to show how aboriginal culture has practical applications. When I gave a lesson on Canadian money, I used the art work of Bill Reid, a prominent First Nations artist, to show the importance of aboriginal art. The students recognized the importance of Haida art on the Canadian collectible coins that I brought to show them. I noticed that many students at the school had implemented a culture circle where the students talked about aboriginal culture. One student noticed the First Nations symbol for a bear, which was on the coin I was using as an example. This shows the students are gaining a deeper appreciation and knowledge of aboriginal culture. By integrating aboriginal culture into my lessons, I think I showed that I value and respect the history of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis in Canada.