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.
You caused my temporary loss of identity
We never learned of our history in class
And all of a sudden, it is perfect you ask?
Integration vs. Assimilation
To join, no separation or conformation
I am Secwepemc, and I am Cree
Yet, I never learned about me
I hide behind my pale skin
In hopes to not be seen by my next-door kin
But in my hiding, I am outcasted by my own
White privilege on the outside, is all that is shown
Twenty years later, my identity I now own
It took you too long, I had to find it all alone
You’re finally taking steps, so the next gen has a chance
But you need to realize, it won’t happen at a glance
Incorporating and integrating my culture in school
Took too long, and still struggles in the rural
Another generation lost to what education spout
Education got us in this mess but Education will get us out
But to re-learn what I’ve learned, takes patience and time
I want to teach my students my culture, but I am not fine
You cut funding in the arts, and that’s not okay
Canadian Property Tax and Income Tax, supply you- so pay!
In my culture, we dance and sing
We sew, we carve, we do almost anything
We explore our learning and respect the land
But without your funding, you think we can?
Learning Leadership is critical for Reform and Innovation
But for our Indigenous learners, you think you’ll get participation?
To learn, reform and innovate is something we need to fix
Remember it was you, who implemented the Indian Act of 1876
1996, the last prison of my people was shut down,
24 years later, you think we’ve forgotten our rooted grounds?
Think again, for your truth is your bond, so education you must fund
You best know your reconciliation has only begun
You’ve come to acknowledge that assessment shows in many ways
Learning Leadership requires creativity and courage displayed
Support me to provide my students a safe place to shine
For their contributions sometimes is listening, and that is just fine
Through the heart of a teacher, I will teach who I am
Help bring back a culture through the curriculum
To Teach Reform and Innovation, is a Learning Leadership for me
For I am Secwepemc and I am Cree
Cited Sources:
A historical overview of education in Canada – Sociology of education in Canada. (2019, September 11).
Open Library Publishing Platform – Pressbooks for Ontario’s Postsecondary Educators.
British Columbia’s Teacher Council. Professional Standards for BC Educators. June, 19, 2019. Province of
British Columbia. Retrieved from: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teacher-regulation/standards-for-educators/edu_standards.pdf
BCTF code of ethics. (n.d.). BC Teachers’ Federation. Retrieved from: https://www.bctf.ca/professionalresponsibility.aspx?id=4292
Correlieu Secondary School Non-Instructional Day on Indigenous Education. Keynote Kevin Lamoureux, Truth and Reconciliation
FNESC. (2014). First People’s Principles of Learning. fnesc.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/PUB-LFP-
POSTER-Principles-of-Learning-First-Peoples-poster-11×17.pdf
G. E. Fleming, 1903. Cree Indian. British Library of digital collections.
John, B. 2019. Native Earth Performing Arts
Leadership for 21st Century Learning, (2013). Educational Research and Innovation, OECD Publishing.
Reconciliation and NCCIE. Indigenous Education The National Centre for Collaboration. Shining a Light on
Education for Reconciliation. Retrieved from: https://www.nccie.ca/
Smart, A. November 2, 2018. Trudeau apologizes to Tsilhqot’in community members for 1864 hanging of chiefs. The Canadian Press
King, T. (2017). The inconvenient Indian illustrated: A curious account of native people in North America.
The Legal, Economic and Political Aspects of Education. Chapter 8
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action · Exhibits. (n.d.). Exhibits. Retrieved from: https://exhibits.library.utoronto.ca/items/show/2420
Van den Broek, G. (2012), “Innovative Research Based Approaches to Learning and Teaching”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 79, OECD Publishing.