Focus Question 1: Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships: Invitation and Hospitality

Throughout my education career, I have encountered multiple ways of knowing and doing in a classroom setting. When I began to reflect on the most prominent education style I experienced, I identified that it was the hierarchical classification structure as explained by Professor Fatima. Throughout my multiple years in the education system, my teachers often split us into groups; though this can be an effective way of teaching and building relationships in a classroom, it was usually divided between people who excelled in a subject and people who struggled. Math was never my strong suit in school, and I was embarrassed at how much I struggled; I had multiple teachers call me out to my peers about my constant struggles dulling my confidence. One teacher I had in grade 6 made groups solely based on our math skills for a group project and made sure to point out that my group would need constant help from the class, pointing out how I was “lower” on the skill pyramid. This is an excellent example of hierarchical grouping and putting people together based on characteristics and skills. Though I did have some problematic school experiences, I also had a lot of great teachers that I crossed paths with. In my High school Psychology class, we often worked in groups that were chosen at random, so you were forced to talk to your peers about personal experiences and struggles you faced. We also talked about daily events happening around us, which helped build a common denominator each day. We could share our struggles in this class and have a group full of people accept us and stand with us. My teacher encouraged us to communicate with one another, and if someone laughed or this teacher found out someone was making fun of a student, he would have a stern talk with them (though this rarely ever happened in his classroom because we all felt at home). It is essential to show students that your classroom is a sanctuary and a safe space to share. This teacher also shared personal stories about his experiences that made students feel a sense of trust. In my classroom, I will ensure all students can share their stories and feel safe and like it is a welcoming place to learn. I will make sure people of all shapes, sizes, and races are represented in my classroom and ensure that there is always equality. I will also never stop sharing my knowledge of the past and the new knowledge I learn as we move towards reconciliation. 

Focus Question 2: Students & Learning Environment: Focus on places, spaces, and boundaries

Through all my years of Elementary School, my desk position always stayed the same. My peers and I  were always seated in our own individual desks that faced the front of the classroom, indicating where the power in the room was and where the focus should be. This made it challenging to work with other students because you would have to physically flip your body around or move your heavy desk to communicate with your peers. At this age (and all ages), communicating with your peers and sharing ideas is very crucial to our learning and development.

Once I moved into High School, the classroom design changed. We had three long tables with chairs all facing the front of the room, indicating where the power and attention should be. Though it made it a little easier to communicate with your peers and do group projects, this setup was still not ideal. These spaces made me feel confined because we were sitting in a row; it felt like we were supposed to face the front and not talk with our classmates.

In my years of education, the spaces that I had didn’t allow me to interact and share ideas with my peers.  I feel like classrooms should be a safe space where we can share ideas, discuss various topics, and hear what everyone has to say about a particular topic. I think that the setup in this picture better depicts how an inviting classroom looks. Group tables encourage debate, discussion,  and faster learning; it also helps with communication skills. When we sit at small group tables like this, we need to ensure all students can still see the lessons on the board. I think that seating students like this encourages relationship building and makes a classroom more interpersonal. It would also be helpful to switch up the seating plan at the beginning of each month, encouraging students to build relationships with new kids. It is also important that we don’t sit students together based on skill level, race, etc..

Focus Question 3: Truth & Reconciliation

In my K-12 years in the education system, I have been fortunate enough to learn a lot about indigenous culture.  Though we didn’t touch much on the horrors indigenous people endured when I was in elementary school, we learned more about the indigenous cultures and traditions. We had multiple elders come into our classrooms and discuss why oral storytelling was so important in their culture; we also learned that the indigenous culture had high respect for animals. When they took the life of an animal, they did their best to use the whole animal.  I was also fortunate enough to have an elder come in and teach me how to hoop-dance!  When I got to high school, the teaching on Indigenous culture became darker; we touched on all the horrors that the Indigenous community has faced through the years and the problems they are still facing today. Though taking indigenous studies isn’t a requirement in high school, I decided that it was vital if I wanted to go into education. We dug deep into all the calls to action and things such as the Indian Act, the 60’s scoop, and the horrible conditions of residential schools; I can’t even begin to explain the horror and discomfort I experienced through this course. Taking this course opened my eyes to how horrible the past was and how cyclical the effects of this event are. In this one class alone, I learned way more than I ever had throughout my education career. Though I love my friends and family, sometimes their ideologies are damaging to those around them. My grandmother and older relatives use words like “squaw” and “savage,” though I’ve made it my mission to correct and educate them; Sometimes, it is frustrating when they continue to have these negative opinions. After reading through the materials from ECS 101, the clear mission and goal is to fix the issues still occurring today so we can work towards a brighter future. The message that resonates with me is that if we educate our society on the past wrongs and work to understand each other, we can move towards healing the past; to do this, we must recognize the wrongdoings. I want to learn more about the missing and murdered indigenous woman movement and learn how I can help spread awareness. I think the 10th call to action would be very beneficial to our society. We need to make indigenous education mandatory for all to ensure that the past never repeats itself.