Category: Uncategorized

“It’s okay to struggle. It’s not okay to give up.”

-Gabe Grunewald

Educational

“Were all on the same path but different journeys” -Charlene Bearhead

“My truth is your truth, that we are all in this together, this is all of our history” – Joseph Naytowhow 

“Reconciliation is a process of healing of relationships that requires public truth sharing, apology, and commemoration that acknowledge and redress past harms” – Supporting Reconciliation in Saskatchewan Schools

Inspirational Quotes

“Don’t wish for it, work for it” -unknown

“If you can dream it, you can do it” -Walt Disney

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” -Abraham Lincoln

“Make sure you never do less than your best” -Walt Disney

• I believe it’s right to accept all cultures 
• I believe that teachers are meant to develop the future knowledge 
• I believe that it is important to learn life skills 
• I believe learning is an ongoing experience 
• I believe you have to put your heart into teaching 
• I believe travelling helps you learn and develop knowledge 
• I believe if you develop relationships with your students, you become a better teacher 
• I believe education has develop/changed a lot over the years 
• I believe all children need to feel safe and loved 
• I believe that every child matters 
• I believe every child should be treated the same 
• I believe everyone deserves an education 
• I believe everyone student is to be treated fairly 
• I believe teachers should to their best to avoid segregation in classrooms 
• I believe all students have the capability to learn 
• I believe that we as teachers are lifelong learners
• I believe in inclusive education
• I believe students have a choice and a voice
• I believe their is no “bad” student
• I believe it is important to spread positivity

Throughout my educational years, all my teachers honoured the ways of knowing and doing in the classroom in many ways. My experience through elementary school was based on the Iceberg model that Professor Fatima explained. In elementary school, my learning was based on the western ways of thinking, living, and doing. Although in high school it slowly started to change and incorporate more than just one way of life. In a world that is very culturally diverse, I believe not only is it important to learn about your own history and cultural background but everyone else’s. If teachers and individuals were more accepting of all cultures it would change individuals’ perspective on the way of life. Along with changing the way of teaching, learning, and how assignments are being completed.  Teachers building a sense of community never seemed to be a struggle in my years of education. Every teacher had their ways within the classroom of building this connection. All my teachers would say “treat others the way you wanted to be treated” but that does mean look at everyone the same since we are all quite different. I have had teachers make group or individual competitions within the classroom to build a sense of community by allowing individuals to work hard not only within the classroom but also at home. This allows classmates to encourage one another to all work and grow together. My teachers always worked hard to make sure it was a safe environment for all students. I built a sense of community when my teachers would acknowledge that we are all different in a unique way. That allowed me and other individuals to gain a sense of acceptance no matter our skin colour, body size or shape, or what we wore. The visual appearance had a big effect on the hospitable and invitational environment. Many of my teachers always developed a bright and cheerful welcoming learning environment. These spaces included posters on the walls, bulletin boards decorated, alternative seating like back tables or wiggly chairs. As a teacher, it is particularly important to meet the needs of all students. By adapting to the student’s needs, students will become more invested in their work and express better attitudes towards themselves and their classmates.  

My learning environment changed as the years went on. In elementary, the classrooms had the basic set up as Professor Fatima explained. Desk in rows with teachers’ desks in the front of class beside the whiteboards, and some had a round table at the back. The setup was a typical classroom. What made classrooms unique was the visual appearance, which determined the feeling they gave off. Some of my classes showed relationships more than others. Many of my classroom’s had back tables or a reading carpet in the younger grades that provided opportunities to build relationships, along with incorporating lots of group work. In high school, more interactions occurred since many of my classes had tables that sat either two or four students and no assigned seating arrangements, and the teacher’s desk varied where it was placed. I felt more comfortable within classrooms that had places to interact with individuals. When given the opportunity to have table or desk partners it allowed me to build friendships and relationships. In my classes throughout all grade’s boundaries were important. Boundaries were a way of respecting individuals’ personal space and belongings. Some boundaries within my classes were; certain times to contact the teachers, avoiding to share or ask for personal information from the students, having to give out photo consent, teachers giving us privacy in the change rooms and bathrooms and much more. Having boundaries within a classroom and around the school allows the teachers to keep balance. I believe teachers could make classrooms more relational by making sure that teachers get to know every individual just as equally, and to make sure they take the time and put in the effort to interact with their students. A way that teachers could enforce student interactions is making sure students asks their peers for help or feedback before coming to the teacher.  

In my K-12 education, it varied from classroom to classroom what was taught and how much or if I was even taught about the Indigenous history. The main thing was in elementary school we were taught the story of Turtle Island, not just once but over and over. When important days happened like orange shirt day, we were encouraged to wear an orange shirt and have an assembly to spread awareness. It was never taught in-depth or explained thoroughly enough for us to understand what happened. Overall, indigenous history was never seemed to be a priority to teach. In High School, Miller was one of the schools to be fortunate enough to have Chasity Delorme as an Indigenous Student Advisor. This allowed us to experience activities like meeting with elders, smudging sessions, and a place to go to ask for resources if we choose to. We always had Indigenous awareness around the school. I challenged myself to take an Indigenous 30 class since knowing it would benefit me when becoming a teacher. That class taught me a lot about the history of Indigenous people, along with the deeper meanings of many things. It was a very engaging class and made me changed my attitudes towards the Indigenous culture. I have learned a lot throughout life, I was lucky enough to participate in a learning experience in Qu apple Valley and attend an Indigenous ceremony which allowed me to learn some cultural traditions like bannock making, bead making, and traditional dancing. Throughout media, it shows the problems within the world and within the past. I have learned about Indigenous cultures through videos like the 8th Fire video, Muffins for Granny, We will stand up, and the Pass System. In high school I was an individual who made a TRC awareness Instagram page, to try and spread awareness to teens of future and past events. Truthfully, I do not learn about the Indigenous culture within my family and friends but it is something we are starting to slowly incorporate within our household since we believe it is important to all do our part. As reading the TRC booklet a lot stood out to me. It explained the history and what we can do to make a change, and how the government took over 100 years to realize the consequences individuals faced from residential school. It expressed emotions of heartbreak, sadness, loss, and frustration from individuals who were affected by the residential schools along with expressing what they dealt with. It was an overall very heart-touching book and a great learning experience that brought a lot of thoughts, questions, and emotions throughout my mind while reading. What message resonated within me is that it was an extremely challenging time to live through, and that past events in individuals’ lives can affect the rest of your life. It is shocking how residential schools affect a large population of our world, and we do not always realize that. I want to learn about what the proper and professional way is to teaching this horrific past event. 

My visual piece is a picture I made to hang in my future classroom! This picture represents the Medicine Wheel which helped me develop as a better person mentally and physically by learning about how humans have four needs in life which were stated in the First Nations “Principle of Learning” video. Along with relating to the University of Regina’s Reconciliation Action Committee’s four principles of truth and reconciliation. These four principles stated inside the circle helped me through my journey, and I believe knowing these four principles is a great way for individuals to know where to start their journey. The orange border and shirt in the middle is to represent Orange Shirt Day. I believe Orange Shirt Day is an important day that consists of doing a small act (of wearing an orange shirt) that goes a long way.

I was brought into this world on May 13th, 2003 and I am now eighteen years old. Up to this point, I’ve had so many wonderful life experiences. I am an individual who was fortunate enough to not just have two parents by my side, but instead three. My family consists of my dad Doug, my mom Carla, my stepdad Russ, and my older sister Jocelyn.  Growing up was not what I dreamed it would be, when I look back on being little growing up was all I wanted to do. Being older just seemed so much better in my young eyes, as I could wear make-up, drive a car, and stay up late. But here I am now, all grown up and able to do these things. Over the last eighteen years, I have learned a lot from my parents, family, teachers, and friends. One thing I have instilled from my family is that you must work hard to be successful, and it’s something I have held within me growing up. My parents demonstrated this way of life by being both hard workers and amazing parents. My parents ensured I was involved in as many sports as possible. I’ve played everything from hockey, to soccer, to finding my passion for basketball.  

Nobody in my family is a teacher, but that is one of the reasons I want to be a teacher, so I could do something different. I started my education off at St. Theresa elementary school staying there until grade five, then moving to WF Ready elementary school to finish my elementary years. It was during my time at WF Ready when I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I loved having little buddies and making connections with the individuals I got paired with. In seventh grade I accepted the challenge to work with the FIAP program and be a big buddy to some of the students in the program. I was not sure what to expect at the beginning, but over time I started to understand each of the students a little more. Each individual differed as they all had different needs, some had anger problems, a couple were slow learners, and one special girl was blind and slightly deaf as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). It was the hardest, yet most heart-warming experience.  

I particularly made a connection to Hayley; she was only six years old and struggled with her sight and hearing impairment. We formed a connection that even the teachers were surprised by. Hayley started to ask the teachers every day if I was coming to visit. We knew each other so well that she would jump up and say “Kamryn” when she heard my voice or smelt my scent, even if I was just walking by.  It then led to me taking her out on the playground for recess or staying in with her during indoor recesses. Eventually, it turned into a priority for me to visit her every day. When I didn’t visit, she would find her way to my classroom either by herself or with a teacher so she could come say hi. When eighth-grade came it was a given that I would be happy to work with Hayley again for my last year at W.F Ready. At the end of that whole experience, it showed me how much of an impact I can have on individuals’ lives.  

Denny Park was one of my favorite teachers, he was someone who also inspired me to become a teacher. He was someone that made a strong connection with each student, including myself. He made me feel as if I were at home, safe and protected, while ensuring that I knew I could talk to him if I ever needed. He was a teacher who taught me the reality of things, like if you did something wrong then he would call you out for it, which at first was hard but it was a life lesson that taught me to own up to my wrongdoings.  

I think teaching should be filled with life lessons and storytelling from every individual, as learning from one another is very important in my eyes. Learning the necessities in each grade is important, but when we hear stories from individuals of all different lifestyles or cultures it allows us to become educated and understand others experiences. Throughout my schooling, a lot of things have changed, everything from classrooms, to classmates, and to the hallways I have walked in. My classmates in early elementary years were kids that lived in the same area as me or went to the same daycare and many of my same classmates were all in the same class for years after years. It was around grade six when I started to notice a change in the diversity of my classmates. Each classroom was full of people from different cultural backgrounds. This diversity taught me to be respectful and accepting of all individuals, regardless of their background. Growing up, I have continued learning about multiculturalism and the different cultures around me, rather than just learning the history of western people.  

As a future teacher, I believe that having a truly diverse classroom is very important, along with educating individuals about the wide variety of countries, cultures, and impacts of colonial history, rather than just focusing on western beliefs, cultures, and history. I want every individual to feel welcomed and safe when entering my classroom, and I want to be able to make unique connections with everyone regardless of their ability, race, needs, or gender.  

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-Autobiography

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