Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships: Invitation and Hospitality
Core Questions: Using your own educational experiences to date, how did you see teachers honouring different ways of knowing and doing in the classroom? In what ways did teachers build a sense of community in the classroom? In what ways can teachers build hospitable and invitational educational environments and relationships with all students?
Teachers honouring different ways of knowing and doing in the classroom helps their students learn. I have experienced that when teachers learn about it themselves, they are properly able to teach their students. Educating themselves allows them to pass on their knowledge to others. Sharing their knowledge, thoughts and feelings in a passionate way creates a positive impact on the students. This can be done by verbal teaching, books, videos or presentations. When educators teach by example, the students are shown proper ways of knowing and doing. This allows the students to be inspired to create change in the world. Their knowledge turns into power. Giving students the opportunity to share in a safe place, gives a sense of community in the classroom. Teachers that encourage conversation and preach acceptance, is what allows each student to feel safe in their classroom setting. Celebrating each accomplishment, big or small, is what brings the class together as a community. From my experience, celebrating holidays in the classroom allowed each student to be in a safe place. This gave us each the opportunity to celebrate something that is close to our hearts. This often was done in simple ways such as a craft, reading a book or watching a video. Inviting students to share traditions and cultural practices is a good way of creating a positive classroom community. This allowed each student to know that they are valued and important no matter their racial differences. This also allowed us as students to be understanding to one another. Being compassionate to your peers is what helps create a safe and comforting environment. There are many ways that teachers can build a hospitable and invitational environment. In my years of schooling, I have found that teachers allowing the students to be part of classroom decisions helps make each student feel invited. This could be done in inviting the students to be part of building and decorating the classroom. This allows us as students to feel at home and welcomed when we are part of making the environment. Students choose things that they like and will connect with. Along with having students help decide on assignments. Allowing the students to have a voice in what they do, creates a positive and invitational environment. This helps to have the students feel connected to their environment and it promotes a positive working space. In my school experience, being part of decision making allowed me to feel connected to the environment and feel excited to learn!
Students & Learning Environment: Focus on places, spaces, and boundaries
Core Questions: Using your own educational experiences, what did the learning environment look like? Describe and draw a sketch of what your classrooms looked like as you went through the grades. How did your classroom space indicate power relationships in your classrooms? Did the space in your classrooms provide you with opportunities to engage with all students in your classrooms? How did this space make you feel? What could teachers do to make classroom spaces more relational?
Throughout my high school and elementary school years, the learning environment often changed. As a young kid, I often experienced very colourful and highly decorated classrooms. Slowly as I got older, the classroom environment got plainer and had minimal decorations. All throughout elementary school, the classrooms walls were full of posters and colourful artwork. Many bright colours covered the walls and that created a bright and happy learning environment. Growing up and progressing into high school, the walls were usually empty. The odd poster would be up on the wall, but for the most part there was hardly any colours to add to the room. This often made school hard to attend because it created a dark and boring environment. Classroom space often easily indicated power by the choice of seating arrangement. The teacher’s desk would be placed at the front of the room. This showed the students who was in power and where our focus should be directed. Seating plans created by the teacher also showed power as each student must sit where they were assigned. I believe that when students have a choice and their voice is heard, it leads to a positive education experience. When flexible seating has been allowed, myself and my fellow peers have always felt more comfortable. Being able to choose where you sit and who you sit by allows you to feel that safety that you should be feeling in your classroom. As well as adaptations per each students needs are helpful and important. As an educator it is important to find what helps your students learn and succeed best. Throughout my schooling experience, some students worked best when they were not forced to sit still. Being able to move around helps students brains to continue to flow to learn better. Some adaptations that these students were given were wiggle seats and standing desks to create a different learning environment for their needs. Being able to sit in different seating plans allowed us as students to have the opportunity to engage with all students. Changing up the seating plan out of rows allowed creativity and excitement in the classroom. This also allowed all students to engage with their peers and meet new people. Group work was another factor in school that allowed us to engage with one another. This often puts students in an environment where it is important to put everyone’s thoughts and ideas into play. Group work not only allowed us to engage with other students, but it also allowed us to realize that each member of the group is important and should be heard. My experience of my classroom environments always made me feel safe. A learning environment can be stressful for lots of students, including myself, and I think that the teachers that I had did a great job of including everyone’s needs. An easy example of this is being able to see your own artwork displayed on the walls. This creates a space of comfort, seeing something that belongs to you up on your classroom. Being comfortable in the environment allowed the best learning experience that I could have. I do think that teachers could work on adding all adaptations for each individual student. It is important to remember that each students learns differently, and it is important to find what helps each student. I also think that teachers should continue to create colourful and exciting environments you grow older. There is no doubt that it created a positive and happy environment for me, so I think that all students should be able to experience that throughout all their years of school. As a future educator, I will consider my own personal school experience when creating a positive and safe environment for all students.
Truth & Reconciliation
Core Questions: Describe what you learned in your K-12 education about Indigenous history in Canada. What have you learned as an adult through media, family, friends and other learning experiences? As you read through the TRC booklet-Truth & Reconciliation: What is it about? What messages resonate with you? What do you need and want to learn more about? What would you do for a call to action?
Throughout my education, I had to privilege to learn lots about Indigenous history in Canada. Since I was young, I was taught about the Indigenous culture and Canada’s mistakes in the past. I had the opportunity to learn about treaty’s and be able to acknowledge that we are living on treaty land. I was taught about residential school and the affects that they had on everyone. In high school, I had the opportunity to experience the blanket exercise. This was a moving experience and something that I will never forget. I was able to listen to an elder speak and share their story. I have also learnt a lot about the 94 calls to action, and how they are still being worked on. Now as I grow up, I have realized that there is still so much to learn. There is so much that we still do not know or fully understand. I have now learnt that knowledge is power. With knowing, you can grow and work on the future. I now understand what has happened in the past is important and will forever have an impact on our world. I have learnt that it is important to make a commitment to be better and help others understand. After reading the TRC booklet, I am now able to acknowledge what really happened. Understanding the past is important and something that everyone should learn. This booklet also explains to us what needs to happen next. Reading through the book, I was able to take away many important messages. What resonated most with me was a lot was done wrong and we will never be able to take it back. We can only continue to try to move forward to do better and change the future. Another message that resonated with me was understanding that this still affects many people today. This is not our past, it is still our present and we are still dealing with it today. I would love to learn more about the ways I can help. As a future educator, I need to have knowledge to be able to pass it on to the classroom. I can be culturally sensitive and teach the truth and share ways we can help. It is my job to fill these students with knowledge and help them move forward. I believe that having the experience to listen to stories helps us learn. Listening to others speak has a moving impact on us, at all ages. I would love to help create opportunities for people to share their stories to help others learn. I do know from experience that this is a moving and inspiring way to learn. Students will be more engaged than if they were just learning from a book. I do believe that knowledge is power, and I hope to one day help others gain the knowledge they need to change the world.