I am a Treaty person.
As a white settler, I am able to respond by listening and then helping.1 Enacting that responsibility is my duty.2 I learn and practice Indigenous ways of knowing. My goal is to create connections3 in ways that elevate Canada.
Everyone belongs here.
Families, welcome!4 Sharing individual stories, ideas and questions shows all levels of understanding and perspectives. Collective analysis is engaged, respectful discourse is pursued, truth is sought, and art infused projects are the norm. Free like birds, students can express their thoughts and ideas.
The planet connects us.
I demonstrate sustainable behaviours, and work to create a community for ecology. I facilitate students’ understanding of worldview and perspective. A bird’s eye view of a child’s homelife improves my ability to meet them where they are at.
You are enough, and so am I.
Education is for empowerment. Everyone is seen. I create space for imagination, dreams and goal setting. As a servant leader I work to support every birdy’s flight path.5
Language matters.
Creating an inclusive space requires consistent effort to be, do and speak better. Actively learning with my students means that sometimes I apologize. My students hear me speak respectfully in English and Cree. I empower students to communicate clearly, and to understand their own ability to respond.6 Like gentle feathers falling, my words encourage students to lift their wings.
I have time, and snacks.
Learning happens with mistakes, so I make time for do-overs. I encourage students to think. Brain food is stored in my desk as one way I ensure that all flyers, high and low, feel safe. If you want to find me, look in the garden. The early bird catches the worm, but there is plenty of time7 to share.
Inspiration List
Theme inspiration: “The Creator gave Wood Thrush the gift of a beautiful song, with the duty to sing the forest good-night. Every being with a gift, every being with a responsibility.” –Robin Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass, p.211 (2013)
1 “That furnace if failure, and it is fueled by fear.” – Chrysantius Lathan, Dear White Teacher
2 “You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep.” – Navaho Proverb shared in Robin DiAngelo’s book, White Fragility
3 “Our job is not to be our students’ friends, but it is our job to connect with our students, to get to know them and their goals, and to create an environment where everyone feels safe to learn.” – Gravity Goldberg, Teach Like Yourself
4 “When a student is understood holistically, a teacher does not only invite the student, but the student and all of the student’s relations, into the classroom space. This means inviting who the student is (rather than who the teacher would like the student to be) which in turn means getting to know who the student is in a holistic way (rather than making assumptions about who the student is based on dominant, racialized categorizations and stereotypes).” – Fatima Pirbhai-Illich and Fran Martin, A Relational Approach to Decolonizing Education: Working with the Concepts of Invitation and Hospitality (2019)
5 “To any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible – and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people – must be prepared to “go for broke.” “ – James Baldwin, A Talk to Teachers (1963)
6 “Imagine if our students insisted on being spoke to fairly throughout their lives.” – Michelle Gunderson, “I Believe You: Responsive Teacher Talk and Our Children’s Lives” (2018)
7 “Take two syllables of your time to pronounce this song of mine.” – Hiwot Adilow’s poem, Name
https://edusites.uregina.ca/leannematthes/?page_id=63
My aesthetic representation came from a previous ECS assignment on reconciliation, but I have left it hanging in my office and I regard it often. By changing what the glass bobble in the center reflects, and/or who each of the birds represents, I am able to consider multiple versions of truth.
I created the speaking bird image with the help of clip art and inspiration from a quote my father often says. I am thankful for this little bit of clip art to represent my social justice pedagogy.
“Everybody gets a chance.” – Bob Johner