The very first sentence of the Leroy Little Bear article stands out to me: “No matter how dominant a worldview is, there are always other ways of interpreting the world” (2000, p. 77). Growing up, I was never a math person. My mind didn’t work in ways where math came easy to me, like it did for my brother. However, I worked hard to overcome this and I got good marks. My brother would often make comments like, “come on, how don’t you get this” and I would make similar comments back regarding English. Many people love math because there is a “right” and a “wrong”. It is a step-by-step…

To break down the institutionalized injustices that 2SLGBTQIA+ face, we must begin with education. As educators, we must ensure we are constantly educating ourselves and listening to the lived experiences of others, especially our students. We must take on the responsibility of creating classroom environments which are safe, inclusive, and welcoming and we must develop the proper skills to find resources and materials that are not intrinsically oppressive. Inevitably, this will be challenging and sometimes uncomfortable, but if we ground ourselves in humility and kindness, we can learn with our students along the way. It is so important that our students know that we are learning too and that we…

This email and others like it are the very reason why teaching Treaty Ed is so important to everyone. We need to educate our students on the whys and help them develop empathy.  There is so much ignorance and misunderstanding. In order to properly educate people about the present, we first need to teach them about our history and why things are the way they are. We need to be sure to include a variety of teaching tools and make the lessons personal instead of just using lectures and articles. Movies, novels, guest speakers etc. that portray first-hand experiences and perspectives will help to create this empathy and give our…

According to the first article we read by Lopez, “Research shows that diverse students, particularly students of colour, are not achieving the success in schools that they should”. Through critical literacy and culturally relevant pedagogy, teachers can begin to bridge this gap and spark conversation that not only fosters a more inclusive classroom environment, but students who are committed to creating a more socially just world.  Incorporating critical race theory and anti-oppressive education into our classrooms is something that requires hard work. Good teachers are students too; always listening and always learning. Teachers need to reflect and critically assess what they are doing and why they are doing it, who…

I was drawn to read the “Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Form of Liberatory Praxis” article by A. A. Akom because I was so intrigued by the subject. I think it is so important for teachers to continuously step outside of their comfort zones and listen to ideas and voices that give different perspectives. We are moving past the ideas of standardization and traditional pedagogy in which there is one right way to do things, and we are moving towards creating classroom environments that allow students to explore, inquire, imagine, create, critically assess, and expess themselves in a safe way. Akom describes just another way teachers can achieve this…

“Education is about improving the world” The world is ever-changing and our understanding of that world and it’s history are evolving as well. It is so important that teachers are always listening, learning, and growing with the times. As Westheimer says, we must instill in our students that they have a role to play in understanding history and using that knowledge to make the world a better place for all. We all have the opportunity and the responsibility to participate in the democracy we are privileged enough to be a part of.  Though our world is ever-changing, there are situations in which education is not keeping up with the times.…

Reading Ben Levin’s article, “Curriculum Policy and the Politics of What Should be Learned in Schools”, has led me to have an entirely new outlook on curriculum. It really stuck with me that “curriculum decisions and choices are shaped in large measure by other considerations—ideology, personal values, issues in the public domain, and interests” (p.22). As Ben Levin mentioned, “policies govern just about every aspect of education—what schooling is provided, how, to whom, in what form, by whom, with what resources, and so on” (p. 8). The authority and responsibility of final decision-making when it comes to curriculum rests upon governments. Levin mentioned that it is almost impossible for governments…

According to commonsense, the definition of a “good” student would be one who listens attentively, follow rules, and achieves good grades. They will have had a good sleep, had a good breakfast and will have come from a home that is stable and where learning is valued. They will be from a culture where the curriculum content is meaningful and viable in their lives. These students aren’t encumbered by conditions that make learning difficult. These students are neurotypical and able-bodied. Traditionalist curriculum was created to shape students to all be the same so that they could be “functioning” members of society – though that comment is almost an oxymoron in…

With a focus on early childhood and inclusive education, I was compelled to research aesthetic play, and as I was looking through articles, I came across Margaret Latta many times. While I was reading the introduction of her book entitled, “Curricular Conversations: Play is the (Missing) Thing”, I came across this quote which stuck out to me: “The movement of aesthetic play is revealed to be deeply educative, fostering curricular conversations that connect the self and the world in an ever-­enlarging conversation” (xiv). Margaret Latta is a “curriculum theorist, teacher educator, and arts educator” at the University of British Columbia in the Okanagan. In Chapter 1, Latta discusses how curriculum…