Teachers, Knowledge, Building Relationships: Invitation and Hospitality
From my kindergarten to grade 12 experience, I have been introduced to many different ways of being, knowing, and doing in the classroom. It’s important as a teacher to offer several methods of these aspects so that all students have the ability to demonstrate how they learn in a way which is most comfortable to them. I have always enjoyed visual learning and engaging in a hands-on method. I believe that this allowed me to demonstrate my knowledge in a way that reflected my understanding the best. If it wasn’t for the teachers who allowed me to do this—by giving students options to either do a slideshow, a paper, a poster, or an idea of their own—I most likely wouldn’t have been as successful in my academics as I am today. Another way teachers honoured different ways of knowing, doing, and being was communicating with students about how they learn best through a survey. At the beginning of the year, teachers would hand out a survey to the students with questions to get to know the students, their preferences in regard to learning methods, and the class structure itself. Connecting with students on a personal level through this survey is important as it diminishes the teacher’s power as they’re open to what makes the students feel best in the classroom.
Teachers also built a sense of community in the classroom. Students would be given the chance to do group assignments to not only offer a different kind of assignment structure, but to allow students to create a connection with the peers around them. It is important to show students that school isn’t only a place to learn, but also a community where connections can form. This sense of community in the classroom was also developed by teachers allowing small and appropriate talk when we would work on assignments. This not only allowed community in the classroom, but the teachers would also drop their power/control by allowing students the freedom to talk with one another. Whenever we would get a new teacher in our classroom, they would designate time at the first class to introduce themselves, and to also give us time to introduce ourselves. By doing this, the teacher showed that they care about each and every student as an individual, and not just what mark they got on their paper.
Students & Learning Environment: Focus on Places, Spaces, and Boundaries
Throughout my 13 years of school, I have experienced many different environments in the classroom—some good, and some bad. The learning environments varied from each year, but there was one commonality that they all shared: the teacher was always dissociated from the students, portraying their power. Although I don’t remember a lot from my elementary years, I do remember how the classrooms were organized. In kindergarten and grade eight, the student’s desks were set up in a way to develop a sense of community between the groups in the classroom. Although we didn’t have a whole classroom engagement regarding the desk arrangements, we did get to build some connections with the individuals who were around us. A majority of the classroom arrangements from kindergarten to grade 12, however, were very isolated from the rest of the students, and the teacher, minimizing the opportunities for connections and community in the classroom. In grades four and five, we had a ‘C’ shaped arrangement which was probably the most inclusive arrangement that I’ve ever been in. I do remember really feeling connected with all my classmates in this arrangement. This was almost a flawless arrangement. If the teacher was included in it, it would have been a really great arrangement when it came to community and power equalization.
Teachers can make spaces more relational by including themselves in the arrangement, having large tables aside from the student’s desks to give space for group work (or even just to work beside others), and switching up the arrangement once a month. I always looked forward to switching up the desk arrangement for a sense of change. I believe that change is really important to refresh the atmosphere and environment of the classroom; this is something that all teachers should take into consideration to not only get a sense of change, but to also give students the opportunity to interact with other students.
Truth & Reconciliation
I don’t recall a whole lot about Indigenous history in Canada from kindergarten to grade 12. I once did an art project focused on Indigenous art, but I didn’t understand why we were learning about it. I also remember one of my classmates asking my teacher why there was Indigenous concepts in every class. She replied with saying how the curriculum says that each class has to incorporate some Indigenous material. Looking back, it’s safe to say that the material included wasn’t teaching us anything about Indigenous knowledge, but rather checking off the box that they included “something Indigenous.” Sadly, the first time I remember learning about Residential Schools was in grade 12. This really opened my eyes to the dark history of Canada.
I have now been more exposed to Residential Schools and the damaging effects they’ve had on Indigenous individuals. I have been watching the news and listening to the devastating number of graves found from the Schools. Last semester, I took Indigenous Studies which really opened my eyes to the ways the Indigenous peoples interact with the land, each other, and the Creator. It is unfortunate that I didn’t have an understanding of what happened to the Indigenous peoples until after high school, and in my grade 12 year, but I am grateful for the knowledge I now have that I can bring with me on my teaching journey and for the rest of my life.
Somethings that stuck with me from Truth and Reconciliation: What is it about? Is that one of the ways ‘truth’ was defined was speaking of things as they are no matter how bad they might be, and that it’s the building blocks/foundation of justice and society. This means that we can’t have a united and just society without truth and honesty—this is exactly what the government has been lacking regarding the truth about the colonization of Canada and erasure of Indigenous peoples. I want to learn more about reconciliation, and what I can do as a teacher to achieve, and teach this in my classroom. As a call to action, it’s important to orally acknowledge what territory we stand on in the classroom—whether that’s during morning announcements, before a presentation, or students taking turns before each class. By doing this, it teaches the students respect for the stolen land we stand on, and is a step toward reconciliation.