Moving Forward: The Journey Ahead

Presented with the question, “What type of educator does the world need today?” I find myself contemplating the theories and practices I have embarked on through this journey, both in my reflections and as a student teacher. The roots are my theory in practice. Now, as a teacher, it is my responsibility to take these theories into practice. I am ready for the journey ahead. Although it involves taking risks, thinking outside the box, and staying true to oneself through bravery and courage in standing tall and resilient as a tree. I am optimistic about taking all that I’ve learned, my connections to land, community, and myself, and incorporating that understanding into my future practice.

I will incorporate the six R’s of Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relevance, Reverence, and Relationships from my journey in education and towards the educator I hope to be. These are values I bring to heart in the ways they interconnect. I want to set my roots in connection to applying these values in my teaching practice. I have deep respect for the learners and the community we share. For our responsibility, we must respect and recognize the cultural status of our community and create an openness to learning more about indigenous ways of knowing and being. For inclusivity, we need to take accountability for our actions and learning. To build reciprocity for collaboration, to learn from each other, and to respect the knowledge that has been given. Relevance is making sure that representations are relevant, including those lived experiences and furthering the value of indigenous knowledge and communities. For reverence and relationships, we must foster that positivity and show appreciation for the different perspectives and experiences of the students in our care.

With these values in mind, there is a type of intertwinement that occurs when we look back on our past so that we can reimagine a new and brighter generation in the future. Thinking towards the future generations and how to lead and become a good ancestor as a long-term commitment to teaching. 

“Be a good Ancestor with your feelings
Feelings become compassion

Compassion becomes understanding

Understanding becomes beliefs

Beliefs become values” 

-Be a Good Ancestor, by Leona Prince and Gabrielle Prince

With the picture above, I have created my learning journey thus far. The words shared by Leona Price and Gabrielle Prince of feelings, compassion, understanding, beliefs, and values have resonated with me. I started by planting a seed and relating this to when Chris Googoo (2021) states, “It’s sort of like you’re planting a flag, but you’re actually planting a tree and giving back what Mother Nature had put there in the first place. This feeds into our narrative about the need to respect the treaties and traditional territories”. Continuing from planting the seed is understanding where my roots have formed and set in place. To the beliefs, where some can be held or shed, and then values that flourish. I have gained the wisdom to embrace discomfort and unfamiliarity through resiliency as a tree.

References: 

Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO). (2021, June 21). Land as teacher: understanding Indigenous land-based education. CCUNESCO. https://en.ccunesco.ca/idealab/indigenous-land-based-education

Prince, L., Prince, G., & Joseph, C. (2022). Be a Good Ancestor. Orca Book Publishers.