Lhulh’uts’ut’en (Working Together), September 25, 2020

Today was an exceptional day of learning.  I was inspired over and over again by keynote speakers Dr. Dustin Louie and Dr. Niiganwewidam James Sinclair as well as by “Discovering your wild, native, and medical plants” workshop leader Lori Snyder.  These leaders shared clear and passionate messages about how essential it is to decolonize our current education system and be intentional about Indigenizing it.  I especially resonated with the statement, “We do not teach curriculum, we teach relationships.” (Sinclair, 2020).  This statement got to the heart of all teaching. Building community and relationships is how we embed reconciliation into the curriculum.  Taking care of each other and the land is how connect to our deeper purpose. Lori Snyder talked about this reciprocal relationship and said, “we give and take, it is a web of life” (Snyder, 2020).  As I continue this year, I am now more aware that facilitating relationships and interconnectedness should always be at the core of my teaching practice.