Author:
My Place as an Educator
I was so excited when I got my acceptance letter into the MEd program at TRU and was looking forward to coming to Canada. My expectation was to be prepared for hard work. It was more than that when I got here. The diversity I saw was overwhelming – multicultural and multiracial. In contrast, in my own country (Trinidad) we are multiracial but share one culture (with mild variations based on religious bodies in the country.
My cultural background, shaped by the many years of learning in a different education system, clashed with the classroom environment. In the diversity course, there were a lot of topic discussions that allowed for and offered different cultural perspectives. Sometimes I remained quiet because I did not want to say anything out of the way – I did not want to offend anyone by my answer.
I could not understand why there was land acknowledgment at the beginning of every class – why they had to do that. I began to see this as a façade because the Indigenous of the country seem to be very impoverished as was solidified when I did the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation course. They have been stripped of their identity and forcefully assimilated into a system that does not say who they are. I understand and empathize with them, knowing the truth.
Their culture offers diversity and a holistic way of learning which I think is beautiful. Integrating their Indigenous pedagogical way into the western curriculum is a way of resuscitation of their very existence and reconciliation (Howe, Johnson, & Te Momo, 2021) and a way forward to healing for the indigenous population of Canada. I see this as merely, a small gesture of compensation while much more remains necessary to build them- a plan of action.
I appreciate the opportunity to be part of a diverse curriculum in Canada that continues to transcend the former, in a way where all are appreciated and welcomed and acknowledged. This is a true reflection of harmony that underscores and uplifts what the Culturally Indigenize curriculum is about.
References
Howie, E. (Ted), Johnson, S., & Te Momo, F. (2021, May 24). Effective indigenization of curriculum in Canada and New Zealand: Towards culturally responsive pedagogies. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education. https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/jcie/index.php/JCIE/article/view/29443
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful response. Being an international student myself, I can understand how your transition from Trinidad to Canada was both thrilling and daunting, especially due to the extreme contrast in cultural dynamics. Your comment on the diversity that you observed in the classroom is something I can identify with. It’s amazing how your initial confusion about practices like land acknowledgment transformed into a clearer understanding, particularly after reading about the Indigenous perspectives, this is the case with me as well. I also agree with your point about the integration of Indigenous pedagogies into Western education as a reconciliatory measure. However, I think you’re right to imply that these gestures should be more than tokenistic; they should be part of an overall, sustained commitment to Indigenous rights and culture.
Hi Ria, thanks for sharing with your own culture. After reading your thoughtful thoughts, I also remembered the first day I came to Canada as an international student. Speaking influent English with our university’s reception representatives, I must make some trouble for them for they must figure it out what I am talking about. At last, I found my hotel and the new and exciting life in Canada began.
Then, let’s just start with your article. You talked the deeper understanding of land acknowledgement that the indigenous lost so much to assimilation. Therefore, it is a healing for the indigenous people to make the reconciliation and incorporate their indigenous pedagogy into western learning. Also, this is beneficial to a harmonious society.
Hi Ria, thanks for your sincere sharing, with which I can resolate a lot. It is kind of like the process of experiencing the cultural shock and cultural adjusting. Sometimes it’s overwhelming and not easy. It’s nice to know that you have almost gone through the toughest initial part of the journey. However, after reading your post, I am not very clear about your opinions about cutural responsive education, as well as the methods you may take to conduct cultural responsive education, because in my opinion, cutural responsive education is not just about relationships between indigenous people/culture and dominant people/culture.
You discussed your experiences of learning in multicultural classrooms in Canada while knowing that a whole culture was assimilated into western ways. The land acknowledgment is one step in a multi-faceted approach to increasing Indigenous knowledge into our curriculum. The Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action are necessary to make more changes to embedding more Indigenous knowledge. It is a beautiful culture that needs to be acknowledged and celebrated. Thanks for bringing up such an important point.