Education News | Page 9
Flexibility . Flexibility with daily plans is another aspect of Keilyn ’ s responsive teaching . “ I ’ m very flexible – I have my day plans , if I veer from that , it ’ s okay . Listening to students and where they are at and what they are wondering might be the most important thing you do that day . If something negative happens , such as an experience of racism , stop your lesson to address what is happening because that will be the most important lesson of their day . We want students to feel seen and validated , so if we brush off their experiences or the things they are feeling , that ’ s not going to help them , the classroom climate , or the world . We have to address these things as they come up .”
Critical self-reflection . Keilyn adds that critical self-reflection is another important piece of developing a culture of belonging : “ Teachers need to keep educating themselves about , for example , anti-racism . This is a pretty new field for a lot , especially in Saskatchewan . Teaching is so influential because were not just teaching the curriculum but also the hidden curriculum . If you don ’ t take the time to address your lenses or biases that you might be bringing , you might just be perpetuating those norms .” immediately sees the bundles of wild sage hanging on the door , which were gifted to her class . The next thing you might see is the classroom treaty that she and her students develop at the beginning of each year . Keilyn explains this activity is “ a simple way to talk about treaty and historical context .”
Using the resources she finds through the School Division , Keilyn develops new opportunities to start conversations about what people have experienced , what they did historically , how newcomer settlement affected their lives , and how to get back to learning on the land . “ I invite a lot of guest speakers into the classroom and I have the school Elder come in once a week to spend times with kids .”
Decolonize and Indigenize . Keilyn is working to decolonize and Indigenize her classroom as well . Walking into her classroom , one