"We Should Have Teachers From Our Community": The Importance of Indigenous Teachers and Their Knowledge

• In Event: Resistance to Settler-Colonial Curriculum: Fostering Community Wellness Through Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Teaching

Abstract

When students recognize their identities in curriculum and pedagogy, they excel in classroom settings and in overall life situations. (Acton, Salter, Lenoy, and Stevenson, 2017; Fredericks, Jesse, Brave Heart, & Strickland, 2018; Harrington & Pavel, 2013; Huffman, 2013; Johnson, Sievert, Durglo, Finley, Adams, & Hoffman, 2014; Joseph & Windchief, 2015; May & Aikman, 2013; Partridge, 2016; Shirley, 2017). Currently, what are conversations Indigenous teachers are having when it comes to their roles as educators, what are they doing in their classrooms to incorporate Indigenous students’ lived experiences into their school’s curriculum, and what are their thoughts regarding culturally sustaining pedagogy and Indigenous education? This study’s objective was to answer these questions through pre/post-interviews, focus groups, sampled curriculum and journal reflections.

Author

• Amanda LeClair-Diaz, Brazelton