Profiles of Aboriginal Educators: Footprints for the Future
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H O M E C O M M U N I T Y Shoal Lake #40 First Nation C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y Anishinaabe C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N Aboriginal Academic Achievement Support Teacher South/Central Ab. Education (Mar24-09)FINAL.indd 56 3/24/09 3:10:56 PM
Andrea Lynn Redsky E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G Bachelor of Education Degree 57 R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
always my elders who inspired me to go after the profession I am in today. Although placing my children in daycare was a very difficult thing for me to do, I recognize that it was part of a critical decision I had to make in order to get where I am today. My only regret is the time that I did not spend with my children. Today as an educator, I enjoy the rewarding work I do and appreciate that I can work with a variety of teachers from elementary to senior high school. I work with teachers from every curricular area to support the integration of Aboriginal education.I feel it is important for our youth to pursue educa- tion as a career because teachers can help our youth aspire to become anything they hope to be. It is important for young people to become educators in order to continue the work that has been started by the trailblazers in education, those who have supported us as we made our own way. I feel that it was
Ab. Education (Mar24-09)FINAL.indd 57 3/24/09 3:10:56 PM
H O M E C O M M U N I T Y Buffalo, New York C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y Mohawk C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N Assistant Professor, University of Winnipeg Ab. Education (Mar24-09)FINAL.indd 58 3/24/09 3:10:58 PM
always been to the Aboriginal community first. I began my career as a high school teacher in a band controlled school and interim principal for one year. In fact, my entire teacher train- ing occurred while I was employed in a band-run school. My own teaching and learning experiences have always main- tained an Aboriginal focus. This has helped me make con- tributions to what teachers and students can now use when they learn about Aboriginal peoples. For example, my dissertation included a seven hundred mile walk following the traditions of my people, the Mohawk. It was called The Rotinonshonni through the Eyes of Teharonhiawako and Sawiskera – A Traditional History of the Iroquois People for Modern Times. My doctorate focused on traditional knowledge. I am proud to say that I graduated from what was the only all-Aboriginal doctoral program in the world, with a doctoral committee that included both Aborigi- nal elders and academics. Today, I recognize that, more and more, teachers are required to teach Aboriginal content in the curriculum. It is, therefore, important for teachers to be prepared to teach this content as well as they can. We therefore need more Aboriginal students to broaden the canon of Aboriginal education. As an educator, I have had the opportunity to write materials that can be used by students and teachers for such purposes. For example, I have written two books: Seeing with Aboriginal Eyes: A Four-Direction-
book for history teachers from across Canada who attended the 2005 Historica Secondary School Teachers’ Institute at The University of Winnipeg. I write my books for the courses I teach, to help my students –the teachers of tomorrow– learn about Aboriginal culture, history, and global issues from an Aboriginal perspective. I am currently converting my manual on Indigenous environmental science into a book. I have also written for the National Library of Canada’s Kids Settlement Site and have just had a chapter published in the Handbook of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (Sandole, et. al [Eds.], [2008], Routledge) called “Restorative processes of peace and healing within the governing structures of the Rotinonshonni ‘Long- house People’.” It is rewarding as an educator to help teachers better under- stand Canadian Aboriginal culture, history and perspectives. What I have noticed is that, when it comes to integrating Aboriginal perspectives, teachers are afraid that they are going to go into a classroom and do something wrong or inappropriate. As an Aboriginal educator, I am able to assist these teachers by answering their questions, by coaching them, and by encour- aging their efforts. I also believe it’s important to share my work with non-Aboriginal people just as it is with Aboriginal peoples. As an educator I have been able to work internationally with other Indigenous people. I have visited the Bedouin in Israel, the Makuche and Wapashan in Guyana, the Karen in Thailand, Indigenous Hawaiians in Hawaii, Mayans in Mexico. During my stays, I have taught Native Studies courses or given lectures on Aboriginal issues within Canada and the United States. It has been rewarding and enlightening to travel as an educator. I have come to recognize that, while some Indigenous groups are still living a subsistence lifestyle, others are struggling with advanced stages of colonization. Today, as an educator I plan to delve more into experiential learning by encouraging students to move beyond text and theory and into the environment with naturalist skills such as tracking. Brian Rice E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
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