What? So What? Now What?
As someone who has been in education for ten years already, I have been exposed to many professional development opportunities for Truth and Reconciliation. Land Acknowledgements became part of the beginning of every week and meeting, units and courses were completed on residential schools, and programs were created so students with Indigenous heritage could reclaim their lost cultures and traditions. I always felt saddened, disgusted and angry at those who came here and colonized. But, as someone whose family came to Canada as immigrants in the 1950’s, I felt removed from fault-as if I could point fingers. As my mother always told me, “when you point your finger and someone else, there is always three pointing back at you”. Wow. She is right, again.
This portfolio will walk you through my experience thus far in the PLP, including coming to terms with ownership of my truth and my actions moving forward. Understanding First Peoples Principles of Learning/Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being are an integral part to decolonization and reconciliation. These principles are entwined throughout this portfolio in ways that acknowledge connection to land and culture, honouring stories, creating relationships, respecting diversity, and understanding that learning is a journey.
This next section addresses key points in my own journey with reconciliation using a “What? So What? Now What” framework.
Sky Woman falling acknowledges acceptance of light and dark co-existing in order to move forward for the good of all. This reflection of light and dark runs through each slide in this section as it has been an integral part to understanding my own truth. What? The Witness Blanket offers a deep reflection into the traumatic past of Canada and residential schools and is where I begin to reflect on my own past and journey as an educator. So What? The B.C. Blanket exercise digs deeper and allows me to find where I fit into all this. It offers an epiphany of what it means to be an immigrant-not removed from blame and how that transfers into my practice.
I have included my Land Acknowledgement here. Traditionally, it goes at the beginning, but I found that it fit as a final (work in progress) piece to this section. It offers the important “Now What” needed to move forward.