What school do you currently teach at?

"Reanna- I teach K-6 in Alberta Calgary."

How long have you been teaching for, what schools have you taught at?

"I have been teaching for ten years, the different schools I taught at was one in B.C and two in Alberta." 

When did you start teaching Indigenous culture to your students? 

 "I started teaching Indigenous Culture to my students when I was in my third year of teaching, when I became a kindergarten teacher in a program called the Medicine Wheel Kindergarten. This program was a partnership with the school board and Metis Calgary teach to the Metis culture ( The Metis Jig, Michif and Cree language, and storytelling). I delivered lessons that followed the provincial learning outcomes and Cree and Metis Peoples came into the classroom to the deliver the cultural lessons."

Do you enjoy teaching Indigenous Culture to your students, if so why?

"I do enjoy teaching indigenous culture to my students, we get amazing opportunities to invite Elders and First Nations Peoples to teach their culture to my students.

How did you approach the idea of wanting to teach Indigenous culture to your students."

How did you approach the idea of teaching Indigenous culture to your students? 

"I looked mainly at decolonizing methodologies or strategies I could implement in the classroom that I followed Indigenous ways of thinking and being. For example, taking a closer look at the First people's Principles of Learning to ensure I am promoting inclusivity, responding to learners' needs, and approaching learning holistically. I personally like to leave specific cultural teachings to Indigenous Peoples as their cultures are so diverse and I do not want to offend anyone."

How long did it take you to incorporate First Nation education consistently into your everyday teachings? 

"It took me until teaching the Medicine Wheel Kindergarten, in my fourth year of teaching. Before this I wasn't aware of the exclusionary nature of the traditional school system and the impact of that structure on Indigenous students. "

Do you think that teaching your students about Aboriginal Culture at this age will benefit them in the future?

"Yes I do. Following the grade one provincial curriculum, students in grade one learn about plants and animals and their needs. Through this topic it is a great opportunity to teach students about how Indigenous People's connect to the land and the reciprocal relationships that exist between all living things. I often teach about the value of the buffalo and local plants to bring it to their level of understanding."

Have you ever heard of the Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to action, if so have you ever tried to incorporate these calls to action in your teachings?

"Yes, I have heard of the Calls to action. I use two specific ones in my everyday teaching; Enabling parents to fully participate in their child's education, and culturally appropriate curricula/materials."

When did you start using these calls to action? 

"To me this Calls to Action are considered to be elements of an affective teacher not just unique to Indigenous education or the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation),

I believe they are just good teaching and that I have always used them. "

In one of the actions section 62. (i)  it states to make age appropriate teachings of residential schools for all grades from pre-k to grade 12. Have you taught this topic to your students?

"I have taught my students about orange shirt  day. I also have read a picture book and had a discussion with them about Residential schools. "

Is there any specific Aboriginal teachings you want to put into your curriculum you haven't gotten the chance to teach yet? 

"I personally think that BC does a great job incorporating Indigenous knowledge into the curriculum, although I do think that Alberta's Curriculum is still developing on achieving that goal."

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