b'NEW PERSPECTIVESFROM RESILIENCETO EXCELLENCEBy Mike Hager Belief in the strengths of Indigenous studentsT o quote Canadian comedianIn the immortal words of The Dudean inclusive and equitable educa-Norm Macdonald, Teachersfrom The Big Lebowski, Yeah,tion for all students. arent really heroes, theyrewell, you know, thats just like your just the tallest person in the room.opinion, man. It has led us to consider the unique needs and challenges that Indigenous Join me, please, on this journeyBut its not all doom and gloomstudents face in school settingsso towards the seemingly never- out there, folks. All is not lost. Ivemuch so that even more communi-ending juxtaposition of perceptionseen it myself as a teacher and as aties and families are truly considering versus the reality of teaching inCommunity Outreach Coordinatorthe world beyond rez life, the duck classrooms in 2023. Weve comeat Indspire, most recently at theblind, and the secret fishing spot. Its out of a mind-numbing, incom- Canada Wide Science Fair infinally being acknowledged that its prehensible global pandemic thatEdmonton. I met several youngjust as important for FNIM students affected everyone in a variety ofpeople from Grades 7 to 12 whoto know how and where to set a ways. Teachers were once regardedall were keen to make a difference.snare and prepare for a sweat as it is as one of the pillars of society forIt was impressive how much theyto pass provincial exams and continue quite some time. I dont neces- embraced their natural curiosity,on to post-secondary studies.sarily only mean formally qualifiedwhich allowed them to chase their teachers with demonstrable bonascientific dreams. Im not going toLets explore the importance of fide scholastic integrity; I also meanbe so brazen as to suggest that thisadjusting our expectations as Elders or Knowledge Keepers,was due solely to their teachers.teachers and adopting culturally Sachems or RabbisessentiallyHowever, teachers definitelyresponsive teaching strategies to intelligent folks who could provideplayed a role in their being able tobetter nurture Indigenous students in guidance and wisdom based onpursue their academic goals. So,the classroom. Indigenous students experience and aptitude.as Shakespeare said: Once moreare still playing catch-up, but the unto the breach, dear friends,situation isnt nearly as dire as it Then, something changed. Societyonce more was a decade ago. As one of the decided that teaching was no longerfastest-growing demographics in the as noble a profession as it once was.As educators, we understand thatcountry, it only makes sense that The saying Those who can, do.the world keeps on keeping on.weve made big strides at all levels of Those who cant, teach comes toTherefore, I want to suggest thatpost-secondary education as Canada mind rather quickly. I dont knowit behoves us to also ensure thathas also figured out that its better to why, how or when this all happened.education continues to evolve tounderstand and overcome the chal-For some reason, even though mostmeet the demands. This is espe- lenges rather than let the situation peoples experiences with teacherscially noticeable in First Nations,stagnate and worsen.are as students (and then, perhaps,Inuit and Mtis (FNIM) classrooms, as parents of students), everyonewhere the shift has changed from aThe desire to look at and identify has an opinion about how thisplace of deficit and struggle to onesome of the main difficultiesprofession should do its job. of commitment to providing is real:34indspiration2023'