Category Archives: #socialjustice

#advocate, #education, #equalrights, #LGBTQ, #socialjustice, STARSregina

Standing Up Alone > Sitting Down in Company

Texan news reporter Dale Hansen made a bold decision to defend gay rights on national television, putting himself out there while fully aware of possible destructive repercussions to his actions. His discourse was in response to the negative backlash football star Michael Sam has received by admitting to being gay. Michael, a talented young man who would be a strong asset to any team in the league, will be the first openly gay man to play in the NFL. Before publicly announcing his sexual identity, he was pegged to be chosen in the first round of the upcoming NFL draft. However, he is now expected to go in the fifth round – for a player of his skill level and stature.. shocking how quickly things have changed, no?

“A gay player would not be welcome in a NFL locker room; it would be uncomfortable because that’s a man’s world.”

Seeing as this has caused such uproar, let’s look to some who are currently representing their nation by playing in the league. Men who have been involved in domestic violence, murder, drunk driving, illegal drugs, prostitution, rape, and obstruction of justice are ‘welcome’ in the league, yet Michael Sam is being scrutinized? As Dale Hansen says, these men are WANTED in the league – they are accepted and are looked up to by many. So I ask, what is wrong with this picture? I do not understand how one can honestly believe being gay is WORSE than committing horrendous crimes – I am at a loss for words.

“You love another man? Well, now you’ve gone too far.”

Ellen DeGeneres was inspired by Dale’s willingness to speak out and invited him to be a guest on her show to further spread his striking message to the public. Experiencing similar public backlash when sharing her sexual identity with her fans, she knows the importance of advocating for equal rights. Together they agree on one common objective – you do not need to be LGBTQ to advocate for equal rights, advocating is advocating. Either way, the message is powerful. It is also not expected for you to understand and feel comfortable with other’s identities that differ from your own – you do not live their life, however, they are a PART of your life. That being said, love and respect are reciprocal notions – you cannot expect to receive it, if you are not willing to give it!

Although our society has evolved over time – and some may argue we have made great progress – heterosexual relationships are still viewed to be the norm and ‘that’s just the way it is’. I find it extremely difficult to understand and refuse to accept the high value placed on success in our society, where this success is only attainable to those who fit the norm. Why should someone’s success be hindered based on their identity? Like Dale, I would like to believe there will be a day where differences will be celebrated, not segregated – success will not be determined by superficial perceptions of identity. However, I think our society has a long way to go to get there… We need to stop sitting down, ignoring the discrimination around us, and stand up – what are we waiting for?

“It is not our differences that divide us; it is our inability to recognize, accept and celebrate those differences.” – Audre Lorde


#advocate, #bullying, #education, #positivity, #rolemodel, #socialjustice, STARSregina

Spoonful of Learning, with a Dash of Negativity.

I strongly believe that as future educators, we must always be mindful of what we say and how we act. In a school setting, we are constantly being observed by students, administrators, colleagues, families and community members – what do you want their opinion of you to resemble? I feel as though the saying “actions speak louder than words” rings true here. Our body language is a huge indicator of how we are feeling, whether we realize this or not. So I ask, with thirty pairs of little eyes staring at us on a daily basis, do we really want to portray to them constant negativity?

That being said, I am finding it hard to ignore the amount of negativity present in our teacher education program. Individuals are passing judgement and discriminating others based on their passion to learn. I struggle with this concept, as I would never discredit the opinions of my peers. I view their personal narratives as learning experiences and appreciate the ways in which they encourage me to think critically. Discrediting someone on these terms just does not make sense to me. As educators we are taught the importance of collaboration, and creating a classroom environment where all students feel safe to share their thoughts and opinions. This is where it becomes difficult for me to understand – why are we not embracing and practicing these values in our university classrooms?

It sounds trivial or childish to preach “treat others how you want to be treated” to adult learners who are working towards becoming professionals, yet I do not think we are reminded of this enough. The negativity individuals are expressing overtly and inovertly cause tension in the room that could be cut with a knife. It does not just affect one person’s experience, it affects everyone’s opportunity to learn. As educators, we want to see our students be successful in their lives – would we judge them negatively based on who they are? No. So why are pre-service teachers doing this to each other? The lack of respect and honouring differences I am seeing daily really makes me question whether or not all of our future students will be given the inclusive learning experience they deserve.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

This message is so important for future teachers – the way we treat others can affect them indefinitely. We need to make sure we do not spew words of hate, but rather words of love and encouragement. Individuals often internalize criticism or disrespect received from others. Those who are bullied may forgive the situation, but they will NEVER forget how the hurtful words used against them made them feel. We need to be the positive role models our students need us to be – admire those around you, be grateful to know each and every one of them, make life enjoyable for everyone – would we not want this for our students?

Becoming a leader does not occur at the moment you walk into your first classroom. It begins now, deep within yourself, by choosing to do the right thing


#advocate, #bullying, #education, #positivity, #rolemodel, #socialjustice, STARSregina

Spoonful of Learning, with a Dash of Negativity.

I strongly believe that as future educators, we must always be mindful of what we say and how we act. In a school setting, we are constantly being observed by students, administrators, colleagues, families and community members – what do you want their opinion of you to resemble? I feel as though the saying “actions speak louder than words” rings true here. Our body language is a huge indicator of how we are feeling, whether we realize this or not. So I ask, with thirty pairs of little eyes staring at us on a daily basis, do we really want to portray to them constant negativity?

That being said, I am finding it hard to ignore the amount of negativity present in our teacher education program. Individuals are passing judgement and discriminating others based on their passion to learn. I struggle with this concept, as I would never discredit the opinions of my peers. I view their personal narratives as learning experiences and appreciate the ways in which they encourage me to think critically. Discrediting someone on these terms just does not make sense to me. As educators we are taught the importance of collaboration, and creating a classroom environment where all students feel safe to share their thoughts and opinions. This is where it becomes difficult for me to understand – why are we not embracing and practicing these values in our university classrooms?

It sounds trivial or childish to preach “treat others how you want to be treated” to adult learners who are working towards becoming professionals, yet I do not think we are reminded of this enough. The negativity individuals are expressing overtly and inovertly cause tension in the room that could be cut with a knife. It does not just affect one person’s experience, it affects everyone’s opportunity to learn. As educators, we want to see our students be successful in their lives – would we judge them negatively based on who they are? No. So why are pre-service teachers doing this to each other? The lack of respect and honouring differences I am seeing daily really makes me question whether or not all of our future students will be given the inclusive learning experience they deserve.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelou

This message is so important for future teachers – the way we treat others can affect them indefinitely. We need to make sure we do not spew words of hate, but rather words of love and encouragement. Individuals often internalize criticism or disrespect received from others. Those who are bullied may forgive the situation, but they will NEVER forget how the hurtful words used against them made them feel. We need to be the positive role models our students need us to be – admire those around you, be grateful to know each and every one of them, make life enjoyable for everyone – would we not want this for our students?

Becoming a leader does not occur at the moment you walk into your first classroom. It begins now, deep within yourself, by choosing to do the right thing


#education, #passionate, #socialjustice, #treatyeducation, STARSregina

We are all Treaty People.

“Now is the time for all people to come together and build a new relationship. If not, things could get a little awkward. After all, First Nations peoples are Canada’s fastest growing population and more than half of us now live in cities. It’s time to meet the neighbors.” (Wab Kinew, Indigenous in the City, 8th Fire – CBC Documentary)

I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to engage in a lecture on Treaty Education with Moose Jaw teacher, Claire Kreuger. She shared with us her journey through a fairly challenging inquiry on Treaty Education, reminding us that despite any obstacles, we must never give up on teaching this topic. Through integration of technology in the classroom, her students created outstanding representations of their learning. The connections they made to their past, the present and their future really hit home for me, reminding me the importance of the relationships embedded in Treaty Education – we do not own the land, we SHARE it. Their words were inspiring, as one child claimed, “We need to own what we have done.” – a very powerful statement, for a child who was obviously not present at the signing of the treaties, yet is taking ownership for the actions of her ancestors. How can we move towards a peaceful future without mending damaged relationships?

My professor once shared her encounter with an elder where he asked: What do we do if we are studying oceans and we do not know something? We look it up. Why are we not doing this with Treaty Education?

As soon as culture is involved, it seems to automatically become a touchy subject. I often hear, ‘I don’t want to offend anyone by teaching it wrong” or “I don’t know anything about it”. As educators, we are not EXPERTS; we do not know everything there is to know about the world we live in. I believe that making mistakes alongside our students makes for authentic learning – showing our students that we too are vulnerable and learning something new everyday. That being said, our excuse should not be that we do not know anything about it. We should be realizing that making mistakes makes us human – our students will appreciate that and value the learning experiences they encounter through error.

In order to understand our place in society, we need to understand the agreements made through the treaties, as well as how we benefit from this today. We would not be living the life we have, on the land that provides us with so many opportunities if it were not for the treaties. This is valuable information that our students deserve to explore – it is part of their identity, and will be part of their future.

“As long as the sun shines, grass grows and river flows – we are all treaty people.”


#education, #inspiration, #nelsonmandela, #socialjustice, STARSregina

Powerful Beyond Measure

Living the journey of becoming an educator is challenging. We are continuously pushed outside of our comfort zones and forced to explore our identity – our values, beliefs, opinions, goals. At a time when we often find ourselves feeling vulnerable, we must remind ourselves of one thing: why we are here.

I received an email from an individual whom I significantly admire, reminding me to continuously believe in who I am, and more importantly, who I am becoming. The message included a quote – inspiring:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Nelson Mandela