Eva Koch
Supervisor: Dr. Lynn Bosetti
City: Penticton
Occupation: Teacher
Year: 2021
Subject:
- Curriculum
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Other
Description
Within the context of the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in the BC renewed curriculum (2018), the updated BC professional teaching standards (2019) and a growing awareness and public discourse of white privilege and social inequities, the work of decolonizing classrooms and teaching practices is timely. While some educators in this post Truth & Reconciliation Commission (2015) era are inviting local knowledge keepers into their classrooms, and publication of authentic and culturally appropriate resources is increasing, there is much to consider in terms of professional development and capacity building. Classroom teachers challenged to engage in this work share the following concerns: a lack of basic knowledge and time needed to learn about the diversity and history of Métis, Inuit, and First Nations in Canada; fear of misrepresentation and the struggle with the authority to teach Indigenous worldviews; and the ‘how-to’ of promoting reconciliation in classroom settings. Adding complexity, non-Indigenous educators are simultaneously grappling with their own settler guilt and unpacking notions of white privilege within colonial structures. This practitioner-oriented resource was created to support classroom teachers through 1) synthesizing important research on reconciliation, decolonization, settler-allyship and anti-oppressive pedagogies in the Canadian education context; 2) providing a shared space for making meaning of curricular reform; and 3) showcasing exemplary lesson plans and critical reflections of educators on the challenges, positive insights and transformational experiences in engaging with this work; and 4) providing an inventory of current, supportive resources. Woven throughout the magazine, the pedagogies of discomfort and critical hope provide the theoretical framework to understand the moral responsibility in challenging worldviews and addressing social inequities. Weaving theory and practice, this first issue of Equity Times lays the foundation for exploring and sharing what it means to be a settler-ally in a local school district. This practical and accessible publication encourages the sharing of further collaboration with local knowledge keepers, students, and educators in the spirit of decolonization and reconciliation.
Student Biography
Eva Koch is a high school teacher in School District 67, with a passion for social justice. Eva has taught a variety of subjects and grade levels; she is committed to life-long learning and supporting the work of reconciliation in her school and district.