Indigenous Learning Day

Although January 29th is a day off of school for students, all North Okanagan-Shuswap school district staff will be taking part in a day of Indigenous learning. Staff will be taking part in a workshop with education consultant, advocate and author Jo Chrona of Victoria, who is passionate about helping create systemic change in the K-12 education system to help create truly inclusive, strength-based education experiences for all learners.

Chrona, the author of Wayi Wah!Indigenous Pedagogies: An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education, has 25 years experience teaching in both the K-12 and post-secondary education systems in B.C., working as a Policy Analyst and Curriculum Manager for a First Nations education policy and advocacy organization in BC, an advisor to the BC Ministry of Education, and a Faculty Associate in a BC Teacher Education Program. She has also been involved in curriculum development and resource writing, professional learning through inquiry networks, and Indigenous education. She participated in aspects of educational transformation in BC’s K-12 system, as well as managing and contributing to the development of authentic Indigenous teacher resources. She continues to provide professional learning sessions for education systems in the areas of Indigenous education and anti-racism.

Chrona is Ganhada of Waap K’oom of the Kitsumkalum First Nation, a Ts’msyen Community in British Columbia. She is also of European ancestry. Jo currently lives in the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.

All BC school districts have one day dedicated exclusively to learning about Indigenous education as part of answering the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Calls to Action. SD83 Director of Instruction Chelsea Prince notes that this day of learning aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan and fits under the pillar of organizational development, and the value of Reconciliation.

“As our K-12 education system responds to the Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, and the Ninth Professional Teaching Standard, we continue to engage in challenging conversations about inequity and systemic racism in education, with the understanding that everyone has a role in taking informed action to create meaningful change,” explains Prince. She noted that through a combination of presentation and collaborative discussion the workshop will explore:

• the intersections between Indigenous and anti-racist education:
• potential paths for eliminating Indigenous-specific systemic racism in K-12;
• what it means to work for equity and quality in education;
• how to move from fear to learning to growth in anti-racism in Canada;
• why this work is necessary for us all (no matter what our roles);
• how we can understand the roles of bias, and privilege in this work; and
• how we can each use our spheres of influence to create change.