Exit Slip #3 - Reconciling Ways of Knowing

 

The discussion with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer was extremely thought provoking; at some points disheartening; but most of all inspiring to push beyond boundaries. What disheartened me the most was how she mentioned through racism and indoctrination of Indigenous families, she was raised with Indigenous values, but not culture.. Although our education system promotes multiculturalism, and acceptance of others (which is an extremely important life lesson), we cannot shy away from the fact that there is a history of Euro-centric education that promotes assimilation and conformity to whiteness. Dr. Kimmerer mentioned that students were stripped of and punished for practicing their culture, yet growing up through the education system, we hardly hear about the challenges they had to face. It is our duty as teachers to acknowledge, and learn about such instances so we don't marginalize or turn people away from their cultures. We shouldn't be afraid to ask challenging questions, and we should always be curious to learn more about something that was hidden. What I find most interesting however is the 'train' effect of teaching, how we often teach what and how we were taught. Connecting this idea to one-dimensional learning and instrumental understanding, if we were taught that way, we may teach that way as well...so as I was (hardly) taught about the racism and marginalization of Indigenous people, will I continue that trend? Hopefully not, as it is our job to revolutionize the school system; to have controversial conversations; and to invite a dialogue to connect each other.

I also really enjoyed Dr. Kimmerer's point about grief and love, and how they mirror each other. She mentions how if we embrace grief, and we know that grief is the mirror of love, we may be able to turn that grief into love, and use that love for growth. I connected this to the classroom with people having a fixed mindset and hating (or grieving over) math. Often times student say they have a "love/hate relationship" with math, but as teachers, it's our job to insight passion and learning into these subjects. We may not be able to make them "love" math, but hopefully we can help them turn that grievance into a passion for learning, or passion for wanting to achieve more, which will in turn help them grow as individuals.