June 17, 2022 at 3:30-4:30 pm. MDT
This session will focus on considerations and best practices when working with Indigenous students and families. It will include an overview of the implications and legacies of historical and current policies related to Indigenous peoples in Canada and how these inform the ways in which we should approach our relationships with Indigenous families. Suggested resources and practical examples to support educators will be shared and time for questions will be made.
Sarah Mead and Michele Findlay
Michelle Finley (she/her) is a Métis woman and K-12 public school educator who grew up on the unceded traditional territory of the Lhtako Dene (Quesnel, B.C.). After spending many years living in the interior of British Columbia, Michelle and her husband moved to Treaty 7 Territory (Calgary, AB)where they raise their two children. Michelle has a BA degree with majors in English Literature and Theatre from Thompson Rivers University, a BEd degree from the University of British Columbia and is currently completing a MEd from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. In her free time she serves as a Director for the non-profit The Moss Bag Project.
Sarah Meade (she/her) is an educator of mixed ancestry (Northern Irish & Mikmaw) currently residing in Mohkintsis (Calgary, Alberta). She grew up in Southern Ontario on the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabek, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Ojibway/Chippewa, and Métis peoples. She has taught for over 15 years including on a remote fly-in Anishnaabe community, an independent school for youth- at risk in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and for the last decade in the Calgary Board of Education. She is in her third year of the Doctor of Education program at the University of Calgary focusing on how practicing teachers are engaging in decolonizing education.
Sarah and Michelle currently work as Indigenous Education Specialists with the Calgary Board of Education.