Exit Slip # 3: Webinar with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer et al.

Image source: https://warriorpublications.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/sweetgrass-braid.jpg

Today's webinar as well as the reading from Braiding Sweetgrass were very inspirational. Dr. Kimmerer is very poetic in her delivery of her ideas - I found myself moved with the way she so effortlessly expressed herself and the strong imagery brought forth with all her metaphors. As I mentioned in our class discussion, I am still trying to understand what I can do to fully bring Indigenous knowledge into my math classroom; but I think the first step is to actively seek out new perspectives and research Indigenous culture. Another idea I resonated with strongly was "What do I love too much to lose?" It is certainly a strong guiding point for when we feel there are just too many problems to deal with. To me, this is a good reminder to focus on what is important - even if it's just a few issues important to us personally - so that we can make productive changes. I really admire how Dr. Kimmerer talked about turning her grief into love and using that love to act. It is such a wise outlook on life.

This webinar also brought back some memories for me. I remember being an EA in a socials studies 9 class where a student was struggling to find resources for their research project on a certain Indigenous tool. One of the other students in the classroom who was of Indigenous background said, "You're not going to find your answers in a book. Go talk to an elder."  Then, a few days later an Indigenous speaker came to another class and he said something similar. Actually, what he said was, "Go out, buy some donuts, bring them to an elder, and just listen. The snacks are for the both of you because you're going to be there a LONG time." What he was trying to convey to us was that there is a lot of important knowledge among the elders that isn't going to get passed down unless someone is there to take it in. Although I don't think it's my place to be one of the carriers of that knowledge, I think it's still important for non-Indigenous people to listen to the Indigenous perspective for our own understanding so that we are not shying away from it due to ignorance or fear that we will make a mistake.