FNMI Community Partners

Hello;

I would just like to share with you my own experiences as both a parent and as a facilitator who occasionally goes into the Early Learning Kindergarten Program and has been involved for several years.

On a personal level I have seen my children flourish with this teacher and her team as they brought the outside in, and engaged the students in non-traditional classroom activities such as sitting on stumps that they had found, planting an indoor garden, going on nature walks and finding natural objects. My children are Métis, they come from a fairly traditional family where we hunt, fish, trap, and harvest our own food and so they, like many children in Northern Ontario, are raised in the bush and on the waterways. They learned to count acorns and tell the time by the sun before these concepts are even taught to them formally in the classroom. I will admit that my second child did not take well to a classroom environment as that many children in one room was overwhelming to him and he would cry and scream and have a textbook definition of “meltdown” for the first few days. This teacher and her ECE at the time allowed him space and through a lot of outdoor time, he calmed down and went from a child who did not want to go to school to a child that is excited for the adventures that await him. He is confident and able to express himself and shares his experiences of trapping and fishing with his friends. This team understands that it is not natural for children to stay inside and be still for hours on end which leads to behaviours and issues within the classroom. From what I have witnessed, this ELKP team has the understanding that children are meant to be moving, and outside and they learn so much more than they would if they were kept indoors.

On a professional level, I have worked with children and their families for the past 7 years in my current position as a support and advocate for Aboriginal peoples. During this time, more and more children from both school boards are being sent home daily because of behavioural issues when they are in the ELKP classrooms. These children started school just like my own child did – screaming and crying and meltdowns – however they were not given the opportunities my child was with outdoor learning – something that is more natural to them. Because the expectations were in door learning environments these children have continued to struggle and it is my estimations that half will never see grade 10. They were not given the same opportunities as my child’s class had for growth and self-esteem building which are the foundations of a good, solid educational experience. My child was given exactly that – a positive, solid experience with his traditional learning environment tied into the classroom learning. As our schools are placed on, or surrounded by Aboriginal land and peoples, whether they are First Nations, Métis or Inuit, the idea of outdoor learning should not by a new concept and should have been incorporated into the school systems long ago. It is only with the help of teachers and ELKP teams like the ones proposing these concepts that traditional knowledge and outdoor learning will be given back to our children. The importance of outdoor learning is something I cannot stress enough of, both personally and professionally.

Thank you; Shawna H. (Parent & Community Partner)