I had the opportunity to join an equity circle with all other 60 of my fellow Teacher Candidates. Roxane Letterlough and her mother Trish gave us all a presentation based on incorporating equity of Indigenous students into our classrooms and the education system as a whole. After the equity circle, I walked away with a lot flowing through my mind. The most impactful part of the session for myself was when Trish shared her stories about being in a family impacted by the residential school system. The story that really stuck with me was when Trish was saying that she would drop Roxane off at school and then go spend time working on herself. When Roxane was born, Trish made a promise to always put her daughter first and create a life for her that she (Trish) wasn’t able to have. I found this super powerful that she would work on herself in order to better the life of others.

As a future teacher, it is important to understand that all families deal with hardships differently. When a student arrives in a classroom, no one know their story. It is important to take time to make the student and their families feel comfortable in the classroom, school and in communication with the education system. I will work hard everyday to connect with students and acknowledge what they are going through. I won’t try to change their situation to fit my teaching but I will change my teacher to fit their situation.