School District No. 35

A few years ago, the theme of the Langley School District’s Odyssey Conference was “Opening Your Heart” and this year’s event built on that theme, with attendees invited to “Connect With Your Heart.”  

In fact, the importance of that connection – and more importantly, making that connection last – was one of the main takeaways from Dr. Niigaan James Sinclair’s keynote address that kicked off the day of learning.  

In his opening remarks at Odyssey, which was part of the conference held on Feb. 9 at R.E. Mountain Secondary, Peter Ewart Middle School and the Langley Events Centre, Sinclair emphasized that building stronger connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous education is about much more than simply the content taught in the classroom. Instead, he said, “Indigenous education is about everything… what you say, what’s on the walls, what’s at the front of the building.”  

“Students remember how they feel,” added Sinclair, who is a writer, editor, and activist, as well as the son of Justice Murray Sinclair, whose famous quote (“Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it,”) was also repeated by the younger Sinclair during his talk. 

During his presentation, Sinclair also noted that the keys to integrating Indigenous education into the Canadian education system is the four Ps – Presence, Practice, Pedagogy and Permanence. And while the first Ps are integral, it’s Permanence that is the most important: having Indigenous teachings be so seamlessly integrated into the system that they just become part of it, forever, “just like math,” he said.  

Sinclair’s talk, which was held at the Langley Events Centre in front of nearly 2,000 registered attendees, was the start of a great day of learning for District staff. Once the keynote concluded, staff took part in morning and afternoon sessions, with a varied list of potential options, from how to use AI in the classroom to ones focused on cultural teachings and more. Many were hands-on classes, as attendees learned about art, music, storytelling, dance and more.  

“There’s lots of different types of workshops… lots of hands-on workshops, some that are very practical for a classroom teacher and others that are really culturally focused,” said Director of Instruction George Kozlovic.  

Echoing what Sinclair said during his keynote address, Kozlovic noted the importance of having Indigenous presenters involved in the day’s events and involved in education in general. 

“We all need to learn, but we need to learn it from the people who really know it and understand it,” he said. “It’s not just one specific group of people’s responsibility to bring it to life. It’s all of our responsibilities – Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people, Indigenous educators, non-Indigenous educators. We have a mission to do that work together, and alongside each other.”