a bitter sweet graduation

As is with most academic institutions, the month of June brings with it much anticipation and anxiety of 'year end', this anticipation flows throughout the hallways of the local community college, as well within the veins of every instructor. This is the like at the New Brunswick Community College. Envy, as well as delight (access to better parking) is secretly expressed by those left behind to do the behind-the-scenes college work of registration, textbooks, schedules, orientation, and hopefully a big cleaning.

As an educator, 2010 has been an extremely joyous academic year - for two reasons. First, I had the pleasure to meet and provide training to the members of the Elsipogtog First Nations reserve, but more importantly, I watched 16 of them walk across the graduation stage.

Second, my child graduated from NBCC. We'll come back to that.

Teaching post-secondary education on a First Nations reserve is an extremely rewarding experience. Many educators may not think so. Preconceived notions, judgements and inaccurate aboriginal reflections have lead us to believe legends of mistakes and half-truths. Often enough educational institutions feel that they can 'teach' to the aboriginal culture in a new way, or perhaps that institutions can bridge the educational gap, fill in the missing pieces, direct aboriginal education in the right direction. My instructional experience reveals a different story.

A lifelong advocate for Aboriginal education, Verna Kirkness (1999) claims a radical approach is needed in Indian education and that Natives must put into practice the goals and objectives based on their philosophy of education. She urges that “Aboriginals need to disestablish many of the current educational practices related to institutions failing to meet Aboriginal needs and that Aboriginal education should return to a traditional holistic curriculum approach”.

It will take a radical approach, and recently splashed throughout the news are the stories, apologies and a hope of healing to then transpire. This is a slow, but yes, perhaps a radical approach to a new educational process.

NBCC has come along way to foster educational partnerships with our First Nations community, we appear to be growing..just watch.