The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Sitting in circles, listening and learning alongside each other, and creating space for Indigenous teachers and school leaders from across the province has been the foundation of the ATA’s new mentorship program called wîcihtotân. Elder Mary Cardinal Collins gave the program its name in nêhiyawêwin (Cree), which means “let’s help each other.”

The 2021 Annual Representative Assembly approved the development of a mentorship program for Indigenous teachers, school leaders and central office leaders. Association staff worked with Cardinal Collins to plan the program, and over 70 Indigenous teachers and school leaders expressed interest in joining the program for the 2021/22 school year.

The program entailed coming together for four online wîcihtotân gatherings throughout the school year and included teachings from Cardinal Collins and opportunities to connect and reconnect with Indigenous teachers and school leaders from across the province. Research was shared from Indigenous scholars, such as Verna St. Denis, Dwayne Donald, Yvonne Poitras Pratt and Michelle Scott, as well as resource presentations from Rupertsland Institute and the National Film Board.

Actively increasing the number of Indigenous teachers and school leaders in school communities, along with providing the required supports, resources and opportunities in Indigenous education, is a positive pathway forward.

As Poitras Pratt, Bodnaresko and Scott described in an article published in the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (vol. 18, no. 7, 2021), the wîcihtotân mentorship program is an opportunity to engage in “ethical relationality viewed through an Indigenous lens as an alternative to the traditional hierarchical mentorship model.” Feedback received from Indigenous teachers and leaders from the wîcihtotân gatherings will continue to guide the pathway forward for this growing community. ❚

Identified need

A need for ongoing mentorship opportunities was identified in the recently released ATA research report Honouring the Voices of Indigenous Teachers and School Leaders in Alberta School Communities. In this report, Dwayne Donald states,

Focus group participants expressed unanimous support for the creation of a network of Indigenous educators working in Alberta provincial schools who could offer support, guidance and mentorship to each other. Participants desire to be part of a provincewide collaborative network of Indigenous educators who share resources, strategies, ideas and experiences. Many felt that the creation of such a network would enhance the quality of their work and help them feel less isolated, marginalized and vulnerable.

In addition, survey data indicated that 57.7 per cent of teacher respondents and 50 per cent of school leader respondents were somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with mentorship opportunities for themselves.

June is National Indigenous History Month

The ATA library has the following Indigenous-related guides available for teachers.

• Indigenous Histories in Canada
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/indigenoushistories

• Indigenous Peoples of Alberta
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/indigenouspeoples

• National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21)
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/indigenouspeoplesday

• International Decade of Indigenous Languages
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/indigenouslanguages

• Indigenous Educational Resources for Students
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/ier4students

• Foundational Knowledge for Indigenous Education
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/foundationalknowledge

In French

• Journée nationale des peuples autochtones (21 juin)
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/journeedespeuplesautochtones

• Autochtones du Canada
  https://teachers-ab.libguides.com/autochtones

FIND OUT MORE

For more information about the wîcihtotân mentorship program, contact Melissa Purcell at melissa.purcell@ata.ab.ca or 780-447-9497.