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A collage-like painting showing a woman teaching children from an open book, other children fishing by a stream, and an elderly couple sitting under a tree, all set against a vibrant natural landscape and sunset.

A collage-like painting showing a woman teaching children from an open book, other children fishing by a stream, and an elderly couple sitting under a tree, all set against a vibrant natural landscape and sunset.

image for google slide: When everything was finally presented together, it felt like a complete portrait. I found it hard to choose only a few pieces of my wholistic knowing and being because they are all connected. Nothing stands alone, which is what this course has been teaching us. But when I stepped back, three things did start to push themselves to the front. First, Relational Responsibility, connected to Lighting the Fire and reciprocity. Earlier in the term, my cousin passed away unexpectedly. While reading about lighting the fire in each child, I kept wondering “did someone see him when he was a kid? Did someone notice him? That reflection shifted something in me. Teaching isn’t just about covering outcomes. It’s about relationships. We are part of a child’s scaffolding for life. I don’t ever want a student in my class to feel unseen. Second, Learning Rooted in Place, Brach 2. During the Metis fishing event, learning wasn’t separated into subjects. It was science, when we examined the fish, math when we measured and observed patterns, history when we listened to stories from Elders, and physical strength as we pulled the nets. They were pretty empty so not a lot of strength was needed but there was strength. That day showed me that place shapes how we come to know things. Learning deepens when it is grounded in land and lived experience. Third, Branch 3, Interconnected Learning. The flow of knowledge teaches that everything is related. The Metis event solidified that Mehr sehen