Éy Swáyel! Welcoming Indigenous Pedagogy as a Canadian Educator 

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Originally published in TEACH Magazine, 75 Years of the Canadian Citizenship Act Special Issue, 2022

By Nikita Griffioen

What does it mean to be Canadian? For me, that question has several different answers.

In a personal sense, my identity as a citizen of Canada is tied to my love and appreciation of nature. I’m lucky to live in British Columbia, where the mountains, desert, forest, and ocean are both my home and my playground. The indescribable beauty of living here cannot be explained so much as it must be experienced. From scaling the Stawamus Chief on a weekend, to taking a dip in the Salish Sea, or avoiding rattlesnakes in Nk’Mip desert on a hot August day, the province’s beauty is unparalleled (even our licence plates proclaim it—“Beautiful British Columbia” can be seen on every car).

With the privilege of living and teaching in a place such as this, however, comes an important responsibility, one that speaks to another part of my identity as a Canadian: educating students about Indigenous history and working towards reconciliation with the Peoples who have resided on this land since time immemorial. As an educator in Canada, whose homeland has been inhabited by Indigenous peoples long before me, I have the opportunity and responsibility to teach this history to my students.

Together these two parts of my identity, personal and professional, define what being Canadian means to me.

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Nikita Griffioen currently teaches in Abbotsford, BC. When she’s not in class, you can find her traveling, snowboarding, surfing, reading, or making art.

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Nikita Griffioen
Nikita Griffioen
Nikita Griffioen currently teaches in Abbotsford, BC. When she’s not in class, you can find her traveling, snowboarding, surfing, reading, or making art.

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