Every Monday morning students at Ron Southern stand to pay respectful attention to our National Anthem and an Acknowledgment of the Land. This Acknowledgment is extremely important as we pay our respect to the First Nations people who are part of Treaty 7. One of the things we acknowledge is the traditions and oral practices of the Treaty 7 Nations. In Grade 1 we are showing our respect and appreciation of their oral traditions by creating our own Talking Circles on Monday and Fridays. Our classes split off into their respective sides and students are given a talk stick (or feather) and are able to share their thoughts, feelings, or a quick story about something they have done.
Talking Circles first originated with First Nations as a process that would ensure all leaders in a tribal council were heard, and that those who were speaking we not interrupted by others in attendance. The Chief typically initiates the conversation and those that speak after would be responding and sharing their perceptions and opinions. By implementing this practice in our classroom we are encouraging an open dialogue that is respectful, safe and open. The quiet energy that is created from this approach of sharing provides students with a sense of connectedness that is not always present in the common methods of communication. When we give each student a chance to speak just as the First Nations council would do then all voices are heard in an attentive way leading to the learning atmosphere becomes a rich source of information, identity and interaction.
