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January 13th Blog post

I believe that what Thomas King says about the truth of stories is true. There are many stories that have helped shape who I am and how I see the world. Growing up I was always told stories relating to Christianity and God. These stories, including the story of Adam and Eve, where they are told not to eat the fruit from one tree but yet, they still do. That story resonates with me because it has shaped my behaviour to be kind and to do what I am told. It has made me aware of my actions so I do not cause harm to others. It affects how I see the world because it provides me with a reason for why things happen. When something awful happens, I always relate it back. My immediate thought is that Adam and Eve are the reason sins exist. King says that once a story is told it is out in the world forever. I believe this is true because the story of Adam of Eve was told to me when I was younger and still my first thought always goes back to that. Without this story being told to me as a young child I would have grown up lost wondering why different things are happening. The story of Adam and Eve has allowed me to give an explanation to both positive and negative things that are happening in my life allowing me to grow as a person. It shaped how I see the world.

February 24th blog post

I remember a time when I was younger where I saw a band-aid commercial advertising different tones of skin. I never thought about how band-aids were coloured until then and I forgot about it until I read Mcintosh’s article. It startles me to know how oblivious I am when it comes to my privilege. I have always been aware of white male privilege but I never really thought about how me being a white female gives me privileged. When I was younger, I used to play with Barbie dolls and until fairly recently they were all white. It was not until I seen them advertised to be different races did I realize how lucky I was to play with dolls that had the same skin colour as me and how it allowed me to not question how I look. I never had to have my parents explain to me my race and what that may mean for my safety. In elementary school, I remember some of my classmates were rude towards people in my class and they were bullying them because of their skin colour and where they came from. At that moment I realized that nobody has ever verbally attacked me based on my appearance, I believe that was the first time I discovered my race. In Mcintosh’s article, she explains how white people do not have to worry about being attacked because of their race or have to wonder if they will be able to buy a house or get a job without being questioned because of what they look like. This relates to my classmates being picked on because of their race because in school as a white female I never had to worry about being picked on because I was white. Understanding my race as a teacher will allow me to become more aware of how I interact with my students and what type of stories may be read or what materials I will use in the class. It will allow me to be more diverse in the materials used in the classroom and by teaching the students the importance of diversity and how it does not make anyone better than anyone else because of where you come from.

January 20th Blog post

For me, home is the Glennie family farm outside of Carnduff, Saskatchewan. I have lived on the farm my entire life and it has shaped me to be who I am today. It has created my work ethic to be what it is because every day I would be out doing chores with my dad and there was always something that needed to be done. It is home because it is familiar and it makes me feel safe. My family is at the farm and at its core, home for me is my family. A story I remember most when I think of home is the story of my childhood, all of the adventures I went on, all of the injuries I received, and all of the hours of work I put in on the farm. When I was younger almost every winter during Christmas break my parents, brother, and myself would go outside and build snowmen and then once they were built, we would have a snowball fight and use the snowmen as protection. It would always end with us laughing and having fun. The dogs would always join in on the shenanigans and we would not go inside until our gloves were soaked and we were chilled to the bone. This past fall was the first time I have ever moved away from home. It was heartbreaking and took a lot of courage. Being away from home makes going back so much more special. It makes me appreciate the farm and my family more than I ever have before. The experience of moving away helped me realize that I am a homebody and that family is very important to me. My home has shaped me to be someone who takes pride in my work and someone who will put the well-being of others first. My home means everything to me.

March 30th blog post

When I was younger my brother used to play hockey, I remember that many of the rinks he played at did not have a ramp leading up to the entrance. It would be very difficult for someone who was not able-bodied to enter the building. When I was younger, I never really thought about how not having a ramp would impact those that were not able-bodied but as I got older, I became more aware of it. I remember analyzing buildings and having conversations with my mom about how some of the ramps are very steep and others look old and unsafe. When I first became aware of my identity as an able-bodied person it was only by comparing myself to those in a wheelchair it was not until I was older that I realized there are a lot more disabilities out there besides being in a wheelchair. In my home town I can list off many buildings without wheel chair access including both grocery stores, every restaurant, the drug store, theatre, and even the church. Being able to enter each of these buildings without an issue really helped shape my understanding of my identity. In Sensoy and DiAngelo they talk about sexism, although sexism and being able-bodied compared to disabled are different there are connections between the two that can be made such as the fact that sexism is difficult to see. Disabilities can also be difficult to see. The connection that I am trying to make is that because sexism is difficult to see people do not always believe there are issues in the way people are being treated similarly to that fact that people do not see the issue with not having ramps outside of buildings. With both sexism and disabilities, the people who are experiencing being ignored are the ones that society needs to think about and be open to change to help them. Sensoy and DiAngelo also talk about oppression. People with disabilities are being oppressed because they are suffering from unjust treatment. As a teacher it is my job to be aware of disabilities and how it can impact lives. As simple as making students aware of the importance of needing ramps outside of buildings can change lives because for all I know I am teaching future business owners. Being an able-bodied teacher will allow the students concerns to be heard.