Verna Kirkness and Her Life Story - Essay Example

Verna Kirkness Affiliation Introduction Kirkness has received varied and numerous awards for her contribution and impact to Aboriginal education for the past four decades (Castellano & Lahache, 2000). Verna Jane Kirkness was born in 1935 in Manitoba’s Fisher Reserved attended the Manitoba Normal School. She graduated in 1957 with a certificate in teaching and started her career in an elementary school within the Manitoba public school system. Later on, she became the principal and teacher in various First Nations Schools. In the late 1960’s to early 1970’s, Verna served as a supervisor in elementary school with frontier School division. She became instrumental and established Ojibway and Cree in several Manitoba schools as the languages of instruction. When she was the Education Director in Manitoba Indian Brotherhood and the National Indian Brotherhood, she participated in various development and implementation of the Manitoba Chiefs. In 1974, she cleared her B.A and later on in 1976, cleared in Bachelor in Education. She went on to master and cleared in 1980 with a Master of Education in the University of Manitoba. In the early 1980’s, she was absorbed in the University of British Columbia in the faculty where she put her leadership skills for the Native Teacher Education Program. She also created the Ts’kel Graduate Program. She is credited for being the first director of the UBC’s First Nations House of Learning in 1985. She was as usual instrumental in the construction and conception of the first Nations Longhouse that was opened in 1993 on the campus (Kirkness, 2013) Body As a scholar, teacher and administrator, she wrote and edited more than six books and in addition witnessed publication of numerous articles on aboriginal education in Canada and internationally. She has inspired countless educators and students in both aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. In addition, Kirkness has successfully established through her vision and determination new institutions that are aimed at contributing towards the excellence of aboriginal education for the coming generations. Kirkness was the former president and one of the founding member of the Mokakit Indian Education Research association. The University of British Columbia awarded her a degree in an Honorary Doctor of Laws as recognition of her works. She has remained an advocate for Aboriginal education all through and has had a lot of influence in the creation and planning of the University College of the North within Manitoba. In the University of Manitoba, she has organized and led efforts to recruit Aboriginal scholars into Ph.D. education at the University (Kirkness & Bowman, 1992). Verna Kirkness had shared so much wisdom to the world that is well illustrated in her autobiography. She claims that she wrote it as a story but not an academic thesis. During the three years stint within the school, Kirkness sensed that her students were lonely due to the facelessness of the ancestors in the curriculum, segregation between the girls and the boys got extreme and the staff seemed to be cold. She felt that if she had attended school a decade earlier she would have changed her life. She claims that she would not have had the energy to tolerate the regimen and would have opted to drop out or be expelled for breaking the rules as many of the students did. Within her book, she reflects how it was challenging to reconfigure the entire education system that has since history failed to nurture the students. For instance, in the early 1970’s, she was working with the National Indian Brotherhood which is currently referred to as the Assembly of first Nations. She lobbied the government of Manitoba to revise and go through the history textbooks because they suggested that the indigenous people did not work and were lazy and had low levels of intelligence as compared to the Canadians (Kirkness & Bowman, 1992). The government took steps and cut all the indigenous people from the entire book which was a form of bias as Kirkness claimed. In 1980, Kirkness formed the Ts’kel graduate program through the help of other people who felt like her in the education system at the University of British Colombia. Her aim was to have more graduates and educated leaders who will be employed and provide tremendous leadership within the Aboriginal community (Kirkness, 2013). Indigenous education does no longer exist. What we have is only cross-cultural education that entails negotiations between the people who are indigenous and the settler societies that colonized them. Indigenous education is all about aboriginal and non-aboriginal relations as opposed to just indigenous cultures. Verna makes this point clear in her work of how she created both change and space by traversing the barricades between the societies that were indigenous and non-indigenous. She devoted her career in full effort through engaging in institutional power and demanding that the Aboriginal students should be included as her dedication to integrating knowledge that was indigenous within disciplines and the university degree programs. Kirkness ruminates regarding how much space the University may be willing to concede when it came to indigenous knowledge values and systems. She claimed that the change was both complicated and slow. Kirkness was a mentor to a group of indigenous scholars who are currently the faculty of the universities in Canada. She portrays the systemic injustice that was being done to the indigenous people and how the education continues to fail them. Kirkness writes that indigenous and non-indigenous educators and activists recount their endeavors that have proved to be painful and frustrating aimed at deconstructing oppressive systems and narratives. She affirms that she is focused in attempting to make space for the Aboriginal people through advancing the education in different ways (Kiekness, 1979). Kirkness writes about her life experiences in a widening spiral of examination of relationships, self-reflection and insights into where she originated from, who she is and her beliefs. That is her way of teaching, being and learning. Kirkness talks about her home and family at Fisher River and her career in teaching. She talks about the connection she had with her grandparents and her mother. She still has memories of when she was a non-status Indian and a member of her blended family. It is notable that Kirkness reflects on how being non-status was limited and at times sheltered her making her an exemption from the band membership (Kirkness, 2013). In her several writings, Kirkness narrates her experience in her career through1960s to 1980s and reflects the achievements and the challenges she encountered in teaching within the residential schools, urban schools and the isolated community schools. The need to reshape and review of Aboriginal education has played a significant role in the life and career of Kirkness as one of the most recognized and respected people in Canada who advocated Aboriginal education (Kiekness, 1998). The awareness she created sparked the practice and activities of the ongoing initiatives that had been taken for granted by many mainstream educators such as hiring of people or educators to address overcrowded classrooms, the review of aboriginal education curriculum and language revitalization program development and advocacy. It is essential to take note of the roots of these reforms that happened within Kirkness career and practice. In addition, it is notable that the same reforms were threatened with eradication for reason that they were from entrenched in the education system. The reforms were also referred to as superfluous and were in need of persistent advocacy to guarantee their protection. After being a teacher for a quite long period, Kirkness became a member of the Native Indian Teacher Education Program in 1980 that was in The University of British Columbia. She remained strong regarding post-secondary education until she retired. At this period of time, she witnessed the inauguration of the International Indigenous educator’s conference where she played a part as a founding member of the University of British Columbia first Nations House of Learning. Until today, The UBC First Nations Longhouse is still the epicenter of Indigenous education, events and community programming within the University. This provided a platform for the presence and awareness of Indigenous students needs for space in the education system. Kirkness works revolve around advocating ad insistence on indigenous education, local control and parental responsibility in that education. These are fundamentals of ICIE. She demands these as significant to all the efforts she put in order to increase involvement of the Aboriginal in the education system and to counter the education systems that were ineffectual. Her writings are not all about the aboriginal education, but she also includes times when she grieved for her parents and her struggle with romantic relationships. While Kirkness is courageous in her quickly moving pattern of development and flow as an educator, her narratives tend to get static at some points. She shows inherent in the challenges that she faces in recollecting her past and incidences that readers may misinterpret some of her works (Roper & Abschol, 1969). In a journal published by Kirkness named Aboriginal education in Canada, she illustrates her recommendations on how the aboriginal education can see its way into the education system. She calls the section “how to cut the mustard” (Kiekness, 1998). She claims that people especially those entrusted with the education system in Canada must take a hard and good look at the education that they are providing to the communities. She does not mean that here should be a formal evaluation done by high-priced consultants who are not aware of the community. So many communities during that time had experienced the pitfall and found out that what was recommended was not a clear picture that they had provided when data was being collected regarding the education system and the Aboriginal education. Kirkness recommended that people within the community have take time together and analyze and adress the issues that concern the education in the community. The stakeholders included the parents, grandparents, members of band councils and school boards and the high school and post-secondary students. The questions at hand were to determine where the community was at the moment and how they got where they were. This was enough evaluation according to Kirkness (Valaskakis & Guimond, 2009). The final recommendation by Kirkness for the community was to evaluate where they intend to go and how they will get there. This revolves around the formulation of a model of education. The stakeholders were to decide the kind of education they wish to undertake particularly for their children. Kirkness was for an education that provides the members of the community with opportunities to share ideas that would encompass traditional values, a holistic approach with the inclusion of the scientific and technological advances of the modern age. Kirkness claimed that people would know that what they have chosen is right if their children seem to enjoy the challenge of learning and going to school (Valaskakis & Guimond, 2009). In addition, self-esteem and confidence is evident among the children since they are proud of who they are particularly when links with the older generations are made. Kirkness further said that in order to know that an education system is fruitful if the children should show achievements by entering the system graduate and having the energy to go further in the education and in addition get a job. Conclusion Kirkness works show that in order to get the aboriginal education into the system, so many things are involved particularly the community. She asserts that the teachers and the school authorities should decide the best thing for the children currently and for the future generations (Newson & Polster, 2010). They are tasked to adhere to the principles and philosophies they set in place. After doing that, they can now begin to see Aboriginal education as a cultural and holistic phenomenon. Kirkness has been noted to blaze trails for aboriginal students wherever she goes. In a recent speech at a graduation ceremony at the University of Manitoba, she stated that what inspires her is meeting with former students that she taught, mentored or counseled who are continuing with further education and training and working in various capacities. She claimed that she grew up in times where there were very few aboriginal teachers, nurses, lawyers, administrators, doctors, carpenters, politicians and journeyman painters among others. She is happy today that through the programs and initiatives she inspired all these professions are so many currently. Kirkness was overwhelmed by the progress being taken by the young generation who take their role of moving forward, dedicated and determined to ensure a better life for people. References Castellano, M. B., Davis, L., & Lahache, L. (2000). Aboriginal education: Fulfilling the promise. Vancouver: UBC Press. E., & Gibson Library Connections, Inc. (2009). Restoring the balance: First Nations women, community, and culture. Winnipeg [Man.: University of Manitoba Press. Kirkness, V. J. (2013). Creating space: My life and work in Indigenous education. Kirkness, V. J., Bowman, S. S., & Canadian Education Association. (1992). First nations and schools: Triumphs and struggles. Toronto, Ont: Canadian Education Association. Kirkness, V. J. (1998). Aboriginal languages: A collection of talks and papers. Vanvouver: V.J. Kirkness. Kirkness, V. J. (1979). Implementation of Indian control of Indian education. Koostatak, Manitoba :[s.n.. Newson, J. A., & Polster, C. (2010). Academic callings: The university we have had, now have, and could have. Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press.Valaskakis, G. G., Stout, M. D., Guimond, Roper, T. W., & Abschol. (1969). Aboriginal education: The teachers role. North Melbourne, Vic.: Abschol, National Union of Australian University Students. Read More