The Exceptional Personality of Marie Battiste - Report Example

Marie Battiste Insert Insert Grade Insert 01 November Introduction Castellano, Davis and Lahache (2001) express their concerns on the need of Aborigin people to get quality education beyond mere policy documents recommendations. This is the great concern that might have been echoed in the mind of a determined lady from the native region of the first nation in Canada some thirty years ago. Dr. Battiste, a Canadian of indigenous background, is the current stand-in administrator of the Humanities Research Unit at the Saskatchewan University (U.O.S). She is an accomplished scholar having studied in the prestigious universities of Harvard and Stanford. The most important factor of this is that she has been able to fight for her minority society to be able to get quality and relevant education, and this has been her major area of research. Through this, she has been elevated to various leadership positions and in the process also been recognized by various bodies that look out for the rights of the minority groups. Her academic endeavor has been centralized around fighting colonization, creating a spirit of learning and finding out ways in which indigenous knowledge are a guide in a society full of discrimination because of mixed cultural backgrounds. All her efforts on the mentioned areas have been given a twist or bias towards providing education that benefits the minority Indians in the Canadian Atlantic provinces. Her work has been appreciated by many, and the honorary degrees and awards she has gained are a clear testimony to this fact. It is also because of her research in this area that she was able to be awarded her doctoral degree. All her work and determination are of course indicative of the struggle minority groups have to go through in order to guard against the matters of prejudice experienced even in educational institutions that are supposedly meant to mould the society to responsible citizens in future. Looking briefly at the background of the society in which she comes from – the ‘Miqmak’- there is a picture of a modest background full of cultural connotations but that which have come a long way in their struggle to exist in a multi cultural environment. It is evident that their small number of about 20,000, according to estimates by the year 2006, has been exploited by their neighbors to discriminate upon them. According to the meaning of the word ‘Miqmak’, which refers to a family, the group has come a long way together as a unit bonded by culture and common ancestry. The uniqueness of these people is celebrated annually from the beginning of October in their country. It is this rich cultural background that Battiste hails from and probably gains the struggling attitude from, owing to the challenges her community has faced from the fishing limitations of the early 90’s by the government of the day to discrimination in policies concerning education of the minorities (Wicken, 2002). The Exceptional Personality of Marie Battiste Dr. Battiste has a personality that is very admirable by all taking into account her cultural background. To begin with, she is a determined lady, and this is showing in the accolades she has gathered while in her quest to ensure that the Indian populations forming the minority in her region have better educational materials and learning environment. She has been given roles in institutions of higher learning because of her determined personality, and her current position is a testament of this side of her that has drawn attention to her. Secondly, she has a passion ever burning inside her. She may be a victim of colonization but without the passion she exhibits in her work, she could not have achieved much. She has written many books, and this requires passion. Marie has been engaged in several researches about Aborigin education, culture and language, and it is only through a deep passion inside her that her works on this area led to her being awarded her doctorate degree. She has been involved in various policy making activities to ensure that she is able to protect indigenous knowledge, which is a great challenge to all minorities of the world in the wake of rapid globalization. Next, the lady is a hard worker since she could not have achieved all that work she has done without the essentials of hard work. She has juggled her teaching carrier with administrative duties and also written several books despite conducting several researches in her area of focus. All these might have not come easy because she has been doing it in a cross cultural society that will always tend to discriminate and form prejudice on people from minority background. Lastly, it important to point out the patience the lady has learnt to posses in the quest for success. She has endured a background full of oppression and restrictions and studied hard to achieve what she is now. This is very commendable of her in the male dominated society where women are being encouraged to embrace empowerment. Life Accomplishments Marie has accomplished a lot in her carrier and personal life. Her present position in the university is a clear testimony of how far she has come. Her academic achievements stands out above the rest, she has several honorary degrees including Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maine and a law Honorary Doctorate from St. Marys University. She was awarded a doctorate degree from Stanford University despite having been a student at Havard University for her master studies in education. This is further added on to by the several appointments she has had in highly regarded institutions in the area of educational foundation. She also holds several associate memberships, and to top it all, she has been recognized in several awards organized by various organizations and institutions interested by her good work in the area of educational and cultural foundation and her fight against the discrimination of native Indians. Biographical Sketch Born in 30th September 1949, Marie Ann Battiste has come to be known as Dr. Marie Battiste. She is an accomplished educational professional for Mikmaw studies from Potlo’tek in the First Nations region (Cape Breton) in Canada. She has risen to the position of a professor on a full time basis in the school of Education. Besides, she also heads the AERC that deals with research on education as concerned with natives at her university (UOS). She graduated from Harvard University with masters in education and with a doctoral degree at Stanford University. Besides, she has written several publications in areas of learning through reading and writing, colonization that impacts learning individuals and other areas that deal with knowhow acquired by the Aboriginal culture groups. She has also did research on the best way of eliminating discrimination of the disadvantaged especially when they are at learning institutions (Battiste, 2012). The professor has been actively engaged with schools of her region through teaching, heading departments, providing consultations to learners and assisting in initiation of learning guidelines and structures. Through this, she has been able to second the interests of the disadvantaged in the society by helping them in culture advancement and language preservation through research. Another area she has been engaged in is authoring of books together with other writers. The books mainly address her area of focus, which is championing the rights of indigenous people. For instance, her book on guarding knowledge of the Aboriginals which she wrote together with J. Youngblood, received the regional book award in the year 2000. Apart from her books, she has also been a powerhouse in review of learning materials and written works, conducting research studies and participating in formulation of policies through writing of technical reports mainly on education. Her works have been widely published, and through this she has been frequently giving public lectures on her area of focus. Challenges She Faced Coming from an Aborigin background, Battiste has been faced by various challenges. The main ones include that of colonization, poor policies and racial discrimination of her cultural group. She has been able to endure the hard life of a minority that is often stereotyped about and considered a social low class to become a great academic who has continued to ensure that her fellows who might be facing or might likely to face such atrocities in the education sector be protected. Another challenge is that she has had to cope with the burden of responsibility she has been given by the institution of learning in which she served. She has had to do her work and even managed to engage others. Her academic portfolio is full of research projects, written publication and she was even able to review and co-author many other publications. She has also been a voice of the minority Indians in her country and the society she was part of. This is evidenced by the number of lectures and public addresses she conducted for the benefit of educational curriculum and learning environment for the disadvantaged. She also in her interview with Independent educators pointed out some form of classification or grouping in educational institutions to be based on merit that does not recognize or want to look into the diverse nature of students in institutions (Battiste, 2011). This brings another challenge that she faced as an educational administrator. She was at pains to address the discriminative nature of meritocracy in academic institutions that did not recognize that students may be coming from different social, cultural and financial backgrounds, which might affect the way they learn. Reilly, Russell and Chehayl (2011) recognize the suffering Marie has experienced due to what they refer to as “cognitive imperialism”. The prejudice she has gone through in her quest to achieve a standard education has been a challenge and she had to cope with that. This is why she was very focused on eliminating such bias so that generations to come would not be subjected to that kind of experience. Lastly, it is important to note that despite the challenges mentioned, Battiste has been able to overcome it all and it is also positive to note that she has not come out bitter but has decided to find lasting solutions to the problems facing the minorities in education rather than try and demonize the characters that have made the society overlook the plight of the minority. Role Model Marie is for sure an icon and a symbol of an accomplished woman who has reached the highest peak in a world full of challenges. Besides the fact that she comes from an Aborigin background that has several challenges, she has made it in life and has even helped many more through her fight for human rights in the field of education and cultural preservation. Therefore, anyone in the world coming from such a minority background can emulate her because her story provides the belief that all can be done no matter the background and obstacles that may come your way. Another area of which the lady is an image to identify with is the way in which she has been able to empower herself through education and research. She certainly provides a lesson to all the disadvantaged in the society that empowerment can be achieved through education that natures the individual without favoring his or her background or social status. She, through her works, is an inspiration to policy makers of educational institutions that have students with a variety of cultural backgrounds. Moreover, another section of the society which she inspires is the women in male dominated societies. She creates the belief that even women can work with others including men to help achieve their welfare and the welfare of the other disadvantaged as well. Through her accomplishments she provides lessons to the women that they can be recognized provided they put in the hard work mentality and remain focused in achieving their goals. She is the voice of the minority. Through this, she encourages other likeminded individuals who might think of fighting for cultural rights in the society at this time of rapid globalization that it is possible. Culture issues are often wished away as backward and this has led to erosion of the norms of several communities creating a crisis in morality and especially of the youth. Her struggle is a living example that we can defend what should be done and succeed even in today’s society where a few people want to listen on matters concerning culture. Lastly, her thirty years is a testimony of how far you can go to be able to achieve. She is a lesson to all who want to give up early in life that there is still a long way and the path to success is not always smooth. She has even toped this by conducting frequent public lectures on the important of education and culture preservation for the minority. Marie has been a champion for the reclamation of the voice and sight of the indigenous groups and especially her native community. To conclude, it is of essence to point out an important issue that needs to be addressed so that everyone in the Canadian society is not discriminated against and that is racial discrimination and domination (Henry and Tator, 2003). The Canadian society and every society in the world should strive to achieve fair treatment of different cultural groups despite their standing in the society. It is commendable of Marie that she has been able to influence the implementation of curriculum and policies that recognize this fact in the educational sector. References Battiste, M. (2012). Biography. Retrieved from http://www.usask.ca/education/people/battistem/bio.htm. Battiste, M. (2011). What 21st-century skills can better prepare youth for the future as leaders, innovators and other positive role models in society? Retrieved from http://www.dialogueonline.ca/marie-battiste-aboriginals-diversity-new-literacies-21st-century-skills-1592/1592/ Castellano, B., Davis, L. and Lahache, L. (2001). Aboriginal Education: Fulfilling the Promise. Vancouver: UBC press. Henry, F. and Tator, C. (2003). Discourses of Domination: Racial Bias in the Canadian English-Language Press, Canadian journal of communication. Retrieved from http://www.cjc-online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1349/1413 Reilly, C., Russell, V. and Chehayl, L.K. (2011). Surveying Borders, Boundaries and Contested Spaces in Curriculum and Pedagogy. New York: IAP Publishers. Wicken, W. (2002). Mikmaq Treaties on Trial: History, Land and Donald Marshall Junior. Toronto: University of Toronto press. Read More