I have been involved in access/transitional education for most of my adult life, currently faculty at a downtown Toronto college for 10 years. I hold a Master of Environmental Studies; the “environment” under study was the classroom. My studies in Narrative Ethics focused on the philosophical and political dimensions of receiving people’s stories of harm they’ve experienced. I’ve continued in that area ever since, creating spaces that support both faculty and students to engage in teaching and learning at their most transformational.
Many of my like-minded colleagues refer often to “decolonizing” education. I choose to avoid this term as I aim to offer a constant reminder that doing so within mainstream institutions is impossible by definition. Educational systems and structures fundamentally exist to further the projects of colonization; “decolonizing” them would have to begin by destroying them. I’d rather propose something immediately doable: we can ourselves, and support others, to name, interrogate, and make trouble for colonization’s ways within those institutions. For me, that begins with relationships: direct actions, in every moment in which we can remember to do so, will aim at decolonization. But it’s not some state we can achieve within these spaces, so together let’s learn and get all we can from these spaces, for now.
I have extensive and intensive experience designing curriculum and supporting others to develop materials and practices that deeply honour the strengths of students learning across various painful barriers.
I would love to have a conversation with you about how I could create a workshop, seminar, or lecture presentation that would meet you, your institution, or your organization, exactly where you are right now.