Opening The Classroom Door

Drawing Inspiration from the Indigenous Way of Life Sustainability is a concept that reaches far and wide; it presents as all encompassing. It acknowledges the past, the present, and the future. It involves the interactions between and within systems. Teaching for sustainability is as important as it can be intimidating. Perhaps it is easiest to use multiple perspectives in order to feel that teaching sustainability is manageable.  For this first post, I will focus on the integration of the  Indigenous perspective , or the spirit found within it, in pedagogy .  Netuklimk and Nishnaabeg Intelligence In the above video, Elder Albert Marshall describes Netukulimk. "Netukulimk is a complex cultural concept that encompasses Mi'kmaq sovereign law ways and guides individual and collective beliefs and behaviours in resource protection, procurement, and management to ensure and honour sustainability and prosperity for the ancestor, present and future generations."

A Stream of Consciousness Sustainability seems, to me, to be a lens of the utmost importance through which teaching should take place. Yet, I also feel like it has become a buzzword. If viewed as such, sustainability is devalued. I have seen the word thrown about without much thought, particularly when companies make efforts to move in the direction of being "greener." Though the implementation of a recycling program should be commended and the efforts to reduce the amount of paper use should be applauded, for example, these do not inherently mean that the students are engaging in learning for sustainability. They are learning valuable lessons, but disconnected from the concepts of the interconnection of their actions to the world, the sustainable nature of these lessons are lost in the practical application.  I've heard a number of educators concerned about how to integrate sustainability within their teaching. It seems almost like a daunting task to integrate s