First-ever education director conference
Courtesy First Nations Education Council Facebook page
The First Nations Education Council (FNEC) hosted an inaugural Director’s Gathering in Laval for education directors from different Indigenous communities to share insights, learn new strategies, and improve educational management.
For Watsenniiostha Nelson, director of education of the Kanesatake Education Center (KEC), the conference on April 1 and 2 has inspired her and helped get more ideas to improve on already positive working relationships between educational staff in Kanesatake.
Nelson hopes to improve communication and better meet the needs of all school staff.
“I want to make sure that they feel supported and safe to take healthy risks when it comes to their jobs that would be beneficial,” said Nelson.
“I feel like it could be better, so I would love to just continue working on that.”
Conferences for educational leaders from different communities usually happen twice a year, said Nelson. But for a while, education directors had been requesting a conference that would focus specifically on their needs.
“Myself and all the other directors agreed it was absolutely amazing,” said Nelson. “Because we were able to actually connect with one another, learn from one another, whereas when we’re in a bigger space with more people involved, it’s harder to get that connection.”
Teacher and motivational speaker Tom Hierck, who has been an educator since 1983, presented at the conference. Nelson has invited him to host workshops with educational staff in Kanesatake for the past two years and has helped to create a vision and mission for the staff’s work in the community.
One of the takeaways from the conference was a tip on how to improve working relations, said Nelson.
During a slideshow, Hierck showed a photo of a cotton-tipped swab, explaining that as leaders, one needs to do their best to keep reminding themselves to not take negative comments or reactions from staff personally.
“(Hierck) said that, as leaders, we always want to do the best for everybody, and sometimes in those instances, we take things personally,” said Nelson.
“He was like, ‘I used to carry around a Q-tip in my pocket to just remind me that if someone’s having a bad day and they take it out on you, don’t take it personal. It’s not a you thing.’”
Nelson is bringing this concept to the staff to help them in working together and to keep pushing forward even when speed bumps occur.
But this is just one example from a list of concepts she will bring to other educators in Kanesatake.
Moving forward, Nelson also plans to be a more consistent presence at the schools and meet with all school staff, including teachers and support staff.
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She knows other directors also left the conference feeling empowered to better their communities.
“I think it motivated everyone else that was in attendance to just continue growing and learning and trying to create change that we’re trying to do,” said Nelson.
“We all have similar situations and stories that are happening, which allows us to learn off of each other and be able to take maybe some things that work from one community to another.”
Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
