Chatting About Big Conversations with Young Learners with Jessica Landry and Talya Barnes

Chatting About Big Conversations with Young Learners with Jessica Landry and Talya Barnes

In this episode, we discuss having 'big conversations' with 'little learners'.  Guests Jessica Landry and Talya Barnes unpack common hesitations and challenges that can lead educators to avoid complex topics such as identity, racism, and privilege when working with kindergarten-to-grade-3 students. Talya and Jessica reframe these challenges with clarity and purpose. Rather than viewing a young child’s lack of a "filter" as a hurdle, they invite us to see it as a beautiful, foundational opportunity to explore differences as strengths, correct stereotypes early, and ensure every child feels deeply seen.  At its heart, this conversation is about lifelong learning. It reminds us that there is too much to know to ever be a true "expert." Instead, we are invited to build a baseline of understanding, leverage our existing skills to guide open-ended, reflective conversations, and find the courage to learn alongside our students and our colleagues

Chatting with Mona Tolley about Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education

This episode opens with Mona grounding us in Anishinaabe teachings of gratitude and welcoming, setting the tone for a conversation about transforming education through relationships. Mona unpacks the terms decolonization, indigenization, and reconciliation with clarity and purpose, examining how local Indigenous ways of knowing can shape classrooms. Decolonizing helps us see what the system was built to do and who it leaves out. Indigenizing invites local nations’ ways of knowing, doing, and being into the heart of classrooms, curriculum, and school design. Reconciliation turns truth into action: funding language revitalization, co-creating curricula and assessment, and shifting calendars to honour community life. At its heart, this conversation is about relationships (with people, knowledge, and the land) and how these relationships shape our work as educators and lifelong learners.

Chatting with Anne-Marie De SilVa about Indigenous Perspectives and CCQ

In this episode, we’re diving into Quebec’s new Culture and Citizenship in Québec (CCQ) program. We explore how Indigenous perspectives are woven throughout the curriculum and highlight essential resources, such as Voices From The Land, available to help educators bring this content to life. Anne-Marie breaks down the program, explaining its sociological foundations that encourage students to research cultural realities with evidence, and its ethical lens that prompts reflection on how to move forward responsibly. She emphasizes that Indigenous knowledge isn't a standalone unit; it’s a thread that connects to all themes in the program, from our relationships with the land to our sense of identity and community. We also get honest about the "fear of getting it wrong", a common hurdle for non-Indigenous educators, and the importance of cultural humility. The key is building local partnerships, acknowledging our own knowledge gaps, and learning alongside our students. If this episode resonates with you, please share it with a colleague! We’d also love to hear how you are integrating Indigenous perspectives into your classroom and how the CCQ program is coming to life for you and your students.

Chatting with Loretta Robinson: Naskapi Niistim & Competency 15

In this episode, we meet with Naskapi educator Loretta Robinson from Kawawachikamach.  Loretta Robinson explores how education deepens when reconnected to the land, and how children thrive when their learning honours their own rhythm, language, and relationships. Loretta begins by honouring us with stories of her childhood in Kawawachikamach—gathering medicines, listening to aunties, and witnessing a herd of caribou stride across a frozen lake. Those memories shaped her vision for the Naskapi Niistim program. This youth program, translated as  "Naskapi first", is rooted in Naskapi language, stories, the land and the caribou, placing Naskapi culture at the center. Daily practices like morning fires, seasonal teachings, and emotional check-ins in Naskapi help children nurture self-awareness and weave language into practical, lived moments. Loretta also discussed the creation of Competency 15, designed to support Quebec educators in transitioning from a position of expert to that of learner. The "two rivers, one canoe" metaphor serves as a tool for reflection, encouraging teachers to thoughtfully integrate curriculum requirements with Indigenous knowledge systems while honouring the integrity and depth of both. Educators are invited to continually examine where they are in this ongoing journey of learning and relationship-building. We concluded by exploring 'The Day on the Land' professional development initiative, which invites educators to Kawawachikamach to experience this approach in practice. Local Knowledge Keepers and Elders guide this experience. Educators interested in attending are encouraged to talk to their administrators and directors of education about the opportunities available to them.

Chatting with Rebekah Goertzen: Honoring Truth with Ongoing Commitment

Reconciliation isn't a one-day event—it's a continuous journey of relationship building that extends far beyond September 30th. This thoughtful conversation with Rebecca Goertzen, Inclusive Education Consultant at Central Quebec School Board, and member of the Anishinaabe Nation, explores the complexities educators face when honoring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Quebec schools. During our conversation, Rebecca talks about a cultural exchange project that took place last year between Quebec City students and Jimmy Sandy Memorial School in Kawawachikamach. This project created lasting connections between communities and demonstrated reconciliation in action. Through immersive experiences, such as language classes, cultural teachings from elders, and shared activities, students built relationships that transcended the program itself, demonstrating how thoughtfully designed initiatives can create ripples of understanding that extend far beyond classroom walls. You can listen now to gain insights that will help your educational practice and deepen connections with the diverse communities that make up Quebec. Interested in the free Truth and Reconciliation course that Rebekah and Drew Wapachee McDougall created? Visit the LEARN Moodle platform [https://moodle.learnquebec.ca/] for more information!