BIIGTIGONG NISHNAABEG — The hard work of one Indigenous educator has been recognized for changing the landscape of program delivery.
Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation director of education Lisa Michano-Courchene, is leading the way forward for Indigenous educators as the first recipient announced for Indspire’s annual Guiding the Journey: Indigenous Educator awards.
Indspire is an Indigenous, nationally-run charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people for the long-term benefit of individuals, families, and communities across Canada.
The announcement was made on Nov. 9 across Indspire’s social media channels including Facebook and Instagram.
“It feels good,” said Michano-Courchene. “My colleagues nominated me… there was external people that I’ve networked with, internal people, they collectively gathered what was needed for the nomination. It feels good for it to come from my own people, to have that recognition.”
The awards recognize Indigenous educators, one Indigenous organization, and one non-Indigenous educator who have made a valuable contribution to community-based education and who also uphold and honour Indigenous knowledge.
Michano-Courchene said that while she is proud of her own work, none of it would be possible without her community and her colleagues.
“I don’t accept this award as just my work. There’s a team of people that I’ve worked with over the years that helped me get to the place I am at today and I wouldn’t be here without them," she said. It’s not just family, it’s not just friends, but a number of educators that I’ve worked with over the years that I’ve always shared my knowledge with and I’ve also learned something from them.”
“Something I keep in mind is that there are many educators out there within communities that don’t get the recognition. I understand that. And, I really thought about them – they’re the ones putting in the hard work to be with our kids day in and day out, they’re the ones showing up every day to positions that some people in the cities or in other regions would never ever think of going to work on-reserve, they’re the ones showing up – so I want to tip my hat to those people, those teachers and educators that show up every day when others won’t.”
Michano-Courchene has been “showing up” for Biigtigong Nishnaabeg for just over 24 years now, starting as a summer student who helped run the daycare program when she was in grade 8.
She then went on to become an early childhood education teacher in the daycare setting, eventually transitioned into teaching older students, then became a principal, and now serves as director of education.
“When I was in the classroom teaching students, I really enjoyed bringing out our teachings that we have within the community as Anishinabek people,” she said.
“It was something that I really felt was overlooked at the time that I entered the education field. Western, colonial knowledge is often privileged in our classrooms, and me being an Indigenous person — being Annishnaabe from Biigtigong — I wanted our knowledge and our customs and our ways privileged over those ways because that’s who we are. And when you present that knowledge and you foster that type of learning, it really provides a foundation for [children] and it’s impactful – not just in that one day or year but throughout the rest of their lives… Our history, our ways, that’s what I really enjoyed presenting to my students when I was in the classroom.”
Although her place in the education system has changed, Michano-Courchene said that her passion, focus, and dedication remain unshaken.
“Fast forward to the role that I play as Director of Education, I like to challenge others to do that. Not just in the community setting but anywhere where Indigenous students go to school. I love to help other communities and build capacity in taking on that responsibility because we have that autonomy as First Nations people to decide what’s best for our kids. Sometimes, it just takes a little bit of help and a little bit of a push to begin to see vision become reality – that we have a right, that’s our right, our natural born right and responsibility to educate our children in our way.”
“I also like to challenge other non-Indigenous schools — privately funded or publicly funded — that there is a responsibility here to the First Nation peoples of this land to also privilege those types of learning environments in the public systems.”
She also said there is still work to be done when it comes to overcoming colonial ideals in education.
“That’s one of many areas that I’m trying to advocate for First Nations students — not just within the community, within the region, within the province — there’s so much more we could be doing to better their experiences through the education system, right down to an understanding of our history from our perspective and that, sometimes, is very much overlooked by teachers.”
Michano-Courchene reiterated that Biigtigong Nishnaabeg First Nation has developed its own education curriculum that puts Indigenous knowledge at the forefront but still includes competency requirements for math and English that align with the rest of the province.
“It’s a balance,” Michano-Courchene said. “We’re not throwing everything out with Ontario curriculum, we’ve kept our standards in math, language arts and English because we know that transition is crucial. But, we’ve privileged everything else in that this is what we want our students to learn.”
And the work of Michano-Courchene, her fellow educators, and leaders in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg is having quite an impact by making that transition smoother for First Nations’ students.
She said that, along with administrators, she has examined the raw data from an eight year period and used that to identify areas of improvement or ways to better support their students.
She also compared graduation rates to the national average for students living on-reserve which revealed that Biigtigong tends to exceed the national average.
“The time has come where we don’t have to be under a dictatorship when we run our own schools,” she said. “I’m really passionate about that work because I’ve seen the benefits of it… we’re seeing first-hand benefits of what occurs when students have that foundational piece of identity — who they are and where they come from — and how they’re able to make their way through the educational system that are not necessarily reflective of them, but when they have that foundational piece that transition becomes easier and they’re successful.”
“It brings forth identity, self-esteem, confidence… again, knowing you come from a very rich culture… it’s important for children, young people, and students to be able to walk through any doors with that confidence – it’s a key to success.”
Michano-Courchene will be attending the 2023 National Gathering for Indigenous Education in Montreal from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17 where, as Indspire’s website says, she will receive her award “from Indspire President and CEO Mike DeGagné” in addition to “a gift of $1,000” that can be put towards classroom needs in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg.
She highlighted the fact that it’s all about “giving back.”
“Our world view involves reciprocal relationships,” she said. “If my community is going to support me through getting a Western education to get the qualifications, I want to give back.”
