For Janelle Houle, teacher, artist, and jig dancer, sharing her M\u00e9tis heritage with her students is something she models every day. In her third year of teaching second grade at \u00c9cole Arthur Meighen School in Portage la Prairie, Houle believes that exploring culture is not something you just learn about; it is something you celebrate and carry with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI feel like how I bring myself and my passion is how I get kids excited about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That passion comes in many ways. Houle has been mastering pottery for the last 10 years, specializing in M\u00e9tis dot art inspired by traditional beadwork. She sells her pieces through various markets, and her art has been featured at a few exhibits. \u201cThe M\u00e9tis were known as the M\u00e9tis flower beadwork people,\u201d she shared. \u201cYou could recognize a M\u00e9tis person because they were decked out in beadwork.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While bringing pottery work into a second-grade classroom is not practical, Houle has found creative ways to share her art with her students. \u201cWe\u2019ve done projects with paint and Q-tips to imitate the dot art style,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During Festival du Voyageur, she came to school wearing her M\u00e9tis sash and the beadwork pieces she taught herself to make over the summer. \u201cThe kids said, \u2018Madam, you have to teach us how to bead!\u2019.\u201d She is now brainstorming ways she can safely introduce beadwork to her class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Houle also shares her love of M\u00e9tis jigging with her students. Having danced since she was ten, Houle is part of the M\u00e9tis Prairie Steppers. One of her most memorable teaching moments was when she got the chance to teach the whole school how to jig. When the weather is nice she gets her students outside and shows them the friendship dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShowing my dancing with the kids, and sharing that I\u2019m part of a dance group, makes it more real. They can see this is something I actually do, and love to do. It shows them the possibility of doing it too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Celebrating Identity<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Houle\u2019s students are encouraged to explore and celebrate their own identities. By showing them how excited she is about her own culture, she invites them to reflect on their own experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s huge to introduce not only my culture, but to have kids thinking about their cultures and celebrating themselves in that way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the classroom, Houle has presented art workshops at MTS Indigenous Chairs training. She recently joined the Indigenous Academic Achievement (IAA) committee at her school and is excited to help build an Indigenous healing garden and decorate it with her students. She has also signed up for the newly formed Red River M\u00e9tis Circle of Educators, a province-wide professional network connecting M\u00e9tis K-12 teachers across Manitoba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis job can sometimes be isolating, and I love collaborating with people. Let\u2019s talk and share our ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Houle believes that showing up as you are, is one of the best ways to connect. \u201cI\u2019m huge on dance and art, so just bringing it in naturally\u2026it doesn\u2019t always have to be a formal lesson. It’s how you show up. It\u2019s what you value and the space that you create for your students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To learn more about the Red River M\u00e9tis Circle of Educators visit here<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n