8th Fire ... from Canada to Haiti and back again

Much of my work and focus has been with Haiti but I'm regularly reminded of local issues which share so many similarities to the global (remember glocal perspective building?!). These can include issues of socio-economic disparity, community-building, power(lessness), innovation, discrimination, etc. Although all of these themes intersect with many different communities in Canada, I'm particularly atuned to their intersection with First Nations peoples.

One of our goals at the faculty of education has been to increase our own awareness of aboriginal ways of knowing. I have participated in multiple meetings and presentations that have involved the WLU Office of Aboriginal Initiatives. Last week, we hosted and watched the documentary: Canada: Apartheid Nation - see the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFSj7QZb6qM

These have been tremendously helpful in situating my own teaching. A recent CBC series (8th Fire) is another good place for resources:

http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/8thfire//2011/11/its-time.html

How can we be effective in educational leadership training in Haiti?

This question has been at the forefront of my mind since I've been working in Haiti. I've tried to be responsive to localized needs and provide support for what principals have identified as areas of need. I've also supplemented this with ideas and skills which are based in research from the "west" but which I've contextualized for my colleagues in Haiti. This, of course, comes with making some mistakes along the way. One of my first times in Haiti, a principal took me to task for my "hard-line" approach to corruption. As we engaged in dialogue, I had a better sense of the struggles which he dealt with on a daily basis. A good article looking at how mistakes can lead to improvement, can be found in today's Globe and Mail:

Globe and Mail "Wiith Foreign Aid..."

As the educational research base develops in Haiti, a comparative and international perspective will help us refine each others practice and knowledge base.

Global wall planner (complements of The Guardian, UK)

Check out this great resource which provides different international days/weeks of significance. This would be a great resource for the glocal classroom!

Global Wall Planner