I'm so proud to live in a time where kids can celebrate #IndigenousHeritageMonth in @PeelSchools. Growing up my Indigenous heritage was never celebrated at school and when it was "taught", it was through appropriation. Keep this mind when planning activities this month.

Do: Explore, examine and respond to Indigenous artworks and learn about Indigenous artists past and present.

Don't: Copy or mimic their Artwork

Do: Listen to contemporary Indigenous musicians

Don't: Sing songs like "Land of the Silver Birch" that were witten by white settlers after hearing traditional Indigenous music being sung

Do: Read books by Indigenous authors

Don't: Read books written by white authors that depict Indigenous Peoples

Do: Invite Indigenous Voices into your classrooms to teach your students about their culture

Don't: Teach your students about Indigenous culture without using an authentic source (Nothing about us, without us)

Do: Educate yourself about ways to include Indigenous perspectives into your classrooms in an authentic and meaningful way.

Don't: Make paper plate dreamcatchers, headresses out of construction paper, popsicle stick longhouses or any other craft that mimics Indigenous symbols

And as always, if you're not sure, ask. @PayneStevens @MissCHillin @PDSBIndigenous, myself and many others. We all know that "representation matters" and we must make sure that representation is authentic and not appropriated.