Hadih, Tansi, Boujour, hello! My name is Stephaney Thompson. I am French and Portuguese on my mother’s side and First Nations on my father’s side. I am a proud member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory, Saskatchewan. I am honoured to have lived my life as a guest on the territory of the Lheidli T’enneh.
The picture above was taken at my community’s first annual Powwow. It was also the first time I had ever visited my community. Being there and taking part in the celebration of our culture was incredibly proud and emotional moment for me. I thought about the generations before me and the ways my ancestors fought for future generations to have opportunities to experience, practice, and celebrate our culture. This experience reminded me that teaching and sharing our culture is a privilege, but it should also be a right. It strengthened my passion for being in the classroom and bringing Indigenous representation and perspective into education so that Indigenous students can see themselves, their families, and their cultures reflected in their schools.
My journey to becoming an educator was not a traditional one. I began my career in accounting, working at a public firm before moving to the school district board office, where I worked in the finance department. This eventually led me to a position as Business Manager within School District 57 Indigenous Education Department. I was in this role that my path began to change. I was immersed in Indigenous culture, language, community, and ways of knowing, while being surrounded by Indigenous people whose work and passion entered on supporting Indigenous students.
Being part of the Indigenous Education Department lit a fire in my belly. It made me realize that I wanted to hold space as an Indigenous educator and help create classrooms where students feel welcomed, represented, respected and valued. My experiences have taught me that education is deeply connected to relationships, identity, culture, and belonging.
As I begin the UNBC Teacher Education Program, I see myself as both an educator and a learner. I want to continue learning from my students, colleagues, Elders, Knowledge Holders, and communities around me. My intention is to create a classroom where students feel safe to be themselves, take risks, make mistakes, and see their identities and experience as strengths. I hope to be the kind of teacher who not only teaches students but learns with them and continually reflects on how I can do better.