TakingITGlobal

Brendan Morphet I am grateful to live, play, and teach on the traditional territories of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta'an Kwach'an Council. Before I delve into how Connected North has helped facilitate and fuel my growth towards understanding First Nations Ways of Knowing and Doing, as well as personal and professional growth, I need to clear up a common misconception: Connected North is not a substitute for teaching, lesson planning, or delivery. As a non-Indigenous teacher, teaching within a First Nations School, I view Connected North as a resource. An interactive resource to plan with and around to help enrich student experience through access to knowledge keepers from across North America. We've all heard the expression "think outside the box," but as teachers we need to "think beyond the book (textbook). When I think back to my early years as a teacher, I relied on heavily on textbooks, teacher guides, and more established colleagues for guidance, but as I gained experience I became more comfortable, confident, and honed my style. As a result, I make it my goal, as part of my yearly teacher growth plan, to choose projects and resources that offer my students a real connection. My name is Brendan Morphet, and I am excited to share a little bit about who I am, what I started with, and how I integrate Connected North in our classroom. I have been an intermediate teacher for over 10 years in Whitehorse, Yukon. Currently, I work within Yukon First Nation School Board- a school board that was established in 2022, with the goal of connecting learners with the land, culture, and communities through First Nations Ways of Knowing and Doing. C o n n e c t e d N o r t h i n O u r C l a s s r o o m Brendan Morphet - Connected North in Our Classroom 50 Takhini Elementary School Whitehorse, Yukon Introduction

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