It's hard to imagine that Juno-winning, high-profile aboriginal singer Susan Aglukark could have much in common with a down-and-out First Nations teen struggling to read.
But, as aboriginal educators from across the country learned yesterday during an engaging speech by Aglukark, she too has struggled to overcome insecurities and self-doubt that threatened to keep her from reaching her full potential.
"(As a child), I was very shy, very scared. I always thought I had nothing to offer," the soft-spoken woman told a crowd of nearly 100 educators at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn.
"But I am walking, talking proof of how a young aboriginal kid from a small town can change things," said the singer, whose newest album, Big Feeling, won a Juno for best aboriginal recording.
The teachers -- who arrived Sunday from as far north as Fort MacPherson, Nunavut -- took in Aglukark's motivational song-and-speech presentation as part of Strengthening the Learning Circles, a four-day workshop dedicated to improving aboriginal literacy.
The intensive seminar -- organized by London aboriginal skill development centre, Nokee Kwe -- was the first of its kind in Canada.
Starting Monday, literacy educators from both on and off reserves spent a total of 24 hours over four days attending workshops that dealt with various aspects of aboriginal learning.
Ningwakwe (Priscilla George), executive director of the National Indigenous Literacy Association, was the host of a workshop on how to better match curriculum to a learner's gifts, or capabilities.
She said one of the reasons for high illiteracy rates in aboriginals is the failure of traditional western education to accommodate the learning styles of indigenous people.
"I always tell (my students), it's the failure of the system, not the failure of the individual," she said.
Other seminars focused on the mind-body-and-spirit approach to education and on addressing the needs of learners with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Educators learned the importance of using native elders in the learning environment and the necessity of aboriginal curriculum in schools.
"One in three aboriginals drop out of school before they complete high school," said Marion Jenkins, a program developer with Nokee Kwe who helped organize the event.
"If aboriginals are going to compete in the work force, that requires a Grade 12 education . . . for a better quality of life," she said.
Teachers benefited from the opportunity to network with others in similar positions, whom they might not normally meet because of distance, she said.
And they had the opportunity to meet and learn from high-profile Canadian aboriginals, such as Aglukark and renowned author Tomson Highway, who addressed them last night.
Both stressed the importance of literacy and praised educators for their dedication.
"The memories that you make are there; the impressions that you make are there," Aglukark, 37, told the crowd of teachers. "The work you do goes a long way."
The singer said it was reading that helped her through a "dark time" five years ago, when she questioned the path of her career.
"Through singing, I'm sharing. Through writing, I'm growing. And I couldn't do any of it if I didn't read," she said.
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