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The concept of abundance also shaped the work. Rather than 
viewing knowledge, language or opportunity as limited resources, 
Sinclair’s teachings reinforced an understanding that growth in 
one area can strengthen learning for all.
Staff reflected on how this mindset encourages openness and 
collaboration, particularly in conversations about language 
learning and curriculum development. It supports a “yes, and” 
approach to education, where new perspectives are added rather 
than replacing or competing with others.
This thinking is closely connected to Strategic Action 1.5: 
Decolonization and Indigenization, which focuses on embedding 
Indigenous perspectives in a way that is respectful and integrated 
across learning environments.
Through their work with Sinclair, LRSD educators also developed 
and refined a practical tool to support this integration. 
A reframing guide, shaped through collaboration, now centres on 
three key areas: enriching curriculum, Indigenous worldviews, 
and centring land. The guide is being used to help teachers 
reflect on their practice and consider how to make learning more 
responsive and inclusive.
The partnership extended beyond professional learning 
sessions. Sinclair shared teachings connected to land, 
language, and seasonal cycles, helping staff situate their 
work within a broader understanding of community and 
environment. These teachings encouraged educators to see 
learning as ongoing and interconnected, rather than isolated to 
individual lessons or subjects.
The collaboration also connected to broader community work, 
including the renaming of a school in honour of the late Hon. 
Murray Sinclair. Through stories and reflections, staff gained 
a deeper understanding of the values that guided his life and 
leadership, particularly his focus on young people.
That teaching, shared through the work of educator and columnist 
Niigaan Sinclair, became a guiding idea for the Louis Riel School 
Division (LRSD) this year, shaping how staff approached learning, 
relationships, and the work of supporting students.
Over the past year, LRSD engaged in sustained collaboration with 
Sinclair through a series of professional learning opportunities, 
student gatherings, and community events. The work extended 
across classrooms and disciplines, encouraging educators to 
reflect on how Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing can 
inform both teaching practice and student experience.
At the centre of the collaboration was an understanding of 
reciprocity. Sinclair’s teachings emphasized that actions, 
intentions, and relationships are interconnected, and that  
what is offered into the world, whether care, curiosity, or respect, 
is reflected back.
“One of the teachings related to creation… was that if we put our 
motion towards something that is beautiful and loving… that is 
what is returned to us,” said Veronique Reynolds, reflecting on the 
impact of the work.
That perspective grounded a shift in how staff engaged with 
curriculum. Educators were invited to expand their understanding 
of what constitutes knowledge and literacy, moving beyond 
traditional texts to recognize that learning can come from land, 
story, experience and relationship.
“There are stories in everything,” Reynolds said.
This broadened understanding aligns with LRSD’s commitment 
to Strategic Action 3.3: Information Literacy, which calls for 
students to engage with knowledge in diverse and meaningful 
ways. By embracing this approach, the division continues to 
build more inclusive learning environments that reflect the lived 
experiences of students.
LRSD partnership with Niigaan Sinclair shapes 
learning through relationship and abundance
RECIPROCITY

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