Humility

The focus for January is HUMILITY.

Humility – Dbaadendiziwin:

Humility is represented by the wolf. For the wolf, life is lived for his pack and the ultimate shame is to be outcast.

To accept yourself as a sacred part of creation is to know humility.

Live life selflessly and not selfishly. Respect your place and carry your pride with your people and praise the accomplishments of all. Do not become arrogant and self-important. Find balance within yourself and all living things.

https://www.truecanadianart.com/single-post/2018/03/14/what-are-the-seven-grandfather-teachings

Our goal is that teachers will learn together with their students about these teachings and bring them into their regular classroom activities. With a focus of humility, students could:

Write, draw, talk about humility for others and for yourself – what do you do to live selflessly? How do you balance your needs with those of the group?
Brainstorm “What is humility” and discuss why it is important
Discuss the connections between humility and balance with the earth
Discussions around recognizing that everyone has different strengths
Practice a weekly compliment circle. Have everyone sit in a circle with their legs out. Take turns passing a compliment to someone in the group. When you receive a compliment, bring your legs in and share a compliment to someone else. Continue until everyone has received a compliment.
Take a look at this list of books about humility.
Have students decorate a Wolf and write about how being part of a pack is part of Humility for them. The wolves of the whole class/school could be put together to show the pack. On the next page, see the Wolf art by Michelle Stoney, a Gitxsan artist who has graciously given permission for anyone to print off and colour this design – she just asks that it not be used for sale or profit.
Have students create and present a skit about humility
Engage in self-reflection and self-assessment techniques, being honest and kind with where they are in their learning journeys.
January 7th is Sakado Sasaki’s birthday. Before her death, she set a goal of folding 1000 paper cranes. Fold paper cranes with your students and appreciate the visual of working in community.
At the secondary level, the Leadership classes would likely be an ideal place to generate ideas and activities for schools to engage in.
(February 22 is Humility Day)