I was invited to lead a workshop at Aboriginal Education Awareness Symposium in Wahta of the Mohawk Territory. It was a chance for the First Nation people to showcase a little bit of their culture for our non-first nation friends and bridge that gap a little bit more.
I was so honoured to be included in such an impressive line-up of presenters. Here Dr. Pamela Rose Tollouse is completely engaging the audience with her keynote address on Aboriginal Students and Self-Esteem. She was an excellent presenter, I was so impressed. She really mixed it up man, she had people moving around and interacting. Now that's how I roll baby!
I was presenting some information on Cree Syllabics and celebrating cultural diversity in the classroom. Here is a just a few names translated from english into cree. Can you read any? 
Here is James Bartleman, former Lieutenant Governor speaking on First Nations in the surrounding area of Muskoka.
Here is James and I after the keynote. You know, I meet hundreds of people a year and when I see someone from one of my trips, I have a real hard time remembering their name or even their face sometimes. James blew me away! I met him very briefly in Quebec city a few years ago. I was thanking him for all of his literacy work in our communities up north and I did mention to him where I was from. When I approached him for a pic, he remembered me.
I've been using the excuse for years that it's impossible for me to remember everyone, there's just too many. But James changed my life. I will never use that one ever again. Here's a guy who meets hundreds of people a month or even a week and he remembered me. I know he probably doesn't remember everyone, but it just gave me more motivation to start using the other 99% of my brain more.
What a time in Wahta, thank to my friends for seeing value in my work and including me in a great line-up of speakers.
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