As I reflected on my learnings from this first inclusion conference on the African continent, I walked away with some key takeaways: SENIA Africa
SENIA Africa offered an opportunity to lean into and explore indigenous African culture and its links to education through the keynote speech and workshop sessions offered by Estelle Baroung Hughes, secondary principal at the International School of Dakar. These sessions included: considering the role of greetings, building relationships, nature and the supernatural, role of the elders and community, and how that intertwines within the ecosystems of the international school. Estelle encourages students to own their learning differences, as these differences (which we all have) are what make our individual experiences worthwhile. She also added that while labeling can be useful, educators should strive to not make these labels damaging and harmful to the students that are in our care.
Holding the conference in Johannesburg, South Africa seemed fitting given the recounted history of the struggles for educational equity and equality for all, as well as the systematic changes that have come since Apartheid ended. Similar to South Africa, inclusion has come a long way and still has even further to go. |
