Danielle Schmidt Email & Phone Number

I am a responsive, Michif woman reclaiming my identity, language, and heritage on behalf of my mother who is a Sixties Scoop survivor, my grandmother who was silenced and shamed her entire life, and my daughters who are loving our culture and living our language. I was a senior humanities teacher in GSSD#204 for almost a decade where I shared my passion for creativity, storytelling, and community perspectives in my classrooms. I taught about, uplifted voices, and learned alongside my students in many different areas but found myself always centering indigenous perspectives, voices, experiences, reconciliation in action not just theory, treaty, experiential learning opportunities, and celebrating culture, connection, resilience, action.Formally, I have a Bachelors of Education and a Bachelors of Arts specializing in ELA and Indigenous Studies. However, it is my desire for community connection, to uplift experiential voices, and to disseminate the truth that are my defining points. I understand and value the power of community investment, community engagement, and community voice through my experience as a Métis Cultural Coach with the Good Spirit School Division. I helped build relationships with people who wanted to strengthen Métis experiences, presence, and programs in a place that had historically and presently not been given much space or capacity. I did this by supporting classroom teachers indigenization of instruction in a manageable and individual manner, by building capacity among teachers to increase student engagement through culturally responsive pedagogy, and by establishing and fostering relationships with local elders, knowledge keepers, and old ones in a good way. I also advised classroom teachers at multiple grade levels in indigenizing curricula and provided invitations for community learning experiences and cultural events with Elders and knowledge keepers. This work was done in community and collaboration with Indigenous Student Success Consultants, Indigenous Community Workers, the Central Curriculum and Instruction Team, members of Yorkton’s Métis local, and the tribal council to improve opportunities and success for Métis and IndigenousI will always strive to teach others about the truth our society has inherited in hopes of building a brighter future for the next seven generations and beyond.I am so excited and incredibly humbled to continue this work in every facet of my being with Métis Nation-Saskatchewan as the Curriculum Developer for the Ministry of Culture, Heritage, and Language.