Morgan Bayda

Inquiring Into Myself, Children and Families as Curriculum Makers;

February 1

Artifact: My Geometric Self-Portrait Painting

There is likely no better way to begin documenting and reflecting upon who I am as
a curriculum-maker than by drawing upon a self portrait I painted that signifies not how I
look to the world, but who I am in the world based on my experiences and what is
important to me
My own identity hugely influences who I am as a teacher and as a curriculum-
maker alongside students and families. In the painting I honour five special parts of my life
that are important to me or greatly help define who I am. These are family (orange circle),
music (piano keys), water (part of my name in many languages; water drops), nature
(leaves), and eagles (in sunset circles) which describe my family’s long history in and
relationship with “The Valley” (Qu’Appelle), my most defining and favourite place.
Without these people, places, and passions, these symbols of my life and identity, I would
in no way be the person I am now, nor would I be on the way to becoming the person I
will be in the future.
For this reason, identity is maybe the most important part of the process of
curriculum-making in which we engage with children, families, and ourselves. By knowing
where we come from and what our true passions are, we can make decisions abut our
learning that define what we believe in and what we want to know, also how we want to
know it. This, of course, is the same of children. As a teacher, I choose to attend
specifically to the personal identity of each child, honouring their uniqueness and passions,
so that they truly can engage in curriculum-making with a solid understanding of (and
confidence in) themselves first.

Geometric Self- and Family-Portraits made by grade two and three students during
my internship experience: