An Alberta teacher who co-founded the province’s first Black Teachers Association has become the new Educator in Residence with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR)—a national museum of Canada based in Winnipeg.
Sarah Adomako-Ansah will share her passion for diversity, representation, and technology to create CMHR programs and resources for students and educators that focus on combatting racism. She is working from Edmonton, taking advantage of online opportunities to engage with teachers and classrooms across the country.
“My goal is to amplify the voices of those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour from across Canada,” she said. “Growing up, I did not have any Black teachers, which is part of the reason I became an educator. I wanted to affirm the identities of all my students, but I especially wanted young Black girls to see a teacher who looks like them.”
In addition to teaching elementary school in Edmonton, Adomako-Ansah has been working as a tutor with the Council for Canadians of African and Caribbean Heritage. For the Museum, she will develop new ways to interest students in human rights learning through technology, provide teachers with resources, and enhance class field trips (whether conducted on-site or virtually).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, huge demand emerged for the Museum’s virtual field trips, where an interpretive guide takes remote classes through the galleries in real-time. More than 17,000 students participated during the
2020-21 school year—including over 8,000 students from Alberta, the highest number of any province. Virtual field trips will continue to be exclusively offered as the new school year begins, and until educators decide when safety and comfort levels can allow resumption of on-site visits.
The Museum is also in the process of building a Canadian Teachers’ Advisory Circle to ensure the development of content relevant to educators across the nation. Membership will reflect the diversity of people living in Canada and bring provincial and regional representation to the ongoing work of the CMHR.
More information about the Museum’s school programs for students of all ages can be found at humanrights.ca/education.
From Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Fall 2021 issue.
