In the Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being it says that “The deepest learning takes place through lived experience. It requires exploring our identities, learning from our mistakes, and having gratitude for our gifts”. I think different questions from the circle talk discussion had me reflecting on different parts of that quote. The question about who you wanted to honor as an elder had me thinking about the experiences I’ve lived through. When the question about ancestry along with the question about honouring our younger selves came up it had me reflecting on my identity. The circle talk also helped me have gratitude for my gift when it comes to still loving to read just like I did when I was a kid, which was the thing I choose to honour.

I feel good listening is making sure your attention is focused on the speaker, I do feel that I saw it for the most part during the circle talk. For me it looked like everyone paying attention, no one was talking to their friends or on their phones. I did however notice some people didn’t appear to be fully paying attention. I do not know what was going on in their minds though, so I do not know for sure if they were in fact not paying attention. I feel I can become a better listener by making sure that when I am listening, I try my best to keep my attention on the speaker and not spacing out.