It's just so powerful to have somebody know you…: The experiences of Indigenous youth and non-Indigenous educators in teacher-student relationships

Teacher-student relationships have often been cited as a protective factor in student academic success and social-emotional development (Bernstein-Yamashiro & Noam, 2013). A cultural match between student and teacher can increase the likelihood of a positive rapport developing (Crooks et al, 2017); however, Indigenous educators are not as prevalent as their non-Indigenous counterparts in school districts across the Fraser Valley. This research explores how Indigenous students and non-Indigenous educators describe their stories of impactful teacher-student relationships. Narrative inquiry, anti-oppressive research practices and Indigenous Research Methodologies informed the research structure. Stories from four non-Indigenous educators were collected during a sharing circle, and stories from three Indigenous youth were collected during one-on-one interviews. Stories reveal the ways in which teachers attempt to connect and make sense of their connections with non-Indigenous students as well as the ways in which students characterize and attribute meaning to impactful relationships they have had with non-Indigenous teachers.