My name is Angel Hinkley, and I am a teacher at Drumchapel High School where I have the privilege of leading the efforts to decolonise the curriculum as Principal Teacher of Inclusion (Diversity and Culture). Being given this opportunity has opened an incredible door, but it has also raised awareness and questions about why this has been lacking in our curriculum.

My recent attendance at Education Scotland’s Building Racial Literacy programme has provided me with an incredibly strong foundation, and they continue to provide ongoing support in my current role. The programme has inspired and empowered me, giving me confidence and awareness that this is only the beginning of a journey filled with complexities. Mistakes will be made and bravery, humility and compassion will be essential. This programme has had a tremendously positive impact not only professionally but also personally. I have dyslexia, and it has been a heavy weight that I have carried my entire life, fighting to be seen for myself rather than the prejudices that come with it. This programme removed this barrier, and I was seen for who I am and what I can do. More than any other time in my life I have found myself immersed in learning and no longer expending huge amounts of efforts trying to conceal my dyslexia and living in fear of being discovered.

I am writing this blog to share with you one aspect of the story of curriculum decolonisation, namely the "positive narrative" and the positive impact it brings. I would like you to come with me on a journey through time and around the globe, through the eyes of a young person having the feeling of belonging and empowerment.

The story starts with the Haitian revolution. For over 200 years, the transatlantic slavery trade was responsible for the torturing, maiming, dehumanisation, and destruction of social traditions, and the consequences are still being felt today. This narrative must be told. But if this is the only story presented to Black pupils, and for that matter the rest of the class, they will only see African people being dehumanised. Empowering all our young people is an important part of our job as educators. The Haitian revolution is not a story without its horrors. It was a brutal revolution when France demanded a crippling, estimated $21 billion in today's money to compensate former slave owners. At the same time, the Haitians were being demonised and struggling to develop as a consequence of a suffocating US embargo. However, this revolutionary story is an important and inspiring part of history. Enslaved Africans in Haiti defeated the three major European empires of the time, the French, British, and Spanish, between 1789 and 1804. They declared their independence and were the first nation to abolish slavery. Many of my evenings have been spent reading about this revolution, the determination, perseverance, bravery, intellect, and the stories of many prominent leaders, such as Cécile Fatiman and Sanite Bélair. What struck me was the strategic planning that led to the departure of these three empires from Haiti. It is a powerful message to all.

I now want to take you to America, 1903. My learning journey has introduced me to Maggie Lena Walker. I will begin her story with a quote from her: “Let us awake, let us arise. We can do anything, as soon as we learn the lessons of unity”. She was the founder and first female African-American president of St Luke’s Penny Saving Bank that survived until 2005. She believed that people should entrust their money with people that have shared their struggle and not with people that do not value you. “Let us put our monies together …and have a bank that will take the nickels and turn them into dollars”. The fact Maggie Lena Walker started a bank in the early 20th century is quite mind blowing because married women in America were unable to even have a bank account at all until the 70s. “The elevation of women to her proper and rightful place has been the slowest work of the centuries. Let women become independent.” She also accomplished many other remarkable feats, such as founding a newspaper and serving as its managing director where black voices could be heard. Her story is one of empowerment, and it inspires, encourages, and teaches unity.

Our next stop is Britain - to the Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963, which arose from the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to hire Black or Asian bus crews in Bristol. Hundreds of people refused to ride the company's buses in 1963, and the company agreed to end the colour bar within six months. It also paved the way for the first race relations act of 1965. Another story of empowerment, which inspires, encourages, and teaches unity.

We are now travelling back in time to the reign of King Henry VIII. Let me introduce you to Jacques Frances. He was the salvage diver in charge of the expedition to recover King Henry VIII's guns from the Mary Rose. Many British people had never learned to swim, but Africans, from warmer climates, could. This historic event has a lot to offer in the classroom. Our history is full of the Kings and Queens, but there are many other stories that must to be told. It enables the young person to see the bigger picture and their connection to the rest of the world. Perhaps, most importantly, their narrative shows us the need to work together. We should be sharing the knowledge with young people that we have actually all been global citizens for thousands of years.

With this in mind that I would like to introduce you to Cheddar Man. He was discovered in the British village of Cheddar. He is the oldest virtually complete skeleton, nearly 10,000 years old. Experts have also revealed that Cheddar Man shares ten per cent of his DNA with people living in the UK today. There is a 76% chance that Cheddar Man was ‘dark to black’. Prior to the DNA test, it was assumed that he was white. For me, digging into the facts of this story highlights the importance of teaching young people to question assumptions made and why they are being made.

There are so many positive stories out there. Many of you will have your own stories. Each narrative must be encouraged in order to develop a deeper understanding of world history as a series of interconnected events. The narrative of such events should be meaningfully connected to the learning. This will help to ensure that decolonising the curriculum does not fall into the trap of adding tokenistic stories. Our young people are attempting to figure out who they are and where they fit in the world. As educators, we have a responsibility to equip them with the tools they require to see themselves and not feel like an imposter attempting to fit into a world in which they do not feel they belong.

I started out, and remain, a Maths teacher. So, I feel some subject loyalty is pulling me to conclude with two more stories: one about the right angle triangle, and the other about the abacus. Frequently asked questions in Maths are “What is the point of this?" and "When would I ever use this?". We are now going to Egypt, to around 2500 BCE when the Pyramids of Giza where built. Pythagoras theorem, which enables you to make a right angle triangle, was one of the techniques employed. Maths has been used to help create one of the Seven Wonders of the World, that has stood for over 4000 years. The concept of Maths becomes much more relevant and useful. When I teach Pythagoras, I use a map or globe to show where in the world this historic event occurred. We then move north-east to Iraq, Iran, and Syria, where I explain that there is archaeological evidence of the Babylonians learning Pythagoras' theorem in school around 2000 BCE.

The young people are invariably taken aback by the knowledge that schools even existed all those years ago. I always ask them why this evidence has come as such a surprise to them. “They couldn’t have had lessons all those years ago”, “They wouldn’t have been that advanced back then”. Another interesting fact is that Pythagoras was born approximately 570 BCE, many years after the pyramids were built and Babylonian pupils learned his theorem, this could be because as a young adult, he had travelled to Egypt and Babylon. This leads to more discussions in class, and it's a topic that mathematicians and historians are still debating today. Throughout this topic young people are exploring the origins of mathematics; they are immersed in historical evidence of human populations; they are guided in their conceptual understandings. All of this is achieved in a way where the facts are not presented as abstracted or disconnected.

You have now arrived at the final destination, and I want to express my gratitude for taking the time to read my blog and for allowing me to share a small part of my incredible learning journey with you. I will leave you in China with a discussion I had with one of my pupils at Drumchapel High School last week.

Young person “Ms Hinkley, the abacuses were invented by the Chinese"

I replied “Yes”.

Young person “I love the Chinese because they have made Maths easy for me”.

She then went on to explain why abacus helps her with her Maths.