Robyn Michaud feels like she’s retired.
Most retirements don’t include parenting as a single foster mom, teaching, pursuing a doctorate, learning Indigenous jingle dances, all while running multiple marathons with a spinal cord condition.
But Michaud, MEd‘09, said she’s in a wonderful phase of life where she can pursue her true passions.
It’s an understatement to say the Western education instructor keeps a full schedule.
Just days before she ran her third Boston marathon as an adaptive athlete on April 15, Michaud was busy working on a paper for her doctor of education. She’s such an experienced marathon runner, with 38 now under her belt, that the paper was more of a pressing concern than the race.
How does she balance it all?
“I love everything I do. That’s the key. I can’t believe I get paid to do the work I do. It is such a passion of mine,” said Michaud, an Anishnaabe woman and member of Sagamok First Nation.
She teaches an Indigenous studies course to all teacher candidates at Western and also works as an Indigenous studies professor at Conestoga College. It’s the perfect fit, after 30 years of teaching and leading in the elementary and secondary school systems, to equip new teachers with the knowledge they need.
“I have leadership as well as lived experience as a teacher, student and mom, so I see this from all angles. It’s just so rewarding for me to help bring these new teachers into the field knowing so much more about Indigenous pedagogy and people than my generation would have ever learned.”
On top of her work, Michaud is pursuing an EdD in higher education leadership at Western. Her dissertation is focused on the experiences of Indigenous students and students of colour in teacher education.
“Despite all the busyness, it feels like I’m retired because I’m doing everything I love.” – Robyn Michaud, Western education instructor and doctoral candidate
Marathon success
Michaud keeps herself in marathon shape year-round to avoid the inevitable “funk” when taking time off running.
Though she was diagnosed in 2012 with syringomyelia, a serious condition where a cyst grows within the spine, Michaud hasn’t hung up her running shoes. In fact, it was the diagnosis that prompted her to run the 42-kilometre (26.2-mile) race in the first place, after a neurologist said she needed to keep active.
“I don’t know that she was thinking about running marathons,” Michaud said with a laugh.
“I thought it would be a one and done. I didn’t give myself nearly enough time to train for it, and it was a battle. But it’s such a high when you get done.”
Her spinal condition hasn’t worsened at all since the initial diagnosis, and Michaud has gone on to run marathons all over the globe. Just last month, she received the Six Star Medal in recognition of completing each of the world’s major marathons – Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York City, London and Tokyo.
Fewer than 15,000 people have completed the task.
“It’s pretty easy to keep motivated, because for me it’s a social thing. I love destination marathoning, where you get to travel the world and see new places. You can’t put a price on that, so that’s been my priority,” Michaud said.
Leads ‘with her heart’
It will be a year of milestones for Michaud. She earned her Six Star Medal in March and next month, she’ll celebrate two decades working at Western. Before she started teaching the Indigenous education course, Michaud taught additional qualification courses for certified teachers.
Kathy Hibbert, associate dean of teacher education at Western, called Michaud “one of the most dedicated educators I have met.”
Kathy Hibbert (Chris Kindratsky/Western Communications)
Hibbert also supervised Michaud during her master’s degree.
“She has always led with her heart and had many projects on the go at any given time. While completing her master of education, she was also teaching and writing additional qualifications courses for teachers, creating Indigenous education resources, authoring books – all while teaching, being a mom and running marathons,” Hibbert said.
“She has continued that pace while working toward an education doctorate. She is deeply passionate about teaching and currently coordinates a class called Indigenous Education: Toward a decolonizing pedagogy. Our teacher candidates frequently comment that her classes are life changing.”
Before making the jump to higher education, Michaud spent 30 years working with elementary and secondary students. She was often the only Indigenous teacher in the school.
“In our culture we have this concept of being an auntie. That’s how I’ve always approached my teaching; my students see me not just as a teacher but almost like an aunt. I set high standards for them, I cheer them on, and love them like they’re my family member, but I will also hold them accountable.”
The goal is to pave the way for the next generation, and that’s a driving force Michaud lives out every day. Her K-12 teaching career was punctuated by “cultural brokering,” or translating Indigenous culture and realities for other teachers with whom she worked.
“We won’t have kids truly succeeding in our system until they have more role models,” she said of Indigenous students.
She’s seized on that passion in her doctoral program, with the goal of figuring out why so few Indigenous people choose education as a career path, despite available jobs and competitive compensation.
“The plan is to develop a way to promote, recruit, encourage and coach Indigenous undergraduates at Western to apply to the BEd program and pursue education.”
A teacher, an auntie, a mom – again
Michaud took on a new challenge in 2020 – foster parenting. With her own two children grown, she welcomed a two-year-old and four-year-old into her home.
She said decades of teaching helped set her up for success.
“Making the transition to foster parenting was so easy and natural. I’m used to getting a new group of students, falling in love with them, and then having to see them off and cheer them on as they move into the next chapter,” Michaud said.
She approaches foster parenting in the same way.
Just before she signed a customary care agreement with their band – to raise the boys until 18 – the brothers were reunified with family members.
“It’s what we all hope for. As much as I miss them dearly – I love them until the ends of the earth – how wonderful is it that they’re back with family and doing awesome,” Michaud said.
“Being close to 50 and having such little ones was exhausting – but it was such a treat.”
Now Michaud is fostering two older girls and in the process of adopting.
“You feel like everything happens for a reason. They’re enriching my life just as much as I could ever enrich theirs. It’s just meant to be,” she said.
“It’s just such a natural thing for us as Anishinaabe, to take care of the kids in the community. It’s a natural role for me.”
