Morris Cook is one of the instructors at the new program. (submitted photo/April Chiefcalf)

By Derek Cornet

Indigenous Teachers

All spots filled for new teacher education program underway in La Ronge

Sep 5, 2019 | 5:17 PM

It was an exciting day for all those involved with the commencement of the Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program on Thursday.

Representatives from Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), the Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) and the University of Regina were on-hand to meet the new 26 post-secondary students who dream of one day becoming a teacher. The U of R sent a team of 10 employees to register students in their classes, as well as take them through options available for tuition, books and a living allowance. According to GDI Executive Director Geordy McCaffrey, every year there will be an intake into the program so there will eventually be graduates every year.

“We are celebrating our 40th anniversary and it’s like an anniversary gift that came early,” he said. “We are really anxious about starting a teacher education program in the North. We already have three in the South, so this fourth addition will complete the GDI family.”

The program currently has two employees including Morris Cook and April Chiefcalf, who are both working on PhDs and have extensive experience with the former Northern Teacher Education Program. As the new program matures, McCaffrey stated more employees will be hired alongside sessional instructors who will come solely to teach specific classes.

Out of the students who registered, he mentioned close to 50 per cent are either from the tri-communities or within a half-hour drive away. Many are also Métis students from the west side of northern Saskatchewan.

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“As a big part of this program, we have traditional land-based education, so we will be training teachers in the use of knowledge keepers and elders, and going out on the land for fishing and hunting,” McCaffrey said. “We’re teaching teachers how to teach First Nations and Métis kids. We think that’s going to have some benefits in the graduating rates for students in the schools.”

On behalf of the LLRIB, Director of Education Simon Bird added the band worked hard to get the building along Mikisew Drive ready for the new students. It was previously used as the location for the Head Start program, which was moved to a new $4.2 million facility in Bells Point. Since there will be a strong focus on Indigenous languages and cultures, Bird noted graduates from the program will be in high demand across the province.

“I know a lot of our southern schools will be looking at recruiting some of our Cree speakers,” he said. “There is a large demand for Cree speakers and the LLRIB is very rich in Cree speakers.”

U of R President Vianne Timmons also attended the event Thursday and she said the program will make a difference when recruiting and retaining teachers in the North. She also noted the university has worked hard to create partnerships in the region and she’s pleased with the outcome.

“We know there is a big education gap between our First Nations students and students who go to school in the public system,” Timmons said. “We need teachers who students see themselves in, who are role models for students and who come from their community.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno