Nickel Belt News Volume Volume 58 60 Number • Issue 5 11
Friday, March 31, 16, 2020 2018 Friday,January
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Northern Manitoba First Nations partner with Teach For Canada to address teacher shortage
Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill
Nickel Belt News photo courtesy of Teach For Canada Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN) education director Gail Gossfeld-McDonald and Shardae Fortier of Teach for Canada are looking forward to a partnership between NCN, two other Northern Manitoba First Nations and Teach for Canada, which prepares, recruits and supports teachers in collaboration with northern First Nations. munity engagement and they’ve had a lot of success “That’s a big thing, be- training period in July. The with Teach For Canada said Indigenous relations at in Ontario. Three of our cause there are differences training is rigorous.” that teachers are a critical God’s Lake Narrows Teach For Canada, came northern schools are part in the school systems,” she Gossfeld-McDonald said component of the educaFirst Nation, Nisicha- to our community. They of teach for Canada now, explained. “And all of our that teaching in a First Na- tion system in terms of obwayasihk Cree Nation make a visit to your com- and that’s awesome.” systems are different, you tions school is different taining positive outcomes (NCN) and Northlands munity to see how suitable Gossfeld-McDonald said have provincial schools, from teaching in a provin- for students. Denesuline First Nation you might be.” that her school requires a private schools, and First cial school. “Teachers are the most have partnered with Teach Gossfeld-McDonald said teacher intake at various Nations schools … all these “A lot of our schools are important factor,” she said. For Canada to address that Fortier was pleased times of the year. systems are different.” isolated,” she explained. “Our approach is aGraham comNickel Belt News photo by Ian problems of low teacher with the community and “Teachers leave for variShe said that Teach For “The lifestyle is different. munity-directed approach Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. supply and high teacher education system. ous reasons,” she said. “We Canada is trying to pre- Teach For Canada prepares, where First Nations guide turnover. made recomalways that gap. was pare not teachers work in swallow recruits and supports teachin terms howweather we go BY IAN GRAHAM all the of harsh to “They write things thatayou have ‘Oh, I’mhave just to as fill bad, right?’ a verytosafe thing when people say usFor Gail Gossfeld-McDon- to mendation forIt’s uspretty to partner, For Canada, we to thedo north. ers inChurchill collaboration with and aboutthe recruiting, EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET haveTeach all these stories and figure out. clear IWith but I jumped at it. I that residents dangerspreparing of polar ald, the director of written educa- when and we hadthrough.” to go through Ican taptointo their database “Which is was good,” Gos- should northern Nations. bears, and supporting teachers.” Though she’s now I get need capture them for thought that exciting just First find somewhere deMeulles said if it tion forabout NCN,her saidexperienthat she a bit of a process,” she ex- and at the start of sfeld-McDonald Manitoba com- had Gemson said that Teach a book DeMeulles said she wrote my partner grandchildren really until the plane landedsaid. and The easierthree to live. been viable she would firstgrowing heard about For her plained. to because the school year, “They take throwing applications join 17 northern For Canada trainstoits memces up inTeach Churchill, book,“She titledpresented Whispers in they will or be in lostthe if they started the munities “To say, ‘Those people have moved back ChurchCanada at director of eduour Wind: chief and council to start hiring for the fuel fromoffteachers who are in- choose First Nations in Ontario bers Addictions Foundation of the Stories from and the Ispring and I realized, ‘Holy to live there. They ill in specifically a heartbeat.in a northdon’t.” cation meeting withdirector Mani- our school and they It’s justhas another venue terested in probably working sitting in the that work Teach For ern“Icontext. Manitoba northern North - Lifeboard, in Churchill for fall. She also a reputation cats, I was should justwith leave,’ is quite miss the shoreline, I toba First Nations. were in full agreement with as to tap into, besides the nor- on north. They go through an simplistic. Canada to ensure theydisrehave miss “Wethebring Gisele deMeulles said writ- a couple of reasons. a storyteller herself. a bomb.’” It’s quite rock,inI Indigenmiss the delivered a very wassort recommended. thata we take.” process, find spectful. committed teachers ous leaders teach them ing“They wasn’t something she what “I just of thought, mal “I routes had such varied his- interview Another thingandthat If we were inwho the polar bears to even though good she As Jan. 7what, 2020,this we offiGossfeld-McDonald said spurred applicantsher whoon will fit, and a good the North history, the culalwayspresentation,” thought she would youofknow his- tory and I would tell people was the are same boat fit in for another area about they’rethe very dangerous and said. “It sounded like some- tory, ciallythis became that it’sand important that prothen they them as Iinthink their schools.” and the languages of do. stuffpartners that’s inwith my stories timesprepare facing Churchill we would scream Itures, really miss the Hudson they would go, hard thing Teachit’s Forgoing Canada. was ‘That’s spective want to since muchthe as Hudson they can. Sara-Christine Gemson, the communities they’llI go be “In we myneeded. youth Shardae I never head, notteachers true, is it?’ I’d go, that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When to beI gone BayThere Rail- about Fortier, of compleased hear it because come north. is a suspended two- to three-week vice-president working in.”standing on the felt gooddirector at writing,” she if I don’t to write it down,” she ‘Yeah it’s true.’ They’d go, way the optionoftoprograms do that? back home, operations have JAMES SNELL
JAMES@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population she’s an artist, she’s got so Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there Contact Nelson 204-307-0281 cause she always tells her atshe might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, justproperty high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the to discuss your needs! put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”