Brent Reaney
Northern News Services

Rankin Inlet (July 13/05) - Nunavut's educational leaders from 14 communities across the territory underwent a 10-day professional and cultural training session in Rankin Inlet, July 5-15.

The 24 participants in the Educational Leadership Program took part in workshops involving topics such as learning from a traditional knowledge perspective to a night spent out on the land around Rankin Inlet.

This is about the twentieth year for the program, but just the second time educators were exclusively from Nunavut.

Pangnirtung's Cathy Lee, the program's co-principal, says the format is evolving to reflect and better meet the needs of the territory's education system.

"We talked about leadership from an Inuit perspective, and schooling and learning," said Lee, a day after the group came back from an overnight outing on the land surrounding Rankin Inlet.

Integrating Inuit cultural values into Nunavut's education system is important, Lee said, but she also hears from parents who want their children to be well educated in both cultures.

To help communicate an Inuit perspective, a number of elders from Arviat and Rankin Inlet offered their views during the land trip. "I learned quite a bit," said Sarah Takolik, vice-principal at Taloyoak's Netsilik school. "Because we're in Nunavut, I really feel strongly that the elders should attend."

Two-phase program

The two-phase program is mandatory for Nunavut principals, but some teachers, such as Iqaluit's Josefina Rueter, elected to take part.

"I felt it was important as a new teacher to get to know other teachers and to get to know more about the culture in which I was learning and teaching," said Rueter, who has been teaching at Aqsarniit middle school for two years.

She said the elders told of learning traditionally taking place in smaller groups, not like the large numbers associated with southern schools.

"It's not one teacher for every 30 kids, it one for every five," she said, adding the elders said learning should also take place outside the classroom. While out camping, at times she felt a little uncomfortable but was helped by others who had been through the experience numerous times.

"I really thought that's how students must feel.

"We really need to find things that the students can shine in."