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KIVALLIQ
After spending two weeks in July running teacher education workshops on the Caribbean island Dominica, Lisom Tam-Eveleigh is back at Sakku School as a student support teacher.

Lisom Tam-Eveleigh, left, and Leesie Akulukjuk were the two teachers from Nunavut selected to go to Dominica with Project Overseas. - photo courtesy of Lisom Tam-Eveleigh

Tam-Eveleigh was part of a five-member Project Overseas group, providing professional development for Dominican teachers in the areas of special education, literacy, computers, fine arts and math. Tam-Eveleigh ran the math workshops and said her time in Dominica was an eye-opening experience.

"I think for me it's the fact of remembering that we have a lot more resources that we take for granted that are not available elsewhere, and to appreciate what we have even though we don't seem to have as much as we should have, compared to what's available in the south," she said.

She said the experience was also valuable for her to get exposure to the Caribe culture and to share ideas and strategies with her peers.

She gave away about half a suitcase of her materials at the end of the course to some participants so they could continue running similar workshops.

The program is run by the Canadian Teachers' Federation, and federation president Paul Taillefer said over its past 50 years of operation, the program has seen success in boosting education in the countries in which it operates, and the workshops themselves have created ripple effects.

"A lot of these teachers that are part of these programs end up taking on that role themselves with their own organizations in their own countries," said Taillefer, adding these people sometimes go on to be resource people or education leaders.

He said it's also a good experience for Canadian teachers.

"The teachers that go there come back changed. A lot of them repeat the experience. A lot of them share their experience with their colleagues and their students."

Tam-Eveleigh said she's had the chance to talk about the trip with a few of her students.

"They're curious about the temperature and the food more than anything else," she said.

This is her second trip with Project Overseas. Last year she ran similar workshops in St. Vincent. She said she'd be happy to do it again, and she's been greeted with much gratitude. In her travels she's been given a plaque and other mementos from her workshop participants.

"I've had a very positive experience with the participants. They enjoy their learning. Both times I did the workshops they had given me written expressions of the value to them."

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