MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET
From preschoolers to college students, lifelong Pond Inlet resident Karen Nutarak believes in anyone at any age trying to get an education.
Karen Nutarak is a long-time educator and advocate for education in Pond Inlet. - photo courtesy of Karen Nutarak
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"Nunavut is realizing you need education," said Nutarak, an adult educator at Arctic College who helps students by keeping them on track. "Before you only needed experience; today you need education."
Nutarak has become one of the hamlet's most adamant and vocal proponents for education. When not filling in as an instructor on any number of subjects at the college, Nutarak volunteers as the director at the daycare and often goes on the local radio station to encourage kids to finish high school and "go further."
Her latest endeavour is a new preschool pilot project in one of the elementary school classrooms, based on the Montessori model, with teacher Tessa Lochhead from Nasivvik School. The Montessori method of teaching is an alternative model which teaches children academic concepts through self-directed activities.
"We see people realizing themselves," said Nutarak, who is also involved in the Tununiq Theatre group and throat sings traditional ajjaja songs. "I love helping students out when they're struggling, seeing them rise up and succeed. I like my job because I get to see people get out of their shell and shine."
At the college, Nutarak oversees several of the school's procedures such as its policy on attendance and grades. While it may not be her favourite part of the job, ensuring students aren't slacking or sloughing off is necessary. She laments the idea of "social passing" – a general policy in elementary and junior high schools whereby students are not held back. Nutarak, who previously worked with the DEA for four years, says merely passing kids grade after grade, in the long run, is failing them.
"We are seeing lots of graduates who cannot write essays. I don't know how they're getting out of high school," said Nutarak, who added that she expects her own daughter to be able to write an essay when she graduates high school. "I want them to not just pass them I want them to do the work. I want my children to be able to write and read and do math instead of just passing them even if they don't learn."
Nutarak lives at home with her husband Harvey and her four children Sula, Crystal, Katherine and Alain.
