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Benefits of longevity Experienced teachers have unique understanding of community
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 12, 2013
RANKIN INLET
Celebrating teacher longevity is among the more pleasant tasks for Stan Anderson in his role as chairperson of the Rankin Inlet District Education Authority (DEA).
Rankin Inlet District Education Authority chairperson Stan Anderson presents teacher Trudy Bruce with her Government of Nunavut 15yearservice plaque in Rankin this past month. - photo courtesy of Noel Kaludjak |
Anderson presented two such service awards during an assembly at Leo Ussak Elementary School in Rankin this past month.
The event saw Bev Ford receive a 25-year drum from the Government of Nunavut (GN), while Trudy Bruce received a 15-year plaque from the GN for her years teaching in the Kivalliq.
Anderson said there are numerous benefits to teacher longevity, but, at the top of his list, is the educator being a part of the community.
He said many times the teacher will teach the child of a parent they also taught, which brings a unique multi-generational aspect to the student-teacher relationship.
"They get a lot more respect from the kids because they taught their parents," said Anderson.
"The teachers often respect the kids more, too, in the sense they know what some of the outside influences are on them and the challenges they may face outside of the classroom.
"They're also aware of what resources these kids have outside of the classroom."
Anderson said a thorough understanding of the community helps when a teacher interacts with the DEA.
He said things are no longer black and white in the classroom, and teachers who have been in a community for an extended period recognize the different shades of influence that exist.
"They realize some ideas that would make sense in a perfect world don't really work everywhere, especially in the North where's there's a lot of different challenges.
"They have a lot better sense of the reality their students are facing."
Anderson has no hesitation in saying he's more inclined to look hard at a topic brought to the DEA, when it's delivered by a long-standing teacher in the community.
The DEA chair said he knows it's not a case of someone trying to reinvent the wheel or quickly implement the latest teaching theory.
He said teachers such as Ford and Bruce are tried-and-tested professionals who've seen different programs come and go, and have a solid sense of what will, and won't, work in their classrooms.
"Not that it happens, but you can envision someone right out of teacher's college coming here all gung-ho about the latest technique they've learned and wanting to put it into practice.
"Now that might be good, and it's always refreshing to do, but a lot of these things just won't work in the North.
"Our senior teachers, with so many years experience, know what will work and what won't, but, I must point out in this case, both Bev and Trudy are true professionals who are still open to brand-new things.
"Even though they've been here for a long time, they're both up-to-date on accreditation and always looking for new skill sets."
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