Hundreds of NWT educators meet
$850,000 conference brought teachers and administrators together from all across territory
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Monday, October 6, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Hundreds of NWT teachers are back in the classroom after a professional development conference in Yellowknife last week.
Students were given three days off as educators attended the 2014 Territorial Educators' Conference in the city from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1.
Teachers interviewed as they left the conference to catch flights or drive back home said it was a worthwhile three days.
"I think it reaffirmed my belief that the most important thing that teachers do is build meaningful relationships with kids," said Roger Vail, a teacher at Paul William Kaeser High School in Fort Smith.
"If you want to be an effective teacher, you have to have a good relationship with the kids," he said.
He said hearing the guest speakers and attending the smaller break-out sessions were quite useful.
He said the speech by Martin Brokenleg, a Native American Studies professor and co-founder of the Circle of Courage youth development model, on how to reach the inner world of children was especially interesting.
He said one thing he picked up from that was the emphasis on reaching students on a spiritual and emotional level "that we neglect in Canada so much in education."
Nathan Fitzsimmons and Alison Alleyn moved from Ontario this year to teach in Wekweeti. Alexis Arrowmaker School only has five teachers.
"There were a lot of things I learned about different ways to reach students," said Fitzsimmons, a math and phys-ed teacher.
The two educators teach multiple grades in the school, which has 31 students - something they haven't experienced before while working in Canada.
The networking aspect of the conference was something teachers in community schools said they appreciated.
"It was nice to meet other teachers and hear other ideas. We don't have (professional development) days too often," said Alleyn, adding they met teachers who had previous taught in Wekweeti and were able to get some insight from them.
"Teachers in the North are really welcoming and supportive of one another," said Alleyn, who is the school's literacy co-ordinator.
Gayla Meredith, president of the Northwest Territories Teachers' Association, which organized the conference, said she heard good things from attendees.
"The concept is brilliant," she said, adding it was bigger than just professional development for those involved.
"It was a powerful opportunity for Northern teachers," she said.
She gave a closing speech to the 900 teachers, learning assistants and school administrators who attended, and reminded them of the impact their work makes on the lives of students and families.
"Educators truly do make a powerful difference in the lives of their students - the meaning of those words carry is very real," Meredith said.
"What an amazing profession to part of - teachers do truly touch the future."
The event cost the association about $850,000, a cost that will factor into discussions about whether or not it is realistic to hold a similar event in the near future, she said.
