Peter McKitrick of Coral Harbour has earned his masters in Inuit education and wrote his thesis on reforming NunavutSA国际影视传媒檚 education system.

He wants to finds ways for Nunavummiut to achieve their educational goals without having to move south.

SA国际影视传媒淚 just think thereSA国际影视传媒檚 a lot of problems with education in the North that need to be addressed and worked at,SA国际影视传媒� he said, referring to Euro-Western academic traditions imposed in Nunavut, such as the school calendar being based on agriculture, which he argues exacerbates poor attendance.

Geese hunting season and fishing in the fall would be examples of strong cultural practices in Nunavut that should be accommodated, he suggested.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 also that problem where a lot of the school year should be preparing children for these seasonal activities that are going to be their way of life and should be designed around those activities,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

HeSA国际影视传媒檚 also opposed to the SA国际影视传媒渁uthoritative styleSA国际影视传媒� of education delivery whereby students are expected to spend much of their day sitting and listening to a teacher.

SA国际影视传媒淭hereSA国际影视传媒檚 a real missing critical thinking and independent thinking piece thatSA国际影视传媒檚 very valued within Inuit culture and Inuit QaujimajatuqangitSA国际影视传媒� traditionally, we (Inuit) had a more facilitative leadership style. A community leader would be trying to provide the resources necessary for them to learn and succeed.SA国际影视传媒�

Effecting change within the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 education structure is the hard part, he admits.

SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 not sure how the change could come about because of how resistant to change the institutional apparatus is,SA国际影视传媒� said McKitrick, 27. SA国际影视传媒淚t would be very hard to get things like the school year changed. It would have to start with the development of curriculum resources that are based around the seasonal activities and local traditional industries.

SA国际影视传媒淭he first step is you have to be dismantling the apparatus of systemic racism within a lot of the system,SA国际影视传媒� he said, citing what he feels is too much funding devoted to providing southern educators with homes and travel to the south.

SA国际影视传媒淭hatSA国际影视传媒檚 a huge budget that the school system keeps,SA国际影视传媒� he adds. SA国际影视传媒淏ecause they put so many resources toward accommodating southern educators, it feels like a lot of the time Inuit educators are left unsupported.SA国际影视传媒�

The Government of Nunavut did not provide a response to questions on these issues prior to publication deadline.

Pay dispute

After graduating from university, McKitrick accepted a teaching position in his home community in September 2021 with the intention of making an impact, but he soon got the sense that the system wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 placing the value on him that he felt he deserved.

He was being paid an entry-level salary despite his eight years of university education, his masters degree in Inuit education and being a homegrown educator. He filed a formal appeal and he said he lost based on a deputy ministerSA国际影视传媒檚 decision.

He finished the school year leading the students in his Grade 6 classroom at Sakku School until June. Then he resigned out of principle.

SA国际影视传媒淭he children were great. They were the easiest part of the entire experience. They came to school very often and it feels like they made a lot of progress and learned a lot,SA国际影视传媒� he said. SA国际影视传媒淏ut my classroom did not have a projector. For a while I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 have a working computer in that classroom. I was very limited on resources, and one of the things being that I was not actually given any curriculum to teach.SA国际影视传媒�

A student support teacher who was supposed to assist him left unexpectedly during the school year, he said.

McKitrick also said he went to the Nunavut TeachersSA国际影视传媒� Association (NTA) to advocate on behalf of some of his Inuit colleagues who he said were performing full-time duties on wages based on benefits paid to substitute teachers, but he said the unionSA国际影视传媒檚 response was to prevent the Inuit educators from acting collectively.

SA国际影视传媒淚 really thought thatSA国际影视传媒檚 a silly policy, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 really not what unions are supposed to be about,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

He acknowledges that the idea of a teachers union specifically for Inuit educators is being discussed.

Qualifications measured

Justin Matchett, president of the NTA, said McKitrick was hired on a letter of authority (LOA), which is a process used when fully-qualified teachers cannot be found. Teachers in Nunavut and other jurisdictions are compensated on a pay scale based on years of experience and level of education, Matchett noted.

SA国际影视传媒淒ue to the teacher shortage and housing shortage, we are seeing more LOAs being offered to people for classroom positions and not as language specialists, and this is and should be a concern,SA国际影视传媒� he said, noting that language specialists are an exception due to the need for Inuktut speakers. He added that The NTA SA国际影视传媒渨orked very hardSA国际影视传媒� to have those LOA language specialist included in the collective agreement to receive a language bonus of up to $5,000 a year.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen it comes to advocating for our Inuit members, we have changed our election processes to increase Inuit representation within the NTA and we are currently hiring a new staff position in the NTA office designated for an for an Inuit employee to better represents and advocate for the concerns of our Inuit members,SA国际影视传媒� Matchett said.

While having a masters degree is Inuit education is admirable, it does not replace a bachelors degree in education, according to Matchett.

SA国际影视传媒淎 teaching degree gives potential teachers the tools and skills they need to be most effective. You are taught about classroom management, learning styles, differentiated instruction and so much more,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

The NTA encourages teachers hired on LOAs to enroll in the Nunavut Teacher Education Program and will even cover tuition fees and 100 per cent of the personSA国际影视传媒檚 salary.

SA国际影视传媒淭hus, they can become fully-trained teachers which benefits both them and their students, and to receive an increase to their pay as (bachelor of education) graduates,SA国际影视传媒� said Matchett.

Since leaving his teaching position, McKitrick has landed a job with Nunavut Tunngavik IncorporatedSA国际影视传媒檚 department of research, monitoring and evaluation. HeSA国际影视传媒檚 the manager of research training there, which is an educatorSA国际影视传媒檚 role, he notes.

He sees some reasons for optimism within the school system. District education authorities are reorganizing and taking stronger roles to reinforce the importance of Inuit culture within the curriculum. In addition, senior administrators who represent the status quo are beginning to retire and with that new ideas and approaches will flow, he adds.

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