Perspectives on Teachers\u27 Work in One Ontario Remote First Nation Community

The nature of teachers’ work in one northern Ontario remote First Nation community is explored through three articles that address the following questions: Why do teachers work in the North? What contributes to teacher retention and attrition? And, how do teachers navigate the professional and personal boundaries of their lives as teachers in the North? The articles are based on a case study of teachers’ work in one community and use data collected through interviews with 15 teachers, focus groups with sub-sets of those teachers, and observations collected as field notes. Article 1, Teacher attrition in a Northern Ontario remote First Nation community: A narrative re-storying, explores the shared experiences of teachers as they discuss the professional and personal factors that contribute to their retention and attrition. Article 2, Teaching and fear: Teachers’ work in a Northern Ontario remote First Nation community, unpacks how the emotion of fear mediates teachers’ experiences within a colonizing system. Article 3, Understanding roles and relationships: Teachers’ work in a Northern Ontario remote First Nation community, explains how teachers negotiate their roles and relationships with students, other teachers, families, and the community and uses the heuristic categories of pedestal people, transitioners, relationship builders and community integrators to explore the range of approaches teachers employ. Although the focus of each article is distinct, the general nature of teachers’ work was found to be deeply marked by complexity because of the relational conditions of their work. To be understood, the work of teachers must be positioned within discourses of power, colonization, the ongoing legacy of residential schools, and current decolonizing efforts. Practice-based policy suggestions such as mentorship and orientation programming, professional learning circles, and community-based activities are made to address challenges identified by the research. In addition, calls for equitable funding, continuing or multi-year teacher contracts, and improved teacher education are identified as necessary to address systemic concerns

Promoting First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Youth Wellbeing through Culturally-Relevant Programming: The Role of Cultural Connectedness and Identity

Objectives: Although culturally relevant programming has been identified as a promising practice for promoting resiliency among First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) youth, the specific ways in which these programs contribute to wellbeing are unclear. The Fourth R: Uniting Our Nations programs include an array of strengths-based culturally relevant programs for FNMI youth that have been found to increase wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to explore how culturally relevant programming provides a forum for intrapersonal and interpersonal growth. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 adult FNMI community and education stakeholders who have had extensive involvement with the programs. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed with an inductive approach through the use of open-coding. Results: Two themes emerged to clarify the relationships between culturally relevant programming and youth wellbeing. The two interconnected themes were the importance of identity and belonging, and the role of cultural connectedness in promoting wellbeing among FNMI youth. Conclusion: Culturally relevant programming provides a powerful opportunity for youth to develop their personal sense of positive cultural identity and feelings of belonging. In addition, the sense of connection to culture was seen to have a direct positive impact on youth, partly through combatting shame