Amid national teacher shortages, Indigenous communities are struggling enormously to recruit and retain teachers.

The Toronto Star: Students start school this week in Eabametoong First Nation, a community 360 km northeast of Thunder Bay, where seven teaching positions remain unfilled; this includes two all-important kindergarten teachers for students who are starting school for the very first time.

This is the current reality for many Indigenous students across the country; a lack of teachers means combining grade levels, adding yet more strain on existing teaching staff and for students, a familiar face that did not return to school this year.

“There is a big gap between the generation [of teachers] that is about to retire in First Nations communities and there is not a next group of teachers coming to fill the positions. We have about six teachers approaching retirement, and we have no one in the pipeline,” said Thomas Stanley, principal at John C. Yesno Education Centre in Eabametoong First Nation.

Amid national teacher shortages, Indigenous communities are struggling enormously to recruit and retain teachers. As of this week, Apply to Educationhas over 400 postings for teachers, administrators and education support staff for First Nations alone and over 100 postings seeking educators in the Territories.

A number of barriers exist for teachers hoping to teach in the North, yet these are readily addressable. Most school boards in Canada do not recognize the time that educators spend teaching in Indigenous schools as experience for salary and seniority purposes, and often have limitations on secondment leave offered to teachers. This deters interested teachers from applying in the first place.

As well, teaching experience accrued in the North can disadvantage teachers who might have otherwise advanced on their preferred school board’s supply list — meaning that early career teachers who elect to teach Indigenous students fall behind their peers in the race to secure a permanent teaching position.

There are a number of changes that can further close the gap between Indigenous students and their Canadian counterparts:

Canada should provide student loan forgiveness to teachers teaching in an Indigenous community, similar to the existing Canada Student Loan forgiveness for family doctors and nurses who are employed for a full year in an underserved rural or remote community. For teachers employed in the North for more than two years, an additional financial incentive should be provided by provinces to further support ongoing retention, similar to incentives provided by Alberta and Ontario for physicians.

While teachers in the south may spend time on supply lists, teachers in the North often land their own classrooms right away, enjoying greater independence. Class sizes are often smaller and come with the opportunity to teach a variety of grade levels and subjects. In the North, educators also develop invaluable pedagogical skills, such as differentiated instruction, classroom management and teaching students with exceptionalities.

Teachers also develop soft skills, such as creativity, problem solving, adaptability, and relationality — all essential in navigating today’s classrooms. Particularly unique to living and working in the North, teachers become integrated within the community by spending time on the land, learning from Elders and advancing programs of-interest, such as after-school activities and community events.

Recognizing the immense professional and personal development that occurs for teachers in the North, school boards should view teaching experience in Indigenous schools as an asset and attributable towards salary bands and seniority once returning to the south. In addition, by establishing Indigenous partnerships, school boards should extend their secondment and supply list policies to allow for greater flexibility for teacher exchanges and experience gained in the North.

At a time when actionable reconciliation is at the forefront for Canadians, there is a real opportunity for teachers to both grow their careers and make a difference for students who need it the most.

Contributor:

Deanna Mathews: Deanna Matthews is the director of Impact and Learning at Teach For Canada—Gakinaamaage and a member of Sachigo Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario. She is a 2022-23 Action Canada Fellow.