My name is Monica Kiguktak coming from Grise Fiord, Nunavut. I’m attending Nunavut Teaching Education Program in Cambridge Bay, NU, at Nunavut Arctic College. I am now on my 4th year, nearly finish getting my degree. I will have a career that I will never regret. I love to teach young children in elementary schools and also my 3 year old daughter. I have worked hard to come this far and I would like to honour Jose Amaujaq Kusugak. This will open up to students that want to have a career and understand more about Jose’s accomplishments.
I have a family of my own that is here in Cambridge Bay with me to support me to finish my studies. It has been three years that I’ve been here and I’ve seen somany young children and youth losing their culture and their language. As for myself at home I try to keep our language and culture alive in our own space. When I go into the schools to do some practicumI love to teach especially grade 1 because they are more willing to learn anything and like all subjects. I try to be a good role model because it is important to me and to others to keep our culture alive.
I strongly believe that education is the key to our culture and putting it into Nunavut Schools and this may be different then how our culture was taught in the past but it is still keeping our culture alive. Once I get my degree and become an Inuk teacher I will be more than happy to teach how to read, write, and speak in our language. It will not be easy with little resources about our culture but I am willing to gather, make my own and do my best following the curriculum.
In closure, I would like to thank Jose Amaujaq Kusugak for all the accomplishing goals and that he had fought for Inuit rights in education. As for myself I will work hard as a mother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, and most of all as a teacher to bring in as much and everything I know about Inuit culture and language. I am willing to follow Jose’s footsteps as a teacher and be a good role model. Hopefully other youth will realize and understand what Jose has done for our Inuit rights and be strong to keep this going. I will be one of the followers of Jose and I will be a leader to the young ones.
Nakungmiik
Monica Kiguktak
