My name is Rosemary Akulujuk training to become a teacher in Iqaluit. I finished the first year of the NTEP last year in September I am now in my second year of the program. This training is for 4 years to become a teacher. There are four (4) reasons why I want to become a teacher and they are as follow:
- More Inuit should become teacher today.
- Our language is very important for all Inuit, it is our own language. We have to keep it strong to be used and for our children to learn it and keep it.
- We have use it to teach Inuktitut in all schools and we have to speak it as well in schools as teachers. It is very important to do so. We are working with students everyday in schools and we have show them to our students how to utilize it.
- We must teach students to ‘want to become teachers in the future and to teach our language like we did” at the same time they can speak in both languages English and Inuktitut.
This is very important to me and very strong tool to use in teaching, I am very proud to be able to speak and write in Inuktitut very well. As Inuit as aboriginal people is scared, we are to be envied by all globally, our future is bright and our future generation have to understand our language, our culture and traditions, us that are
teachers\parents have to work very hard to teach so they can also teach their next generation like we did. Us older generation must teach them now. We have some Inuit that are teacher teaching in schools now but they will not be around forever to continue to teach they will have to be replaced eventually.
I have kept this in me to take it on Jose Kusugak said one time Inuit are very important and he work very hard to continue to use our language in Inuktitut and never to lose it. Our foundation is to retain our language so our generations can use it as well in Nunavut.
When I was a young girl he use to visit communities so Inuit could understand the principal of Nunavut agreement. I use to thinks he was such a very capable man and and smart Jose. I envied him and I use to say when I get capable I will be just like him representing Inuit I would look at them as one. One time he said to us students in the school, “you are the future generation and you will be doing the same work and continue our work. You will be able to work through anything and continue pursuing our work using our cultlure and language because you understand it and use it. You will become leaders, MLA’s, doctors, nurses and teacher etc,. us Inuit we can do it and his words cannot be forgotten easily and we are using what he said we would in many areas of work and through programs. They are in place and being used now by Inuit. I want to take part in it.
These are the things Jose Kusugak wanted to see implemented and remembering him and for me to see them and use our practises being used in many areas using our language and culture. These will be very useful for me in my work in the future.
As a student sometimes it is hard and difficult when you have children we don’t always get what we want sometimes. Today we are using different technology using internet, computers and so forth. I will use the new technology to teach in Inuktitut sylabics keyboards to teach. It will not just be for me to use, my children would use it too I have four (4) children I can also teach how to use them.
We now can use computers to write in our own language Inuititut it is very easy now a days and it is very easy now as well and easy to use. These are very good tools to teach our next generation. Young people\children have to be remembered and teach them properly and speak out more that they need to learn our language and culture us the parents, mothers, fathers, teachers, and anyone can learn it and capable to do so. They also need to learn to skin preparations\hunting through our tradition culture training programs, these are coming more and more in the communities to be taught in schools and it is very fun to learn to do all that. When have an opportunity to do skin preparations, sewing I do it to learn more each time when working on them myself. I learnt these from my grandmother she taught me them. I am still learning today.
Jose Kusugak, Raymond Ningeocheak and James Eetoolook are my role models, I want to thank them so much, they have done so much work for Nunavut Inuit.
Thank you so much for this opportunity, and for this support for scholarship was thought of for the students. Have a great day.
Rosemary I
Akulujuk
