(This interview was conducted in 2022)
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Justin Fillion-Riopel never thought he’d become a teacher at all, let alone a teacher in Nunavik! But after taking a tutoring position for a few months, he was offered a substitute teaching position, which he accepted. And since then, he has made Ivujivik his permanent home.
Justin Fillion-Riopel landed in Ivujivik in the middle of January five years ago. He came to take up a tutoring position, but after only three months, he found himself teaching full-time in front of a class.
While he recalls that the transition took some time, for the students and for him, he will never regret his decision. His motivation: the success of his students, watching them evolve and seeing them happy. For him, the goal of making Nuvviti School a place where young people feel good is a priority.
We work on this a lot, our goal is to make the school a space where the students can be themselves, where they can express themselves.
Justin is a second language teacher at the high school level. In his classroom, he has built up an impressive collection of books featuring Inuit literature. “What I want to do is create my own material. Since I arrived, I have worked a lot to find books that the students want to read and that they can relate to.” On students’ desks are books by Aviaq Johnston, in which they follow the adventures of Pitu, a young shaman who learns to use his powers, as well as books from a fiction series by co-authors Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley.
“I’ve never known any other schools or school boards, and I don’t see myself teaching in the south.” Justin is pursuing a part-time M.A. in teaching while working in his full-time position and offering optional cooking classes. It was in the kitchen that we met him, and the atmosphere there testified to how happy the children are to be around him.