Integrating culturally relevant elements into the classroom
The moment you step inside Eva Berthe-May’s class at Ajagutak School, you enter a distinct universe. This Grade 3 Inuktitut teacher goes above and beyond to create the most welcoming and culturally relevant class for her students.
We met Eva in 2023 in Tasiujaq as another busy week at school was ending. It is nearly impossible to miss her classroom on the first floor of the school: all the colours and decorations draw your attention and pull you inside.
Shy and humble, yet with a welcoming smile, this primary school teacher has always had a passion for teaching:
I don’t know why, I always wanted to be a teacher when I was young, I used to pretend to have students. Like, my friends, they used to play as my students. I always wanted to be a teacher. So, I just went straight to it after graduation.
Added to her passion, a profound motivation: from gigantic syllabics hanging from the ceiling to pictures and artworks on the wall, there’s handmade pedagogical content everywhere. There’s even a tupiq in the classroom!
“It’s sometimes hard to motivate students to read a book. Because nobody wants to read when they’re young. Hahaha! I made it to create a quiet place, for them to read more. I mean, not just to read. If they wanna work in a quiet place, they go there.”
She even requested the culture teacher to build a qamutiik for her class, to use as a bench and a book holder, thus adding new cultural elements to the learning context.
Incidentally, all these elements are more than mere decorations for Eva. They are like a “second teacher” that supports students’ learning and sense of belonging. Another non-negligible consequence of such an abundance of educational material: they make this place of learning quite comfortable and inviting!
