(This interview was conducted in 2022)
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There are many reasons that motivate Elisapie Lamoureux to teach, but there’s one reason that stands out in particular: her desire to ensure a happy future for the children in her community of Ivujivik.
Elisapie is a special education teacher at Nuvviti School in Ivujivik. Her role ismultifaceted, but in short, her priority is to foster a great learning environment. Every day, she listens to her students in order to help them find solutions together.
I really like doing that, creating bonds of trust. When a student goes home at the end of the day and is happy, I feel like I’ve done my job right.
For Elisapie, becoming a teacher was written in the stars. When she was in Grade 5, her family moved south, and she faced some challenges integrating into the French-language school system. “I got help. I was put into remedial education, but then it took me a few years to get to the same level as my peers.” She persevered, however, and she succeeded.
Now what drives her daily is remembering how the help she received made such a difference in her own journey: “That’s what really inspires me.”
Every day, the children are constantly coming up with new questions. She marvels at their desire to learn and their open-mindedness. This is what led her to continue her studies at the Université du Québec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where she co-taught with teachers whose mother tongue was Inuktitut.
When she was younger, Elisapie didn’t always see herself becoming a teacher: “I wanted to be a flight attendant or a cashier; I didn’t see many options. Later, I wanted to be an Inuktitut translator. Then I started working in the school while I was studying, and I really liked it! It’s the young people who motivate me.”