(This interview was conducted in 2022)
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Maqsoodah Beegun takes great pride in being responsible for the Nuvviti School canteen; she uses her mom’s cooking as culinary inspiration, in hopes of making her students want to learn to cook!
Originally from South Africa, Maqsoodah came to Nuvviti School in Ivujivik to join a friend who shared her Nordic dreams with her. She teaches math, social sciences, and English… through food!
This teaching method is part of a professional training program to encourage children to complete their studies. “One of my students will graduate this year!” says Maqsoodah with pride.
I started back in 2019, when the program was just a pilot project. Some of the children were just going to drop out of school, but this initiative made them stay.
She always starts the day with the academic portion of the curriculum with her group of girls. Whatever the subject, Maqsoodah tries to teach them via concrete applications in the kitchen. Writing: a recipe. Math: weighing and adding ingredients.
“We try all sorts of different things to keep them interested. Right now, we really like cooking because it allows us to make meals for the community.” She works with her students to create new recipes. Maqsoodah says she uses her mom’s cooking as inspiration, and the girls teach her how to prepare traditional Inuit country food.
After studying in forensic medicine and anthropology, no one would have thought of teaching as a career path for her, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “I never expected to become a teacher, but being able to give these kids the space to grow and express themselves without having to comply with a strict school system is very interesting and fulfilling.”