Leah McCallum
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Program: Northern Saskatchewan Indigenous Teacher Education Program (NSITEP) Education: Bachelor of Education, University of Regina and Gabriel Dumont Institute |
“They treat you like you’re family; that’s something different than any other program.”
NSITEP Graduate
In 2024, Leah McCallum graduated from NSITEP with her Bachelor of Education degree, supported by her friends and family. Leah worked hard while in the program, and her passion for education is evident in how she applied herself to the program.
Before returning to school, she was living in Saskatoon with her two kids when she heard about an opportunity to take university-level courses in her hometown of La Ronge. She applied and was accepted as a Gabriel Dumont College student, and she earned two years of credits in arts and sciences. She found it easier to focus on the smaller classes, close to her family, who could help support her. During that time, Dr. Morris Cook, the NSITEP Program Head, met Leah and encouraged her to apply for NSITEP and switch from arts and science to an education degree.
Leah said she started her first year of classes pregnant with her third child, but she remained dedicated to her studies. She said her instructors were understanding and supportive of her growing family, and she added, “They treat you like you’re family; that’s something different than any other program.” Leah’s two youngest children were born while completing her four-year degree, and she said that the instructors would help carry the babies around while lecturing so she could focus on her notes.
All her hard work paid off and, in her fourth year, Leah was invited to speak at a teaching conference in Calgary with Dr. Cook and instructor Gabe Andrews. She said the conference brought together Indigenous educators from all over, and she met several past NSITEP graduates who offered words of encouragement. Leah said that it was easier to present because she felt close ties to many of the people in attendance, and they were genuinely interested in her perspective as a young educator.
Leah’s presentation was about a grade 4/5 Treaty Education Unit that she completed for her third-year internship project. She shared her process for reflecting on how to make Treaties understandable to young children and how she landed on teaching what the Treaties symbolize. Her unit introduced students to the symbolism behind the Metis flag, animals, and ribbon skirts. She invited Elder Nancy Lafleur to speak to her class about the story skirts she creates and how she chooses the symbols to represent the bigger message of that person’s life. Then, the students could draw symbols for their own mini story skirts, displayed in the hallway of their school. Leah received the Order of Gabriel Dumont Bronze Award for her work helping students understand the symbolism behind the Treaties.
Now, Leah has secured a teaching position, and she hopes to get a Cree Language Learning Certification from USask and eventually pursue her Ph.D. at Blue Quills. She said that she didn’t expect to be in school for six years when she went back, but she loves learning and teaching and everything about education. Her advice for anyone considering the NSITEP program is to not overthink it and just go for it because we don’t know what the future might hold for you unless you take the leap.
Congratulations from the Board and staff at GDI. Aahkamayimo avik la bonn oovraazh!
