Every year, more and more UPEI students are getting their degrees while travelling the world.
As their final practicum, Education students Bethany Bowness, Alanna Clark, and Kati Ross travelled to Jokkmokk, Sweden, to teach English. Jokkmokk is a Sámi community located north of the Arctic Circle. Jokkmokk or, as it is called in the local Sámi language, Jahkamahkke, is a small community in northern Sweden — a centre of Sámi culture and education. When Bethany, Alanna, and Kati arrived March 6, the sun was just start to peak over the horizon after a winter of darkness.
This international teaching experience is part of the Specialization in Internationalization and Specialization in Indigenous Education programs in UPEI's Faculty of Education. In their second year of the BEd program, students can choose practicum locations from several different countries. This year, 23 students are doing practicums in 9 countries, including Sweden. A further 10 students are engaged in a Canada-EU International Student Mobility project which focuses on issues of inclusion and advocacy.
Kati Ross is keeping a travel blog at http://www.mytripjournal.com/katielizabeth. Here are some paragraphs selected from her entries, giving us an idea of what life is like for her in Jokkmokk.
"I didn’t meet Santa Claus upon my arrival in Jokkmokk, but I met his cabin crew. On the drive here from Lulea Airport we had to slow the car down to let the reindeer out on the road. Alanna has declared that one of them is Blitzen! I think it might have been Donner myself, but I’ll find out for sure on our next encounter.
“When I arrived at the school we were given a tour. The school is like a dream school which I had not been able to put words to before today. All of the teachers have offices around the school, and are addressed by first name. The classes are small and since they are specialized the pupils start at different times each day. There is a lobby in the foyer of the school with couches and eating areas and a small cafeteria. It is like a local cafe, and there is always Swedish music playing. There are tables, plants, and other decorations all around the room. We also saw the Sami Handcraft workshop and saw what the students are making. The nursing lab has actual hospital beds and dolls for the students to practise on, and the Hydroelectric lab has a mock control room for practise. Plus, the Business students run the cafeteria that is in the main lobby. There are also computers and laptops for each student available for signing out. That is exciting. I’m calculating the possibilities there. A part of me died when I was told that the library shut down because the books were old. History never changes, and old books mean that they are worn and well used. How can students learn to appreciate great literature when there isn’t any in the school?
"I also had lunch with my students today. I was scared to ask for many details on exactly what I was eating, but I think it was sausage, pasta (with a white sauce), and a cucumber/corn combination. The girls that we ate with were very interested in where we came from. They thought that Prince Edward Island sounded huge! It’s very interesting to talk to students who think that a place with 140,000 people is actually big. I guess they only have 3,000 people in this entire area though. I might have a ton of students lined up to come visit me on PEI once I return home! They were sold on the beaches I think, since they have very short and unpredictable summers in Jokkmokk.
"Once lunch ended I was given a car tour by two of our Sami students. Our first stop was the reindeer farm that a friend of theirs owned. I actually had the opportunity to feed a reindeer that was in training, see a white reindeer (which is traditionally sacred), and observe a small baby reindeer.
"Our next adventure was sitting with all three English teachers, the principal, and the head of Gymnasium in the North to figure out a plan for what should happen while we’re here. It looked like we’ll be team teaching and facilitating all English lessons at Bokenskolan from Monday thru Thursday. This will include all three levels of English, plus a group of students who are still trying to complete grade nine English. On Fridays we will be visiting other schools in the area and giving presentations about Canada. This will be tricky because the students don’t start learning English until grade four in Jokkmokk, so when visiting the Kindergarten the students may understand very little of what we are saying."
Kati
"P.S. — I asked the Sami girls whether or not most people knew the Sami languages, and they said no. They said that not long ago it was considered 'ugly' to speak in Sami. It's such a beautiful language that I cannot imagine such an attitude."
