Stirring the embers of Inuit teacher education: learning from the past to build a better future

Teacher education has existed in Nunavut, Canada, for more than 40 years, yet the programs offered have not been able to meet the demand for Inuit educators in the territory. The reasons for this are complex, but related to the history of education in Nunavut, the policies and employment conditions impacting educators and the conflicting values of colonial and Inuit ways of being and understanding the world. However dim the embers of teacher education programs may appear, when statistics on graduation rates from postsecondary or Inuit composition in schools are shared, there are many initiatives that reinvigorate the flames. This chapter outlines five such initiatives in which three critical factors emerge that offer suggestions for restructuring teacher education to support Inuit.