H O M E C O M M U N I T Y
Warren, Manitoba
C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y
Métis
C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N
Teacher, Children of the Earth High School
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Leigh Anne Brown
E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
Bachelor or Arts,
Bachelor of Education,
Masters in Education.
begin until later in life. Long after most people have completed
their education, I decided that going to university would be
a very good idea. I was working in a job I didn’t really like
and living in a city that made me feel isolated and alone. So at
the tender age of forty-three I moved back to Manitoba from
Toronto and went to school. At first, I felt awkward and uncom-
fortable and I knew I didn’t fit in with my twenty-something
classmates. However, eventually I made some friends, and then
I made some more friends, and before I knew it, I was having
fun and learning and working with people I never would have
met if I hadn’t gone back to school.
While all of this was really great, the greatest change happened
when, in my second year, I took a course called Aboriginal
Education. It was this course that really changed my way of
thinking and my idea of what I wanted to do with the rest of
my life. For me, this course helped me to discover my roots as
an Aboriginal person. I grew up knowing that I was Métis but
the culture and traditions of that heritage were not a part of
my life until I went to university. It was there that I was able to
discover this part of myself and connect with my culture and
tradition that I found in the broader Aboriginal community. I
also began to learn about the social, political, and economic
challenges that our people face. More importantly, I began to
learn about the important aspects of who Aboriginal people
were in Canada. I learned a great deal about the history of Ab-
original people in Canada and about the issues and obstacles
that we continue to face. I learned that I can provide guidance
to help our youth overcome some of these issues and learned
how I too could contribute to our future.
Now, I am working in my dream job – teaching a variety of
subjects at a small inner-city high school. I like the diversity
of responsibilities available in a small school. I also like the
opportunity to connect and develop relationships with the
students. In particular, I like working with the grade twelve
students to help them graduate and see them off into the next
phase of their lives. This is the most fulfilling part of my job.
Saying good-bye is difficult, but knowing that I have done
my best to give these young people the tools and skills they
need to be successful out in the world is more rewarding than
anything else I have ever done.
I would certainly encourage young people interested in
making a difference to go into education, as this is the best
place to make a contribution to the future economic, social,
and political direction of Aboriginal people in this country.
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My story doesn’t actually
R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
I teach grade 12 English Language Arts, World Issues, Program Coordinator for Medical
Internship Program -joint education program with Pan Am Clinic. I am the Aboriginal
Academic Achievement Coordinator and the English Language Arts Department Head.
There is no other job in the world that allows a
person to touch as many lives as that of a teacher.
One good teacher can make a huge difference in
the lives of hundreds of children and can help those
children along their path to being the leaders of
our people tomorrow.
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H O M E C O M M U N I T Y
South Indian Lake, Manitoba/
Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation
C U LT U R A L I D E N T I T Y
Cree
C U R R E N T P O S I T I O N
English Teacher
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Angela Louise Veronica Busch
E D U C AT I O N / T R A I N I N G
Bachelor of Arts -
Native Studies/Psychology
Bachelor of Education -
History/Native Studies
I had to overcome to become a teacher was being a single mother
while I attended university. My son was and is a blessing to me,
but it was hard to be a student and a parent. Even so, I chose to
work hard and was able to manage with a great deal of support
from my family, friends and the Aboriginal Student Centre at
the University of Manitoba. They all made a difference!
I also had inspiration and support in my life. For example,
a Métis professor, Dr. Fred Shore, inspired me to want to become
a professor or a teacher and as it turned out, I became a teacher.
He is an amazing role model and the best teacher I have ever met.
I also had to make critical choices to get to where I am today.
A critical decision I made was to teach instead of pursue a
Master’s degree in Native Studies after I completed my Bachelor
of Education degree. I am happy I chose to teach because I
love working with young Aboriginal people from different
communities from all over Manitoba. I find my students
very interesting and I enjoy learning from them. They are
wonderful!
I realize that my own educational journey required courage in
many situations in order to succeed. I have never been afraid
to speak my mind, speak out against racism or discrimination,
and I always stand up for myself and my people. I think that it
is very important for Aboriginal youth to go into teaching and
become good teachers. When this happens, we will have an
abundance of culturally appropriate role models for our young
people to look up to and learn from.
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One of the difficulties
R O L E S / R E S P O N S I B I L I T I E S
Teach English courses, plan, prepare for classes, create new materials, mark, prepare
reports and coach basketball.
South Indian Lake is a small
reserve. There are only about
960 people there and I started
my education there as a child.
It is about 1100 km north of
Winnipeg, and is fairly isolated.
Yet, people from my community,
including myself, have completed
their education and have become
professionals – SO CAN YOU!
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