Abstract

This study is a reflection on the experience of living and teaching in isolated Native communities. A literature review and data derived from photographs are used to cross-reference the memories from a fifteen-year career living and teaching in First Nations and Inuit communities. Large and frequent staff turnover is examined and linked to culture shock and isolation, and the absence of a proper orientation for teachers arriving in cross-cultural situations. The topic is introduced after a literature review of the history of education for Canada's Native peoples. The phenomenon of turnover is then considered in light of the complexities of the teaching profession in general and the added dimension of Native teaching and learning styles. The use of data from photographs and personal narratives represent a phenomenological reflection on the experience. The study is not meant to provide definitive answers. It is intended to identify some pertinent questions and provide a perspective on the experience of cross-cultural teaching in isolated Native communities in Canada.