MOTHER AND DAUGHTER FROM NUNAVUT : STUDENTS TOGETHER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF REGINA
Michaela and Pauline had the opportunity to be students together at the University of Regina
Pauline Copland has come a long way since her years of working as a clerk interpreter at a health centre in her small community of Arviat , Nunavut . A love for learning and a latent desire to become a teacher induced her to quit her job to pursue a Bachelor of Education degree at Nunavut Teacher Education Program ( NTEP ), which was offered in partnership with the Faculty of Education , University of Regina ( University of Regina ) for over a decade .
“ My teachers inspired me to become a teacher . I had been a long time employee at our local health centre , but my love for children and education was always with me ; so , after I had all my children , I decided to go back to school to pursue a teaching degree ,” says Copland .
In 2013 , Copland applied , was accepted , and began her B . Ed . program . Going back to school was challenging at first with adjustments to academics , while also parenting her five children , the youngest of whom was only 15 months old when she started the program . Copland says , “ I often had mom-guilt feelings because I closed the door on my kids so many times and found a quiet place to study . After the first year , things got easier and my brain got back to student mode .”
Adjustments made , Copland thrived , graduating from the NTEP / University of Regina Elementary Education Program with Distinction in June 2017 . But graduation didn ' t signify an end to formal learning : “ My love for learning grew throughout the program ; the more I learned about children and their development the more I was inspired to dig deeper and gain new knowledge . I had my own sense of raising children through a mother ’ s lens , but it was interesting to learn more about children from an educational perspective .”
Choosing a master ’ s program with the University of Regina made for a smooth transition : “ I decided to take my Master ’ s at the University of Regina because I took University of Regina courses throughout the undergrad program . University of Regina was partnered with the Nunavut Arctic College at that time , and I kind of knew what to expect from the courses because of my experience at NTEP ,” explains Copland .
With only her internship experience to qualify her for a Master ’ s of Education program , Copland decided to apply anyway and was accepted to the University of Regina program in Curriculum and Instruction : She says , “ I knew I had the determination and work ethic to pull through another program after completing the NTEP program , even without the teaching experience that was required upon application . I remember telling myself , ‘ I don ’ t have to believe everything I read , so I ’ m going to take a chance at this .’”
The difficulty would not prove to be academic ; the decision to take the degree in Regina meant she would be leaving behind her children for extended periods of time . She says , “ The hardest part of my journey was leaving my kids . It was a different story
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