A Lifelong Connection

Jim Taylor has seen first-hand the influence of Indigenous education grow throughout the province.

A veteran of the education world, Taylor has been teaching as a sessional lecturer for 24 years at the U of S and has worked for a number of Indigenous education programs including the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP), Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) and Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP).

Throughout his time as a lecturer through the university, he’s seen many of his former students go on to teaching jobs in a number of schools, including St. Michael and Westmount, both of which currently feature a Michif language program for elementary students.

It’s an end result that Taylor is more than happy to celebrate.

“It’s good to see that there is a real connection with what we do here at the U of S and what we see our former students teaching out in the schools. It shows the value of these programs,” said Taylor, who received the Sylvia Wallace Sessional Lecturer Award in 2015.

“I’ve seen people come back to do a master’s degree. There are even a few former students who are now in a superintendent position,” said Taylor.

Before coming to the U of S, Taylor taught with Saskatoon public schools for 30 years, including a stint in Alberta and Loreburn, Sask. But many of his career highlights were teaching off-campus through the ITEP program, which saw him putting in time on the road travelling to schools in communities such as Loon Lake, North Battleford, Big River, Beardy's & Okemasis' Cree Nation and Thunderchild First Nation. Throughout it all, he’s made several deep and lasting connections.

“I had a great experience meeting so many people through the program,” said Taylor. “I was able to teach through SUNTEP and ITEP and I was able to teach off-campus as well, as far away as the North West Territories, and they were all interesting experiences because I got to meet so many great people.”

Not all his memories are positive ones, however. While teaching through the NORTEP program in La Ronge, located nearly 400 km north of Saskatoon, Taylor recalls the forest fires that devastated wide swaths of northern Saskatchewan – communities where he has made personal connections with students.

“With the fires, it was quite bad up there for a while,” he recalls. Even so, as he nears retirement, Taylor said he is still anticipating returning to the community to teach and to reconnect with the friends he had made in the area.

“For me, that’s the biggest bonus,” said Taylor. “I’ve been able to meet so many great people. And from there, I’ve been able to watch them go off and be successful.”