Philippe Brûlot will retire next month after six years heading the Dehcho Divisional Education Council.
Brûlot, who over the past several years has split his time between the NWT and BC, where his wife and son live, said he is leaving the role to reunite with his family.
“It’s time for me to return. I’ve been away from the family for a long time,” he said.
Seeing the struggles his son has overcome, from paralysis at birth to challenges communicating, Brûlot said he understands the value of supporting and believing in kids.
He recalled being told his son would never speak. Today, his son is fluent in three languages.
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“I absolutely love him to death and he has been a ray of light, a ray of sunshine in my life,” Brûlot said.
“You can do miracles if you believe in kids,” he added. “I don’t accept anyone telling me, ‘that kid cannot do this’ or ‘that kid cannot do that.’ Each child has potential. Each child can succeed.”
Leading with compassion
Brûlot said he hopes his successor will lead education in the Dehcho with compassion and prioritize students when making decisions. He said they will also need to attract talent to the region.
“The challenge is not just to keep teachers. The challenge is also to attract talent in management and keep that talent,” he told Cabin Radio.
“If you cannot attract quality people, people with experience in management, then mistakes can happen,” he said, adding that can lead to a waste of time and funding.
Brûlot said to keep talent in the region, it has to be more attractive than southern communities, where the same jobs can offer higher salaries.
He said his colleagues work in the North because they are passionate about their communities and youth.
Funding is another major challenge in the Dehcho, Brûlot said, and the education council increasingly relies on Jordan’s Principle to support its students.
‘People are leaving the Dehcho’
One former teacher in the Dehcho told Cabin Radio that they believe workplace conditions and issues such as favouritism and bullying have resulted in some educators leaving the region.
“People are leaving the Dehcho in influx … they’re stressed out,” the teacher said. “A long time ago, a teacher told me that she had a little cart because she was a language teacher. She was going class to class with a cart.”
The teacher said they were moved multiple times, which disrupted their class and teaching.
Marty Leach, acting superintendent of the education council once Brûlot retires, said at a council meeting last week in Yellowknife that community gossip can deter staff recruitment.
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“We need to talk more in person. Forget the noise on social media. Let’s just get together and talk and figure out how can we work together instead of growing in different directions,” Leach said.
“When you’ve got a problem, don’t go on social media. Come and talk to me. It’s a five minute fix it. On social media, it becomes a much bigger thing and then it’s got 12 people involved spending hours.”
A new chapter
Leach said there is a growing list of educators nearing the end of their career, which he said is an opportunity to hire more local teachers.
“We really have to have a plan because most of our Indigenous language teachers are two, three, four years away from retirement. Some of them should’ve retired already, but they’re hanging on because they want somebody there,” he said.
“We want to make sure we can get some young, new people in there that will be there for 10, 20 years.”
The education council is encouraging people with knowledge of Dene Zhatie to join the Indigenous Language Instructors’ Employment Program and develop the skills to become a teacher in the language.
As a new generation prepares to take on leadership roles, Brûlot urged future educators to keep an open mind, be respectful, and be sensitive to the realities of students.
