PRINCE ALBERT — Education alumni in Prince Albert had the opportunity to participate in a College of Education Alumni Reception and Pinning Ceremony on Thursday at the University of Saskatchewan Prince Albert Campus.
The ceremony is an opportunity to acknowledge a teacher’s commitment to the profession.
University Chancellor Grit McCreath and USask Education Dean Julie Paulson conferred the pins.
“We always have a pending ceremony for our third-year students coming towards the end of their Bachelor of Education degree to mark their transition into the teaching profession,” Paulson explained. “They have finished, at this point, their education, their academic courses, and they're moving into the schools.”
Students are beginning placements and extended practicums and spending more time outside the university.
"They do shorter practicum experiences throughout their third year, so (the ceremony) marks that you've done your academic study and now you're starting to apply your learning in schools,” Paulson said.
The pinning ceremony has been around for over a decade. Other colleges, such as medicine and dentistry, have White Coat Ceremonies that are similar. Thursday’s ceremony was the first ever held in Prince Albert. It also focused on alumni instead of current students.
Paulson said some alumni graduated before the pinning ceremony became a regular event, while others couldn’t attend when they were in university.
Students who were part of Saskatchewan Urban Native Teachers Education Program (SUNTEP) were one of the examples Paulson gave.
"This is an alumni reception and a chance to give the pins to folks who've graduated anytime and have been working as educators or in other spaces,” she explained.
Roughly half a dozen alumni came to Thursday’s event. The campus issued invitations through the school divisions, SUNTEP, and the PAGC to invite alumni to the first event.
"It was the SUNTEP Prince Albert graduation ceremony today, too, so the 20 students graduated from SUNTEP Prince Albert earlier today,” Paulson said.
The ceremony included a chance to eat and socialize along with speeches from Paulson, McCreath, Elder Kathleen McMullin and Principal Jay Wilson. Paulson read the Educator’s Profession before the ceremony began, and alumni signed a large version of it after they were pinned.
Dean, who has been in her position since 2023, said that the College of Education is doing great.
“We've got hundreds of students graduating as teachers every year,” Paulson said. “Really proud of the contributions that they go on to make across the province.”
Students are graduating from Saskatoon campus, SUNTEP in Saskatoon and Prince Albert, Indigenous Teachers Education Program (ITEP) in Saskatoon and other locations.
"We have a group studying in Pelican Narrows, and in Beauval as well, that's in partnership with Northern Lights School Division, and then we have ITEP cohorts in Beardies and Okemasis First Nation in White Bear First Nation and three others that are starting in the fall,” Paulson said.
As well, teachers are continuing their education through graduate programs and moving into education leadership roles such as principals and directors of education. There is also a program for people working full-time to earn doctorates.
Paulson sees great things ahead for the education field.
"The future of education is bright, challenging and open,” she said. “It's such an exciting field to work in because there is so much change all the time, but so much opportunity and our students are just amazing and stepping in as leaders.”
Paulson said education is evolving at a rapid rate. Outdoor education, artificial intelligence, the challenges of truth and reconciliation, and mental health and well-being are constant subjects in education.
“People who enter education are brave and smart and committed, and it's just such an honour to work with them,” Paulson said.
Paulson added that she hopes education students embrace the challenges of truth and reconciliation.
“I think this province has been a leader in that space and that's led to so much exciting growth,” Paulson said. “The outdoor education movement has learned so much from Indigenous ways of knowing and land-based knowing. It's wonderful to see children across the province having those opportunities.”
She said there is still work to be done around supporting mental health, ensuring that teachers are ready to deal with complex classrooms in the province.
“We know that has been such an issue,” Paulson said. “It's our job to make sure that teachers are up for that challenge and have strategies to support the diversity of learners that they're going to encounter. My hope is that they're able to do that and that they'll innovate and develop and continue leading and take education in directions that we can imagine now. We need to give them those tools to understand where we're at and also be able to push us towards where we need to go.”
Paulson said that the college is excited about the work that is being done in Prince Albert. That includes 45 years of SUNTEP in partnership with the Gabriel Dumont Institute, with more than 1,500 students graduating over that time.
"We're so proud of that, and then we are really excited that we're able to offer programming here on this campus. We offer first-year programming for the BeD here at the USask Prince Albert campus, and as of next fall, we'll be offering year two.”
She said that Prince Albert Campus Principal Jay Wilson is great to work with.
“We're really excited to give students that opportunity to study closer to home, right to not have to come to Saskatoon to do their studies,” Paulson said.
