Lauren Smart-Lampl, Ed’17, is building on her own education while helping to guide prospective Indigenous teacher candidates through a program she graduated from herself.
Ever wonder if you have ‘the stuff’ to be a teacher?
Lauren Smart-Lampl, Ed’17, was there in 2014. She had just completed her undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies at Trent University. Friends were heading off to Queen’s to complete their Bachelor of Education through what is now called the Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP). And that was when it dawned on her.
“All of my life, even as a child with my younger siblings, I would play school – they would be the students and I was the teacher, and I would do spelling with them, their numbers, colours, things like that,” she said. “Even through high school and work, I was training and educating people. So, I decided I would continue schooling, I moved to Kingston, and I started my BEd”
Lauren, who is Rotinosyón:ni from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, enjoyed her time at Queen’s Faculty of Education, especially the practicum component where she worked hands-on with local children and created a supportive, comforting environment. She particularly remembers a land-based learning opportunity at Elbow Lake.
“It was raining the day that we went, but it was a really beautiful experience to be out there and just get away from the noise of the city,” she said. “Listening to the rain drops hit the roofs of the buildings and, if you were to step outside, hearing them hit the leaves too. The lake was also very quiet, and it provided an opportunity to ground ourselves, connect with our surroundings, and see so many things that we would otherwise miss.”
Following graduation, Lauren moved out to Nova Scotia to take on part-time teaching opportunities which she supplemented with retail work after hours.
“We lived in Halifax and the school that I primarily taught at was 100 kilometers away in a rural fishing community right on the coast,” she said. “It was beautiful, but they couldn't get substitute teachers out there. I did that for four years, working with students from primary right up to grade 12. I'm grateful every day for the gifts that my students gave me in the classroom.”
During her time down east, COVID hit, and Lauren began to think more about land-based education and sustainability for future generations. She also wanted her children to grow up around their culture and language back in Ontario. So, in 2022, Lauren decided moving back was the right move to pursue graduate studies and further develop her ideas. But she needed to find a program option that would allow her to balance studies with the needs of her two young children.
“It just so happened that I stayed in touch with Lindsay Morcom and Jennifer Davis,” Lauren said. “I put out a Facebook post asking for program suggestions and Lindsay suggested the Master of Education in World Indigenous Studies in Education (WISE) program, which is a mix of asynchronous and online.”
Now that she knew which city she was heading to, and which program she was taking, all that was left was to figure out how to make ends meet.
“It just so happened the coordinator position for ITEP was open at the time,” Lauren recalled. A month later, she was helping to facilitate the program she had graduated from a few years prior. Specifically, her role involves overseeing the community-based version of ITEP at its four sites within Indigenous communities in Ontario, and helping instructors with questions from prospective teacher candidates.
While her job with the ITEP program and her children keep her busy, Lauren continues to work away at her masters. Her thesis topic has evolved since those initial thoughts on land-based learning and, with her courses now complete, she hopes to bring clarity to her outstanding questions and complete the thesis component of the WISE program within the next year. She continues to make memories, particularly during a few weeks last summer where the other WISE program students were all on campus.
“I remember sitting at this table outside in the afternoon on a nice day and making traditional baskets,” Lauren said. “It was a class of all women making these baskets and we're telling stories and we're laughing and all I could think to myself was like, this is what our communities are supposed to be like. These are traditions and knowledge we should be passing onto our kids.”
Once the WISE program is complete, Lauren says she is considering a PhD to encourage her kids to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. Beyond that, she is keeping her options open.
“I love my job and I love what I'm doing, though I miss the classroom and I like seeing kids learn and have those light bulb moments,” she said. “Being a teacher is worth all the stress when you see the kids doing so well. For right now I'm just happy to bring my experience to the ITEP program and keep trying to make it better.”
Since the writing of this article, Lauren Smart-Lampl has started a new position as the Executive Director at the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN).
Lauren Smart-Lampl started a new position as the Executive Director at the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest (KNCLN) after this article was written.