申論題

Short Answer: Read the following article and answer the two questions that follow.

I. In one of the world’s most remote regions, surrounded by snow and ice, Maggie McDonnell is changing the lives of her students and transforming her community. The winner of the Global Teacher Prize Winner 2017 lives and works in Salluit, an Inuit village deep in the Canadian Arctic. The village is so remote that it’s accessible only by air. Just 1,300 people live in the community – the second northernmost Inuit settlement in Canada – but every resident is benefiting from Maggie’s work, determination and talent.

II. Life is not easy in Salluit. Beyond the freezing temperatures (the mercury can reach minus 25 degrees Celsius in winter) and the inaccessibility, indigenous people in Canada face ongoing struggles after decades of abuse. A desire to tackle the environmental destruction and massive economic and social inequality in indigenous communities is a big part of what inspired Maggie to teach here. Staff turnover is high, with many leaving throughout the school year, or applying for stress leave.

III. The community and region also face enormous challenges. In Salluit alone there were six suicides in 2015, all among men aged 18 to 25. Teenagers, in the face of deprivation and isolation, frequently turn to drink, drugs and self-harm. The Inuit region of Nunavik has widespread and deeply entrenched gender issues. Teenage pregnancy is common, levels of sexual abuse are high, and gender expectations see young girls burdened with domestic duties.

IV. It takes a remarkable teacher just to work in such an environment. But, to do what Maggie has done requires something quite extraordinary, something very special. The key? Turning students from problems in solutions. Her Life Skills programs range from bike repair to construction. Here’s a snapshot of just some of them:

In a community where healthy recreational options are limited, Maggie and her students built a fitness centre. With $100,000 worth of initial funding, her students helped in everything from painting to equipment assembly. Diabetes and disease linked to obesity is on the rise among the Inuit population, so the project has provided enormous health benefits to the entire community – not just Maggie’s students.

As part of the girls’ only program, Maggie helped secured finding for a community kitchen. Typically, 75 local people gather to eat a meal that students have helped prepare. They also take the meals on the road, delivering to vulnerable groups. The project has not only developed cookery skills among the students, but also helped in an area where food insecurity and the cost of healthy food are high.

As nearly all goods have to be flown in, the cost of living is exceptionally high in the community. So, Maggie’s students wanted to open a shop. And that’s exactly what they did. They gathered donated items, and opened the store every weekend. The students learned a variety of skills associated with running a shop– entrepreneurship, dealing with cash and money, customer service—while the community benefited from affordable second hand goods.

V. Maggie McDonnell has made an outstanding contribution to the lives of her students and everyone in Salluit. She is a deserving winner of the $1 million Global Teacher Prize for 2017 – money she’ll use to set up an NGO.