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Our Stories
The most important aspects about students' success are meeting student where they are at, working with their current strengths, and addressing limiting environments. To better understand students needs we need hear here their stories, acknowledge their realities and work to improve conditions so that they can thrive. Student success in remote postsecondary distance education is a collection of 11 students stories of success as they navigated through their diploma journeys.
![Dora’s Distance Education Story.
This story was told by Dora, a student studying at a distance in the Personal Support Worker program, with Monica, Dora’s mentor and long-time friend. Dora is an Inuvialuit woman raised in the high arctic; she says, “I am an Inuvialuit from … the Northwest Territories raised by my grandparents [in the] small town of [a high arctic community].”
This is where Dora chose “a healing path” and “wanted to help our … Aboriginal people. Knowing that this course was available that I could enroll to help people where I come from … [I] grabbed at the chance just giving back to our Aboriginal people, giving back to the elders, and giving back to our grandparents because I was always raised with them, learning to respect our elders because … growing up, that’s what we were taught.” Dora says, “at an early age I learned to take care of our elders.” Dora acknowledges her grandparents, her husband and three children. Dora says, “my husband taught me and my three daughters … to better our lives. My husband was a big encouragement.”
Monica identifies herself as a “Metis woman from [a south slave community],” and acknowledges her parents saying that her parents had 16 children, “and there's still 11 of us still alive ... eight [children] live here in [a south slave community].” Monica also shares that, “both of my parents lived in the care home that I worked in … that’s why I went into the [profession] … my parents always taught us that we look after the people that went before us and just pay it forward.”
As a lifelong learner, Dora began her postsecondary journey in other programs before enrolling in the Personal Support Worker (PSW) program. Dora says, “I needed something positive. I went back to school and then the ladies in college helped me, they wanted me to go into this other program that's called the Furrier’s program, it was a three-year diploma course. I learned to make parkas and mitts and hats and gloves, I learned to make everything with fur. So, I took up furriers and I worked with Furriers.” After completing the Furrier program and working in that field for a while, Dora says, “then I came to Fort Smith to a cooking course, and I finished that course [the Aid Cook program was also] hands-on. And then I got involved with the elder’s home … I just was drawn to help even though I was working in the kitchen, [as an] Aid Cook. I always felt drawn to help them [elders] and I didn't know that at first that I wasn’t supposed to help them. But I was wanting to help. I can assist them to walk to the bathroom, assist them to get up on their chair, assist them to … just assisting them. One of my friends Monica encouraged me to do a PSW.” Dora was concerned and was worried about getting involved in the program, but Monica encouraged Dora and says, ‘you would be good at it’ so Dora says that she, “I stepped into the role.”
Dora was always drawn to the profession and says, “I was always wanting to help, volunteer here, volunteering there, not really feeling a fulfillment in [other] … role[s] in my life. Stepping into the role of a PSW … it was kind of intimidating but my friend here Monica really encouraged me and says, ‘you can do it, you can do it.’” Monica says to Dora, this is ‘where you belonged and Dora says: “Yah, where I belonged.” Reflecting back Dora says, “I’ve been at it for … 13 years … before I went into … the schooling.
Engagement.
Dora decided to enroll in the program and says that the PSW program “came up as a … pilot project and [the college] delivered right away … even though it … wasn’t through our work … and I thought okay, this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna apply for this program. And so I did, and I was doing some 7.5 hour shifts at the time. And we were doing three rotations, there was a day shift, an evening shift and a night shift and then I would exchange with helping the girls with a dayshift so I could be available in the evening for the program. Going to the college at Fort Smith and we were taking evening classes around seven o'clock. And we started like that for a little while because it was available to us … and we called ourselves ‘Groovie Grannies.’” Dora also shares that, “there was other places where we were online taking part … there was a group of six of us in Smith and then there was a group in Hay River of six, we had different little communities all during the same time.” When Dora was asked about her teacher, she says, “She was in Yellowknife.” Dora’s program began before COVID however when COVID restrictions came into effect they impacted Dora’s and her classmates’ learning. Dora says, “So we were doing this for a little while and then COVID hit. So, we had to be six feet distance in our class and then all of a sudden, we couldn't go to classes no more. So, we're started to do the program online [through Zoom and] three different programs online.” Dora says, “It was a struggle because they kept on going into different programs, into the virtual. Teams was the last one we used.”
Dora talks a little about her experiences during COVID and says, “It was all good. I really enjoyed doing that. Because then we can work out of our own homes … we weren't able to be in the class.” Because of poor broadband connections and unstable internet, Dora says, “when you first started it was taking up too much [broadband capacity] … we're getting cut off and … we couldn’t have our faces on[line] … but we could listen and then whenever we had a question we would flash our hand up and then the teacher would say ‘Dora you have a question?’ and then we would be able to partake in the conversation.”
Dora talks about what it was like to learn virtually, she says, “So I could take part on my phone or on the computer and I found it better to be taking part on my phone. Like I could see the video and everything through Teams on my phone, but I found it better to be on my phone because I wasn’t get cutting out, like the internet would get cut out if I was on the computer. Yeah. Because sometimes, you know, when there's too many users … you get cut off. So, my phone would just automatically click into its own … Wi Fi. Yeah, so that was good, and the thing too was that we can partake anywhere, let's say I was attending my medical appointment and I was assigned to take part in this course. I would be able to take part in the course even though I wasn’t in the community.” Travel for medical appointments sometimes requires people to leave their remote communities, to attend appointments in urban centers. Dora comments about this when talking about the benefits of studying at a distance. Dora says, “And another thing about the program, I was able to … attend appointments, like medical appointments, during a time where I was available”. Dora also adds, “Yeah, that was best. Like even there was at one point where you know, you, you lose family members and you know you talk to your instructors and they give you the support, so you’re going through the situation and the classes are recorded so I was able to go back to a class that has been recorded and listen to it … you can hear your fellow students having conversations. So that was good because it felt like I was right part of it but wasn’t able to input right there. So, three days later, I was able to get back into the course that I missed and then catch up.”
Supportive Relationships.
When Dora was asked about the relationships that helped her to be successful in her program, Dora says, “Relationships with the instructor were really good and my fellow students … I work with a lady named Jane, we worked together for many years and our relationship was always good.” Dora says that Jane was one of the Groovy Grannies. Dora also spoke about the Groovie Grannies and the importance of their connections in the program. Although Dora was able to connect with her cohort in person before the pandemic, she was only able to connect with the other South Slave community cohort online. Dora also credits her mentor Monica and says, “I just wanted to say too that when I started in this position of Care Aide, I was encouraged by Monica, she was my mentor, she is the one that had trained me and I just wanted to put that out there too because without her encouragement I probably would never have stepped into the position.” When Dora was asked if it was hard for her to connect to her instructors at a distance Dora says, “No, it was easy because you could connect with them through the internet or you could give them a phone call.”
Course Content and Resources.
When Dora was asked about course resources and textbooks, Dora says, “Well the class materials, we weren't really getting any of that because it was a pilot project right? So, we were doing all of it online and whatever we needed print out we were able to print it out at the college or at our job, work. And then only in the last part of the course we got our books.” When Dora was asked about where she got her knowledge from the course and what was most helpful for her learning, Dora says, “It was being part of the course, it wasn’t the books.” Dora’s learning came from her experiences, from “where I'm working. I already knew most of this because it was hands-on right? And so going through the course it was it was just like, ‘oh, yeah, oh yeah, yah I did that.’”
Assignments and Assessments.
When Dora was asked about assignments and assessments, she says, “Yes, yes, there was tests.” Dora explains that when COVID hit “we did our tests … we went virtual and we brought the camera into our site, or our home, and we practiced on teddy bears. I had a big stuffy as one of my patients.” Instructors were able to assess Dora virtually, by using a stuffy as a patient; Dora says, “I checked his temperature [and] I checked his vitals.” Dora also talks about her written assignments and says, “we had papers, too, and assignments and tests we do on the computer.” Dora was able to submit assignments through email and Moodle.
Challenges.
When Dora decided to enroll in the program, she says, “We didn't have a manager at the time, we had a supervisor/manager, and I was trying to get into this course. I just didn't have the support. They [administration] were saying I didn’t need it [certification] because I was grandfathered-in and I had nothing to worry about but I really wanted it [to earn the certificate]. [I had] no support and I had to do it on my own.” Dora says, “when it [the program] first started [we had] … 7.5 hours shifts, this was a pilot course. And then all of a sudden in the last edit of the course they said, ‘okay now we have to charge you course fees.’ So, we got in the manager, she’s got control …. the course which was free and then all of a sudden you had to pay for it; it needed like the employers involved. And now it's a thing they [Care Aides] have to get. You have to get their certificate that's like being pushed.”
Dora describes the impact of shift work when she began the program. Dora says, “The eight-hour shifts allowed [me] to be able to [book] time off … [for] this course but after … we turned over to the 12-hour [shifts] … it was harder. I was having to try to do shift exchange for 12 hours and no body wanted to do shift exchange.” Dora talks about what it was like studying at work during a shift and says, “I’m off the hook for an hour so my coworkers didn’t like that … I was able to sit on the computer while they were all working so that caused conflict.” Dora adds, “it was even hard to take the course at our worksite [to] get on the computer [and] to be in session for the one hour or an hour and a half. [I] … wasn't able to do [it] … they emailed me and said that I had to figure out another way to do this course.” Jackie says, “my supervisor/ manager just didn’t support [studying at work] so I had to take leave of my own … to attend the course … but that was just the ending of the course. So, thank God it was not the whole course.” Dora is concerned about other students who are considering enrolling in the program in the future and says, “I don't know how they're going to do it with the 12 hours now.” Monica adds, “So they're not helping people succeed in doing that. It's just another stumbling block because people would just quit, right, and say ‘I can't do it.’”
Monica speaks about program accessibility in relation to students’ literacy limitations and says, “you know, a lot of workers do not have a lot of education, mostly, I would say most of them have neither.” Because of work experience and low literacy, many RCAs and PSWs are grandfathered-in without needing to get certified. Monica says, “But it limits the amount of Indigenous people that can come into the workplace, as the [employment] criteria are now more than doubled.” Monica also adds that for those like Dora that want to earn their certificate, “because you have to have a course if your education was not good, you have to go back to school. There's, there's so many stumbling blocks put in place. So, they [potential students] just say ‘well, I can't [do that], I don't have that, so there's no point,’ and yet they have the heart and soul for the people. They don't have the finances or the resources to do it.” Monica adds, “But it's the education that’s stopping a lot of people. Like, they may be able to learn verbally, but there are certain amount of writing involved and you have to be able to do that part of the job. You need to be able to write it down. You know, it's just it's, it's a cycle because it stops people from succeeding. You know, I see lots of people that don’t have certificates that work circles around people that have certificates, but don't have the heart and soul for residents, you know you’re always going to have a bit of that. So, I've seen all kinds of different ways of mentoring people within the workplace. It's doable. But I don't know how governments would feel about putting the resources there.” Monica suggests that the college could “actually have a course where they help somebody you know, find where they're learning at and help them how they, for example, some of them can't write anything down …. Some people just want to get, get a little bit of education … the shortest route to succeed.” Monica also identifies another critical challenge saying, “Childcare is a huge thing. If you can’t take care of your kids and your family, you can't even think about going on to school, if you do you rely social assistance to survive. It’s not fair ... I've seen it many times.”
One Word to Describe Why You are Successful.
When Dora was asked for one word to describe herself, she says, “I would say ‘resilient.’” Dora explains, “Well I would say, my faith in God [and] help from [my] family and friends to continue, to encourage me. [Dora has a deep appreciation] that the push for where I come from, and [an awareness of] how much more I could do to help people … I am … in a facility that I can help elders; it brings me an honor that I can do that for them at the end of life. [When] you put yourself in that position you can have a friendly face, a helping hand, and a kind heart. You know it's what I would want in my end days … respecting how my grandparents looked after me … and just helping them in the end of [their] life.” Monica also responds and says, “so what can I tell you about this girl in front of me here [is], I can tell you she is one of the most resilient people I know and what strikes me about Dora every time I spend time with her. She teaches me something, she thinks outside the box and her goal is always the best for the residents but that's for the elders … she is [also] learning that looking after herself as well as looking after people, which was hard for people that have been caregivers since they were children, [can be] very hard. You know, and she's taking every course to better yourself.”
Final Thoughts. - Policy Change Impacts on Elders’ Care.
Dora identifies that many of the changes occurred after the policy changes for a 12-hour work shift were implemented, and says, “its almost like with this big change in the 12 hours its almost getting to be institutionalized again. We're no longer working in their home and they're in our workplace.” Prior to the changes, Monica says, “We were a team like that … it felt like a home you know, like family. Like you're playing a card game all together, you're eating together, then you're cooking together, you're playing games together …. now it's everything is on time base and you don’t go by the elders” [preferences and needs]. When comparing practices between the North and southern Canada, Monica also says, “when I started working at the home here, in comparison to the homes down south, there was a huge level of respect for elders.” Part of that difference lies in the attitudes of staff: “We don't live in our work, in our workplace. We work in their home. Right, and that's the difference.” Dora echoes, “we're working in their home, it's not the other way around.” Dora says, “we used to have elders come in, they used to help bake.” Monica adds, “We were just there assisting them [baking] cookies and everything.” Monica says, “We’d hold dances on a Friday night, it was fun” and she adds that it feels like, “we're going backwards.” Monica also shares, “one of the residents thought she was back in the convent, which is residential school. You know because she said, ‘don't smell anything cooking’ … we have the blue bedspreads and white walls, and they paint all the walls white, and they won't give us anything but blue bedspreads. We used to have all colors of bedspreads when I first started there and all the walls were colored. So, like, we've gone backwards.” Monica says, “I'm not sure how I turn that train around … I'm going to be a resident there one day.” Monica reflects on positive aspects of the current working environment and says, “we have a really good resident recreational therapist … [she’s] excellent … she[’s] only one person. She's just a young gal but she's really good and she's got a super kind heart.”
Monica says, “the hands-on people always know best ... they know the needs of the people ... we had a really great team of people [that worked] … double shifts … and ma[d]e sure the family connections were always encouraged and their families were encouraged.” Monica says that their roles are more challenging now because, “here are so many policies and so many rules … [that] some of the families [aren’t able to] step … foot in there [elder’s center] because of the policies.”
Dora shares her thoughts on the impacts of her facility changing from staff working an eight-hour to 12-hour shifts and says, “I realize that as we … did a lot more for them [during] our eight hours shifts. Now that we changed over to the 12-hour shift it’s just not the same. We know less of our elders … we spend less time with our elders, and they’re not getting the top care … With the eight-hour shifts … I was there everyday so I knew what was going on every day. Like they had a bruise on their leg, I would know when that happened. So, with the 12-hour shift I’m off for days and I come back and, you know, the resident’s got a bruise and I don’t even know where that c[a]me from so I have to follow up … we see a lot of this.” Dora adds, “we lose track of elders and what's going on with them.” Dora also says that “The PSW is hands-on care so there is a lot of burnout. Yeah, and it's not just that it's like mental fatigue. You’re not only dealing with your work, you’re dealing with your work, at home life as well, [and] your personal life.”
Monica reflects on her educational experience in the PSW program and says, “I took this course many, many decades ago. And part of that, the biggest impact that course had on me, was communication … it helped me see how I communicated and how others communicate. There's many ways to communicate.” Monica adds that communication has changed and says, “communication is a huge thing within our workplace, but it's always a very top-down kind of communication.” Monica shares that, “LPNs [Licensed Practical Nurses] and RCAs [Registered Care Aides] … work together on the regular bases [but] now we’re divided, totally not grouped together. Now, LPNs only need to know this, and RCA only need to know that, it's not a team effort. Before we used to catch things: we used to catch diseases, we used to catch infections, we used to catch all kinds of things for the residents, cuz we all knew the information.” Dora adds, “We even had housekeeping and kitchen involved in our meetings because we're all serving one party right? We're all serving the elders and how best can we serve them.” Monica adds, “it's totally divided and … not a good thing. It's like [there are] little camps now and it used to be a team, you know.” Monica summarizes, “We are just inundated with hundreds of policy changes since I started there. There's a policy for everything.”
Final Thoughts – Dora’s Continuing Journey.
Dora has successfully completed the PSW certificate and continues to work in the Elders’ Care facility in Fort Smith. Dora says, “Of course I’m glad I did it, [completing the certificate is] a little medal of mine.” Dora also says that she would be able to share her “knowledge [with elders] in acute care [and] to their loved ones in their homes. I would be able to mentor them.” Dora has also identified the importance of other programs she has participated in and says, “I was gonna say that you know the supportive pathways too is, I think is, part of my learning as a PSW, you know, just learning to communicate with the residents or elders … you know in the moment with them, what they’re going through.” Dora also has future aspirations and says, “I also want to acknowledge that if I would go to my community that doesn’t have an elder’s home … I could still help the elders.”](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4707df_56f1e1a3ae4147c19f188b5f32befe2c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_377,h_283,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-place-holder.jpg)
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