The President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association is just back from Labrador, where he was able to speak with teachers in the region face-to-face in Nain, Northwest River and Goose Bay.

Labrador has for many years struggled with issues of recruitment and retention.

Trent Langdon says happily, Nain has seen some success in recent months filling teaching vacancies, but he says the challenges remain.

He says Nain is short one teacher, compared to last year when they were short five or six teaching positions, “but the problem is retention.”

He says the reality is, it’s tough to keep teachers in rural and remote locations unless they’re invested in the community. That’s why he’s urging government to start now in fostering an interest in teaching among students in rural and remote communities.

He says you have to invest in students in the community. He suggests that bright young students be supported when they show an interest in teaching.