A career in education means different things to different people. When Bailey McGill speaks about education, it’s clear she’s not talking of lesson plans alone.
She’s talking about healing, community, and responsibility.
A proud member of Timiskaming First Nations, and a graduate of York University’s Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) - Waaban Indigenous Teacher Education program, McGill represents the sort of educator that leads from the front: grounded in lived experienced, guided by community, and deeply committed to change starting in the classroom.
Her path to teaching began not in a lecture hall, but an elementary school classroom.
While studying Social Services at Confederation College, McGill completed a placement at a local school where she was invited to speak with students about her Kokum’s experience at a residential school, using the national education initiative Project of the Heart.
“I completely fell in love with the work,” McGill says. “I was welcomed into classrooms to talk about the history of my Kokum’s residential school.
“And I knew I wanted to continue working in education.”
When she learned about York’s B.Ed Waaban Indigenous Teacher Education program, the fit felt immediate, and so she applied with intention, not just to become a teacher, but to learn within a community that embodied her vision.
“I wanted to learn from Indigenous educators who understood my values,” she says. “I wanted to be surrounded by peers committed to creating meaningful change in classrooms, moving beyond cultural inclusivity toward cultural advocacy and celebration.
“And that’s exactly what I got.”
For McGill, that commitment was on display daily at through the program.
She credits her professors -- Kiera Brandt, Rebecca Beaulne-Stuebing, and Andrew McConnell -- for providing the foundation in both her pedagogy and in her identity as an educator.
“Their dedication to Indigenous-led, community-informed learning, and equity-driven teaching, has helped me thrive in my role as an educator, and truly enjoy the work I am doing.”
Today, McGill teaches at North Easthope Public School with the Avon Maitland District School Board, where her classroom now reflects the values she admired through the program– student-centered learning, cultural safety, and shared knowledge.
“The program better equipped me to deliver meaningful instruction in ways that are both positive and healing,” she says. “I also learned how to find reliable resources that center Indigenous voices, which has shaped how I approach learning and teaching across cultures.”
And perhaps most transformative of all was how Waaban reframed her understanding of just what it means to teach in the first place.
“It helped me understand my role as a facilitator of learning,” she says. “We may enter the profession with excitement about the material we teach, but it is just as important to be equipped to meet students where they are. I am not the sole source of knowledge in the room, and I love that. My job would be very boring if I were.”
That philosophy reflects where education in Ontario is heading, with a strong focus on equity, reconciliation, and student wellbeing.
For McGill, the impact of York’s B.Ed Waaban Indigenous Teacher Education program extends beyond coursework. It’s a lifelong network of support.
“The small class size helped me feel supported through my courses. I am still in contact with my professors, I’m still in a book club with some of my peers from our cohort, and I know there are at least 20 people rooting for me in anything I do.”
To prospective students considering the program, her message is quite simple: “If you are open to it, you can gain so much from this program: spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally.”
Waaban’s vision is realized in educators like Bailey. More than preparing teachers, it builds leaders serious about leading Ontario classrooms with integrity, care, and purpose.
Story by Dennis Bayazitov, special contributing
