From Nepal to Lethbridge: Saajan Sapkota's path back to teaching

When Saajan Sapkota moved to Canada from Nepal in 2018, his path forward in his new home wasn't immediately clear.

"I didn't really know what I wanted to do," says Sapkota, who moved to Lethbridge to be with his wife. "I was a teacher back home, and I kind of wanted to teach here, but I wasn't really sure how to go for it."

He decided to start at Lethbridge Polytechnic, completing the Child and Youth Care program there before getting a job as an educational assistant, first for an individual school and then for Lethbridge School Division.

"I was working for all 24 schools in Lethbridge as a student support worker, basically working with immigrant students in the schools," he says.

"I loved that, it was great because you're working with different people, you get to hear their experiences. I may not have been through the life experiences that they had been through, but coming to Lethbridge and starting a whole new life, I could relate to that."

Sapkota says working with the teachers and students reaffirmed his love of teaching; a passion that he developed at a very young age.

"Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to become a teacher. In the past, in Nepal, teaching was not a very ideal job for a male to have, the teaching profession was more female," he says. "My younger brother wanted to be in the army and my relatives would say I should be like him, but I wanted to be a teacher."

While some future teachers are inspired by positive experiences with their teachers growing up, Sapkota says the opposite was true for him. "I didn't have great teachers growing up, but that motivated me because I wanted to set an example for my students so they would feel like they're supported," he says.

"To me, good teaching is intentional, inclusive and deeply relational. It looks like a classroom where students feel safe, respected and valued, and where learning is designed with students' strengths, needs and identities in mind. Good teaching is not just about delivering content, but about creating meaningful learning experiences that help students think critically, build confidence and see themselves as capable learners."

With different rules to qualify as a teacher in Nepal, Sapkota began teaching elementary school before he turned 17. He would go on to also teach in middle and high schools, before moving to Canada after more than seven years of teaching.

He says his prior teaching experience in Nepal was valuable in developing classroom confidence, adaptability and a strong sense of responsibility towards his students, but his time at ULethbridge – particularly out in the field – has taken his teaching to the next level.

"My practicum experiences deepened my understanding of student-centred pedagogy, inclusive education and intentional lesson design," he says. "My favourite experiences at ULethbridge have been my practicum experiences, particularly the opportunity to work directly with students in diverse classroom settings. Being in classrooms allowed me to connect theory to practice and truly understand what it means to be a reflective, student-centred educator." 

Now in his final semester of the Bachelor of Education After Degree program, he says his passion for the profession is as strong as ever, and he would encourage anyone with a similar passion to make the jump.

"We need more teachers. If you are passionate about teaching, if you are that one person that would like to make a difference in students' lives, you should go for it."