Jacobs to lead education

Falen Iakowennaiéwas Jacobs will be at the helm of the Kahnawake Education Center (KEC) going forward, as she prepares to step into the role of director of education starting Monday.

The announcement came yesterday, after news that current director of education Robin Delaronde would be retiring was announced in May.

For the 2024-2025 school year, Jacobs will work directly with Delaronde, who will mentor her throughout the school year in order to best equip her for the road ahead.

“I’m very excited, and I’m just very honoured to have been selected. I do have a lot to learn, but I’m very passionate about education in the community,” Jacobs said. “I’ve dedicated more than half my life towards working with children and youth in Kahnawake and I’m just really looking forward to this new journey. Ensuring that the direction of education remains in the community’s hands and represented by the parents, it’s important to me.”

Delaronde said she’s been delighted with the process of seeking out a new director, and is confident that Jacobs, who is the current associate director of education, is prepared for the role.

“I’m very satisfied and proud of Falen and the choice that we’ve made. I feel a real sense of ease and comfort,” Delaronde said. “I have so much confidence in the fact that she will be leading education, leading our growth, our goals, our mission, and our vision into this new phase of education.”

Jacobs comes to the role with experience in both educational leadership roles and on-the-ground experience. Having worked at Step by Step, the Kahnawake Youth Center, and as a classroom teacher and resource teacher, she said she is well-positioned to understand the unique needs of teachers and students.

“I find that all of these positions have given me a really broad perspective and will really benefit in helping me to make decisions for the entire system moving forward,” she said.

Having completed a four-year teacher training program, Jacobs also holds a master’s degree in educational psychology from McGill University, where she focused on inclusive education. She said that inclusivity within education is a cornerstone of her approach.

“I want to ensure that the diverse needs of our learners in the community are able to be met,” she said. “I’ve worked with students directly with special needs and diverse learning needs, and nobody learns the same. We need to learn how to adapt teaching to meet those needs.”

Jacobs is currently pursuing a second master’s degree at McGill in educational leadership, which she is scheduled to complete in spring 2025. She will finish her final project for that degree while working the new role, a feat she is confident in as she has already been working on her McGill degree part time as associate director.

“This program has been so practical and applicable to supporting my role as associate director where I’ve been supporting leadership within our three schools,” she said. “Some days I would go to school and there are things I’ll learn that I can start incorporating the next day. It’s been invaluable to growing my skills as a leader.”

The Kahnawake Combined School Committee were involved in the hiring process, and chairperson Tahothoratie Cross said he’s confident that Jacobs is the right person for the job.

“One thing that’s really important for us is that our students have a sense of who they are as Kanien’kehá:ka, as Mohawk people. Falen is extremely qualified in helping us continue with the path towards that goal, and in making sure our students have a strong sense of who they are,” he said.

He said the committee is looking forward to the future.

“It’s an exciting day. This isn’t something that happens very often, so it’s a day of pride,” he said. “It’s a lot of hard work to have a process like this, and there’s a lot of thought that goes into it, so it’s exciting to have such a strong team work together and make the best decision for our community.”

Delaronde said that her biggest piece of advice for Jacobs would be to remember why she chose this career path.

“Stay true to why you’re in this position regardless of what challenges or opportunities might come your way,” she said. “Always look and say, ‘Why are we making these decisions, who is it for?’ And always make decisions in the best interest of the children and the community.”

The opening for the KEC associate director role will be posted online in the next week. Whoever takes on that role will work together with Delaronde and Jacobs to lead the KEC next year.

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This article was originally published in print on August 16 in issue 33.33 of The Eastern Door.