David Anjo is a certified teacher and member of Gakino’amaage’s 2026 Teacher Cohort. Before joining Gakino’amaage, David spent more than a decade teaching in Vietnam and has taught in a First Nation since 2021 — Lac Seul First Nation will be his third.
When we spoke with David during Gakino’amaage’s 2026 Summer Enrichment Program, he was just one week away from the move. This fall, he’s teaching art at Obishikokaang Elementary School in Lac Seul, working with students in Grades 1 through 8 — beginning the next chapter for both his career and his family.
David Anjo, a 2026 Gakino’amaage teacher, is joining Obishikokaang Elementary School in Lac Seul First Nation as an art teacher this fall.
For David, the decision to move North wasn’t about finding another teaching position. After the art program at his previous school was eliminated, he and his wife began thinking carefully about what they wanted next. More than anything, they wanted their daughter to experience an education rooted in the land.
“I wanted to give my daughter a good education,” David says. “I wanted my child and my wife to experience an authentic education with land-based teaching. A true education.”
Lac Seul will be the third First Nation where David has taught. After spending more than a decade teaching in Vietnam, he accepted his first position in the North in 2021. While each experience has been different, one thing has remained constant: his belief that every student deserves the opportunity to express themselves through art.
“My opening premise is every child has a story,” he says. “My goal, ambition, and drive is to provide them with the tools to tell it.”
As both an educator and a practicing artist, David sees art as more than a subject. He hopes his classroom will be a place where students feel comfortable exploring new ideas, taking creative risks, and learning from mistakes.
Water rushes over rock in Lac Seul, one of several images David has captured of the landscape since settling into life in the North.
“My students are allowed to make mistakes in my classroom,” he says. “I make mistakes all the time.”
That philosophy is one of the reasons he was excited to learn that Lac Seul has its own kiln.
“As soon as I heard that,” he says. “I knew that they took the arts seriously.”
He’s already thinking about the projects he’ll create with his students, including making paint from blueberries harvested together on the land.
“I can hardly wait to pick blueberries to make paint with my students.”
As he prepares for the school year, David says the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) has strengthened his confidence heading into the move.
“SEP is the best professional development I’ve had,” he says. “The depth of what you’ve provided, and the way you’ve pulled it off, is amazing.”
Originally planned as an in-person gathering, this year’s Program transitioned to a fully virtual format in response to the ongoing wildfire emergency across northwestern Ontario. David says he was impressed not only by the learning itself, but by the commitment of everyone involved in making it possible.
“I told my wife yesterday, ‘You wouldn’t believe the positivity that is brought forward by this organization. They really believe in their work. Their passion is overflowing… and it makes me believe in what I’m doing, too.'”
The shoreline of Lac Seul, calm and quiet — part of the backdrop to David’s new life with his family and classroom.
While some teachers may be feeling nervous before the school year begins, David says that’s not how he feels.
“I know some people are nervous, scared,” he says. “We are excited.”
David, his wife, and their daughter are settling into life in Lac Seul, with their daughter already finding her footing on the land alongside new friends. David’s looking forward to getting to know the school community, learning alongside his students, and helping each one discover new ways to tell their story.
David’s daughter plays along the shore in Lac Seul with a new friend.
Curious what it takes to help a classroom full of students find their own story to tell? Learn more about the journey to teaching in the North and join Gakino’amaage.