NATIVE AMERICAN STORYTELLER
To be a truly transformative educator; in addition to implementing lessons and activities that meet societal constructs of a traditional education, I must also provide students with a continual practice of navigating and understanding the world around them in a meaningful way. To be strategic in this endeavor, it is imperative that I utilize student understandings and backgrounds to ensure the most positive and relevant impact as possible. Therefore, instead of seeking out opportunities that I find interesting or meaningful within the community, I relied upon classroom discussions and student interests to guide me in the direction of providing truly transformative learning opportunities for my students.
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It was in one of those classroom discussions where I received the idea for this opportunity. When discussing Christopher Columbus and his journey to and discovery of the new world, I asked students if they knew not what, but whom, he discovered. Students were quick to respond with "Indians!" and were able to describe what Columbus might have seen or heard upon arriving on land - much of the same descriptions of Native Americans that I expected and was ready to challenge students on - ideas that came from television and archaic textbooks: all Native Americans were savages who lived in teepees and ate corn. However, the next part of the discussion was what truly shocked me. When I asked about where those Native people are living now, many students immediately looked confused. One brave soul piped up with "wait, they still exist?" It was at that moment - when I looked around the room and all eyes were on me, waiting for my response to that question - that I realized that this cohort of children had experienced an education from kindergarten to fourth grade in which an entire culture of people were erased from society.
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That afternoon, I began planning to provide my students access to a nearby Native American tribe.
See the Lesson Plan below that focuses on specific cultural understandings meant to develop and enhance student connections to this opportunity. The highlighted portion describes these general concepts.
Upon reflection of implementing this opportunity, it is evident that students in this community had not been exposed to societal understandings that I would have assumed represented basic cultural literacy. Due to my planning and implementation of this access opportunity, students now have a much better understanding of the world around them, and of their own role within it.
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Through discussions with students prior to and following this opportunity, a shift in the mindset of this group of children leads me to believe that our future looks bright. My students were able to navigate the ever changing societal factors that are currently in place, and use the background knowledge gained from my implementation of this resource to recalibrate their understanding of our history and the history of other cultures.
When paired with lessons on advocacy and habits of mind, these opportunities for access that my students would not have otherwise had will facilitate their growth into successful, critically thinking, and open minded members of society.
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** All images are available in the public domain **