NOTE: Issues range from 1996–2006. Contact information in earlier issues could be outdated. For current information, please contact the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, 907-474-1902.
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Inupiaq Regional Report by Elmer Jackson:On April 29, Sue McHenry from the UAF Rural Student Services met with high school seniors who are planning to attend the university in the fall. Our plan was to also talk about American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), but due to time constraints and her flight not arriving on schedule, we were unable to. I met with teachers Tom Cyrus and Ms. Kennedy and made plans to talk to students about AISES. We met with the students on May 3rd. I attended the Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD) bilingual/bicultural curriculum meeting on May 5 & 6. I gave an update on the Alaska RSI project. The curriculum committee reviewed the draft of the philosophy statement for the Inupiaq language and curriculum. The committee also worked on the assessment of Inupiaq language and culture instruction. I made plans to attend the village Project WILD facilitator training, that will be held in Palmer May 30-31. I feel that I will benefit from this facilitator training, especially obtaining information for village science. I've written to Dr. Paul Reichardt, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, UAF to make plans for the Scientists-in-Residence Program to get started next fall when school begins. If there are other scientists or teachers who would like to be involved in the program, please contact me by writing or faxing a message to me at (907) 475-2180. There are probably many of you who have interesting and exciting lesson plans in the natural sciences. I would like to see a collection of plans that involves your students with hands-on activities that may occur during Inupiaq Days at the schools or at the cultural camps. Village science involves teachers and students to study and learn the Inupiat values. When we go fishing or hunting-anything that involves our environment, the students are studying science. Please include the Inupiat words in your plans. If we gather lesson plans that involve the natural sciences, teachers can share them with their students. Let me close with one goal: To collect lesson plans in the natural sciences for the purpose of sharing with teachers and students in all schools. Taikuu. | |
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Inupiaq Regional Report by Elmer Jackson:Camp activities included preparing and setting a net for salmon, building fish racks and cutting and hanging fish to dry. Other activities included survival skills, gun safety, target practice, hiking, storytelling, games, berry picking and prevention activities. The students were also involved in day-to-day chores such as packing water, gathering wood and keeping the camp area clean. Moose hunting season is now open and the caribou are returning to the Kobuk area, so we went boating and hunting for game. The campers also had fun activities and were able to carve, draw and paint in their free time. The Kiana Traditional Council and the Kiana Elders Council thank the volunteers and workers for making the Inupiat Illitqusrait Summer Camp a success. Hopefully, we will have teachers, scientists and Alaska RSI people in future camping sessions. Hint, hint . . . . | |
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Inupiaq Regional Report by Elmer Jackson:On September 6-8, the first American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) teacher liaison meeting was held in Kotzebue. In attendance were liaison teachers from the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, Bering Straits School District and the North Slope Borough School District and Village Science coordinators Kathy Itta of Ilisagvik College, Barrow and Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle of Northwest Campus, Nome. Also in attendance were the Alaska RSI co-directors Ray Barnhardt and Oscar Kawagley, AISES coordinator Claudette Bradley-Kawagley and Scientists-in-Residence coordinator Larry Duffy. School district liaisons are Bernadette Alvanna-Stimpfle of Nome City School District, Kipi Asicksik of Bering Strait School District, Ava Carlson of North Slope Borough School District and Bruce Hemmel of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District. One of our tasks is to start the AISES chapters in schools in the Inupiaq Regions. I contacted three school districts about our intentions. Another task is to get the Scientists-in-Residence program started. Principals and teachers should have received information on the above. Please contact any of the liaison teachers at your school district or me at (907) 475-2257, fax 475-2180, if you would like to be involved in the AISES chapters or the Scientists-in-Residence program. Claudette Bradley-Kawagley can be contacted at (907) 474-5376 and Larry Duffy can be contacted at (907) 474-7525. Tentatively planned for November 7, 8 & 9, is a workshop in Nome to continue our work with AISES and the Scientists-in-Residence program. We invite principals, teachers and other interested people to attend. This is the second year I've been involved with the Northwest Arctic Borough School District's Bilingual/Bicultural Education Program. The Inupiaq Language and Curriculum Committee has been reviewing the purpose and goals of the bilingual program. We are in the process of restating the philosophy statement and have begun developing Inupiaq language objectives for pre-kindergarten through third grades. I plan to invite Kathy Itta and Bernie Alvanna-Stimpfle to attend one of these sessions, hopefully next month. Principals and teachers, please contact us about these worthwhile projects. It will enhance learning and be fun for the students. Taikuu. Elmer takes a break from activities at the September Alaska RSI staff meeting. PHOTO BY AMY VAN HATTEN | |
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Inupiaq Regional Report by Elmer M. Jackson:I will assist in establishing a high school chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) in each of the districts. Through this society, village science applications and careers will be implemented and Alaska Native science fairs will be planned. Involvement of our Elders in the various projects is important. Others include parents, math and science teachers, Native studies teachers and other resource people. We feel that teacher training is critical for the Village Science Initiative. I will be working with Alan Dick and Sidney Stephens of the Alaska Science Consortium to develop a publication for Inupiat Village Science. One of the ideas is to develop the Inupiat village science curriculum-textbooks, workbooks, and teacher guides-for use in the classroom. Elders, teachers and other resource people will be involved in planning and developing the curriculum. Oscar Kawagley stated that "the Yupiaq people are doing science when involved in subsistence activities. So we must utilize the indigenous knowledge in the development of the village science curriculum." On page six of Native Pathways to Education (Dr. Kawagley's book) is a list of indigenous knowledge systems that will be considered in the implementation of the curriculum project. This project will involve the documentation of science used in village life. We will develop ways to utilize the local environment to teach science. One of our benchmarks is to have scientists and practitioners contribute to the educational program at each school in the district, similar to the Artists in Residence program. I will also assist already formed Elders' Councils and help others get started in communities where councils do not already exist. I was born August 11, 1951 at Kiana, located on the Kobuk River. I attended Kiana Elementary, Chemawa Indian School and Hartford High at White River Jct., Vermont. In 1971, after graduating from high school, I attended UAF and received my B.Ed. in elementary education. My first job was as a principal/teacher at Kobuk Northwest Arctic School District. I taught grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 until 1984. After teaching, I worked as a manager for Kiana Traditional Council, Kiana Elders Council Coordinator and Administration for Native Americans Coordinator. I enjoy fishing, hunting and trapping. My favorite hobby is traveling. Questions can be directed to me at P.O. Box 134, Kiana, Alaska 99749. | |
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JOIN A TWO-WEEK TOUR OF MAORI : | |
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Joy Means Being Touched by the Elements of the Earth! by Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley:Think of the time that you were away from the village or the city experiencing the interplay of light, air, snow and soil-just yourself wrapped up in your own thoughts. When first out there, what did you think about? Did your thoughts begin to absorb your immediate environment? What did you begin to notice? Tree, flower, ant, raven, mouse, moss, ptarmigan, ice, stream, hill? Do these things of Mother Earth have a right to be, to have life? Does the tree have a community of life? Yes, it stores water, the roots have bacteria, it nourishes insects, soil, undergrowth, humus-a living community! Does the mouse have a community? It has a house, food storage, spouse, children, connecting tunnels, time for play, protection, shelter-carrying out life as all living creatures do. You see all soil, rivers, mountains, lakes, trees, wolves, bears, amoeba, e. coli, lichen, red squirrels, camp robbers, caigluq, cranberries, salmonberries-they all live with us in a large community. You and I, who go out to be in and with nature, should know how to bond with all forms of life. They have a right to be, to live! All things are like us in many ways-they process energy, grow, reproduce, face dangers and do their best when the conditions of their homes and place are most suited to their needs. To be out in nature is to feel that you are cleansing yourself and getting a joy that can arise from being in touch with natural things, the creations of Ellam Yua. This feeling of family is the most powerful of human bonds! We have to realize that they share our home in the cosmos, eat at our table, share our air and water and play with our children. We are composed of their bodies and they of us. Each of us are here on earth for a very short time. We let others see us for a while then, as other things, we must recycle. We are all related! When we really experience the joy of life we become more polite and kind to all in the vast community. Being with and in nature, we begin to build love and respect for all life. Love is probably the strongest force in our world! Why love? Because love of the world around us causes us to limit the demands we put on Mother Earth, how much we buy and sell, moderating our needs and wants. It is this love that will allow us to give up some things and begin to limit what we have. When we build up this respect, love, kindness and politeness in being with nature, we will not have to rely on alcohol and other things that bend the mind, because we become balanced physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. From such a balance will come joy in life. Have a safe and happy holiday and new year! | |
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Just How Safe is Subsistence Food? by Patricia Longley Cochran:Native scientists and communities will join with researchers in a statewide effort to identify the presence of abnormalities in Alaska's fish and wildlife and share knowledge about the safety of subsistence foods with Native tribes. Patricia Cochran, ANSC's executive director and co-principal investigator of the project, wants villages involved in the research process so they can be active participants in directing the research. Concerns that are a priority to Native communities will be identified at a series of regional meetings to be held throughout Alaska during the next year and at a meeting of Native scientists to be held in March 1998. Studies that document problems in plants or animals may relate issues from the researcher's viewpoint, but that discussion is often not carried through into other research disciplines to examine how these problems affect the health and safety of Native people. Often, the local and traditional knowledge of an area is not included in the discussion. In an Anchorage Daily News article, Cochran said, "Native people are very concerned. We have gotten back responses telling us about the kinds of things they are seeing, from lesions seen in fish livers to differences in the teas people have been picking. There are a lot of things that show some kind of trend. The problem is nobody can say why or what it means." A statewide database containing organic, heavy-metal and radioisotope contaminants data is being prepared from current studies and will be made available in a simple but useful computer database program. For additional information, please contact: Patricia Longley Cochran, Executive Director ANSC UAA-ISER 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, Alaska 99508 Phone: (907)786-7704 Fax: (907)786-7739 Email: anpac1@uaa.alaska.edu | |
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Ka Lamaku Hawaiian Academy by Kamaileula Halualani-Hee:Ka Lamaku means "upright torch, standing beacon,"-a name chosen to signify a strong guiding light that pierces the darkness, bringing wanderers to safety. Ka Lamaku is also an ancient Hawaiian symbol of knowledge. Ka Lamaku Hawaiian Academy is an action research pilot program aimed at meeting Hawaii's educational needs of school-disabled children grades 7-12 on the island of Oahu in the Ko'olau poko and Ko'olau Loa communities. A school-disabled child is one whose maturational and learning differences have been misunderstood and underserved and, consequently, whose personal, social and familial functioning have been so impaired as to render that child unable to perform successfully in a school environment. The students we serve are, because of a myriad of circumstances beyond their control, disadvantaged in many ways. Their academic achievements as well as other skills that create social competencies had, as a result, been seriously and negatively affected. Most of these student's were exhibiting signs of social distress such as flat affect, anti-social attitudes and behaviors, disrespect for authority, irresponsible actions, truancy, school failure and substance abuse. Some were school disabled while others had developed pre-delinquent behaviors and were known to local policemen. They had been described as "throw away kids". Ka Lamaku Hawaiian Academy does not accept such evaluations for these youth. We believe in a new kind of "three Rs": Rescue, Restore and Re-educate. Through deep and constant use of Hawaiian cultural values, Ka Lamaku has impacted the lives of twenty youngsters of mixed Hawaiian ancestry. The program has been open to whomever applied, but those it attracted were all children of part-Hawaiian ancestry who had been struggling unsuccessfully in the state D.O.E. programs. Ka Lamaku is a community-based effort, creating pedagogy that proves effective for children with learning differences. The staff has been involving the children, their parents, kupuna (elder) and other talented members in designing and implementing curriculum modules. Thus the students are in many ways teaching us how to teach them, showing us what works by their enthusiastic response to learning opportunities. They also show us what doesn't work and participate in discussions about how to improve those areas and teaching methods. Several volunteer teachers have come and gone. They proved to be steeped in the Western, textbook pedagogy and when they were unsuccessful and became discouraged, they tended to blame the children for failing to learn when it was they who failed to teach. At present we are applying for federal New Century Public Charter status, however our goal is to one day be Hawaii's first sovereign school. Request for admission is made on a daily basis but, because of severe financial and space restraints, we are unable to accommodate more students at this time. If you or your organization would like to assist Ka Lamaku Hawaiian Academy or would like more information please contact Kamaileula Halualani- Hee at (808) 293-1121 or email kamaileula@aol.com. Our mailing address is PO BOX 693, Hauula, Hawaii 96717. | |
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Keynote Address: To the North Slope Iñupiat Educators' Association Quarterly Membership Meeting, April 24, 1998 by Martha Aiken:Keynote Address: To the North Slope Iñupiat Educators' Association Quarterly Membership Meeting, April 24, 1998 by Martha Aiken On behalf of the North Slope Iñupiat Education Association, welcome everyone. I would address what I say to everyone who is with the educational system of today, and that means everyone! First, I would like to greet all the Iñupiaq language teachers wherever they may be, and encourage them to keep it up. You are very important to us to be leaders of our classrooms. Natives of today are experiencing difficulties concerning our Iñupiaq language, it being the very essence of our Iñupiaq cultural heritage. We claim it as our own and it needs to be utilized at home, school, churches, and at play. We have learned from experience 60 years ago that the Native students were intelligent enough to learn the hardest language in the world to master. But can you imagine how much better it would have been for everyone if those students were allowed to speak their language at home? One thing for sure is the fact that we need to support our present Iñupiaq language teachers. I know we do, but we all need more action to help them to press on more, and replace anyone retiring as soon as they are out. We need to make a combined effort for our leaders and support our bilingual programs within the North Slope Borough School District. As parents, school boards, school advisory committee members and English language teachers, all of us need to have one voice to protect our language at all costs. Today almost all of us, here and there, are involved to make education better for our students and we acknowledge the fact that a child's intelligence is not limited to one language. Parents are learning back their mother tongue with their children. Anyone can become literate in their own language as well as in English, if they are really determined to do so; we've seen proof here in Barrow. We may think it's too late for some-maybe so-but it sure does not hurt to try and try again and again. We should encourage our students to be fluent in two languages. Would it not be wonderful to start speaking in Iñupiaq with that beloved grandmother, who is making every effort to speak to you in her sometimes misunderstood conversations with her grandchildren? The North Slope Borough School District (NSBSD) finally found a way to improve the bilingualism through immersion, but we are watching it teetering because others do not feel our Native language is that important. If we do not do anything and just lay around and watch, what will happen? If we do not fight the never-ending battle, in fact, we may be too late to protect the birthright that our forefathers passed on to us. We have to seek help from all sources and even from our other Alaska Native speakers. We have to seek help from our degreed teachers, lawyers, governments and churches to help us. We also have to educate the outside world on how crucial it is to keep alive our way of life. This is the time to forgive and forget the wrongs of others so they may help us in this important effort, because not everyone is perfect and we will need their wisdom. The language we have been trying to revive for the last 20 years or so is having problems as it is. It scares me like heck when legislative bills start appearing concerning our language, especially about having only the English language to teach in schools. There are other legislative bills that we need the public to understand, because even our own Alaskan neighbors are hinting that bilingualism is just a waste of money. And here it is the very heartbeat of most Alaska Natives. The language we are trying hard to revive for the last 20 years or so will start crumbling unless we make every effort to protect it. But the most important fact we seriously need to ask our school board to do is to employ more fluent speakers to be teacher aides and become Iñupiat teachers. Entice the speakers to join Iñupiat teachers because they sure need help. The school district has to attract more bilingual teachers and aides even if they have to pay them a little more than most employees. We know for a fact that the teacher's aides can take over a certified teacher's classroom, but an Iñupiaq teacher's classroom cannot be taken over by a degreed doctor, unless an Iñupiaq aide helps him or her. Again I encourage everyone to become involved in encouraging young people to keep on keeping on. There are young adults out there. We know we need them desperately to teach our eager-to-learn bilingual students. How many times have your young ones begged you to speak to them only in Iñupiaq? We need to help them learn back their language, and not get mad when some laugh at them. Do not let them forget it was difficult to try to start speaking English too. We, the little Eskimos back 60 years ago, had problems too, as I recall. But we laughed about each other and helped each other to resolve the important situation at that time. Even our peers told on us so we had to suffer the consequences, but we never gave up. English educators say that the English language is the hardest to master, but not for the little Iñupiat. I say there were smart ones and dummies like me-I barely made it to the game activity parties held for the students that did not say ten Iñupiaq words. That was hard for me but my determination pulled me through as did others. Today tables are turned and I want to encourage all the little Iñupiat or Tanik: you can learn to speak our language if you really want to. Lastly, I want to thank the present efforts the school teachers have done for our North Slope Borough School District. Your love for teaching is more valuable than any effort in life. Sometimes you feel "Is it worth it?" It is; you will see enough in just a few years from now when you retire. But right now you have to evaluate the way you teach your students because they are not all little angels. They will remember how you had been when you were their teacher. Seek help from parents when your students are getting out of hand. Don't just listen one-sided ways; recognize those little tykes who are having a difficult time understanding that certain little problem. Once they learn to do it, their appreciation will have a great impact between you and that not-so-smart student. This last comment includes everyone from the certified teachers and aides, to the principals, school board and parents. If you feel you have to leave our schools, do it with pride for all your contributions and involvement with the students, difficult as they may be. Help us help our bilingual programs of today. Share with us what you feel instead of keeping it in yourself. We may be able to help you if you come halfway to meet us. Thank you and may God bless! I leave you with a poem given to me by a friend: Prayer for Teachers Lord, thank you for teachers that have: WISDOM To teach principles as well as facts; COURAGE To stand firm when challenged by parent or child; PERSISTENCE To teach again and again, then again; VISION To know what results will show far down the years; LOVE For the unlovable as well as the lovely child; PATIENCE Lord, patience, forever and unending. -Author Unknown | |
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KIDS 2000 Distance Education Courses:The Professional Education and Training Center at the Univeristy of Alaska Southeast (UAS) is offering KIDS 2000 distance education courses this spring. The courses' focus on standards in math, science and other subjects. Students in the courses will develop standards-based interdisciplinary teaching units to use in their classrooms. The units will be published and shared. These courses would provide an excellent opportunity for Native and non-Native teachers to team up and produce culturally relevant curriculum materials with guidance and college credit available from UAS. The registration deadline for the courses was January 13 but if you want more information call 465-8748. | |
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Kodiak Alutiiq Region Honors local Elder:Native and Rural Programs Support, KIBSD Alutiiq/Unangax Regional Coordinator, AKRSI I had the honor and pleasure of presenting John Pestrikoff’s HAIL award to him during the lunch break at a recent gathering hosted by the Kodiak Area Native Association (KANA). John, or “JP” as he is referred to locally, and his late wife Julia were the Native Educators of the Alutiiq Region’s (NEAR) nomination for this year’s Honoring Alaska’s Indigenous Literature award given each year at the Native Educator’s Conference in Anchorage. Unfortunately JP and his escort, Dennis Knagin, were unable to attend the Anchorage ceremonies due to poor weather. JP and Julia have been instrumental in many projects including a mapping project of the Afognak area and a children’s book, yet unpublished. Throughout their lives they have contributed greatly to the oral histories, genealogy and language documentation of the Kodiak area Alutiiq people. Quyanasinaq (thank you very much) to Afognak Native Corporation (ANC) for responding fully to NEAR’s request for funding to support JP and an escort to attend the Anchorage ceremonies. Though it ended up not being needed, ANC quickly acted to provide plane tickets and per diem! Thank you, also, to KANA staff and board who graciously allowed the award presentation during their strategic planning meeting. This was a wonderful opportunity to share this award among JP’s own people! Thank you especially to JP’s good friend, Dennis Knagin, for his willingness to travel with JP to Anchorage and, instead, taking him to the Buskin River Inn for the local presentation in March. Congratulations JP! John Pestrikoff (pictured) and his late wife, Julia, were honored for their contributions to Alaska Native literature. | |
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Lake and Peninsula School District Liaison by Gregory Anelon, Jr.: | |
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Leadership Institute Enhances Kodiak Village School Programs by Eric Waltenbaugh:This mock board meeting was the culminating experience of an intensive week of leadership training held to bring village high school students together. The week of September 18-22, thirty-one high school students from seven different villages in the Kodiak Island Borough School District flew to the town of Kodiak to attend the 2000 Leadership Institute. Workshops focused on teaching aspects of leadership in an applied manner. There were no lectures. Instead students were immersed in a variety of interactive workshops. They learned Parliamentary Procedure by doing it, explored the concept of leadership by facing numerous challenges as a group, practiced public speaking in a nonthreatening environment, wrote resolutions about issues that affect them and had a chance to present them in a forum that mirrored the real process. In addition, it is expected that students will take some of their resolutions to the Alaska Federation of Natives Youth and Elders Conference to be presented in that real forum. The Leadership Institute was designed to enhance the village school curriculum, to provide age-appropriate interaction among high school students in village sites and to engage students in a real task that leads to personal action and empowerment. The institute was scheduled in advance of the Alaska Federation of Natives Youth and Elders Conference in an effort to help prepare the students for that important event. Numerous community organizations were involved in the planning, development and implementation of the Institute. It brought together members from Native corporations, tribal councils, the borough, the school district, the State Troopers, Toastmasters (a public speaking club), the Alutiiq Museum, Kodiak town teachers and many others. This collaboration from a broad range of community organizations was essential to making the Leadership Institute a success. Funding for the Leadership Institute comes from a three-year Federal Department of Education grant that provides for two immersion institutes per year in addition to supporting the village programs in implementing a model of education that is more culturally sensitive. Village teacher reports after the institute indicate that students are talking about how different this immersion activity was; they are more motivated in their regular classes and they are already asking questions about when the next institute will occur. These types of interactive, personally-relevant and socially-significant immersion activities go a long way in enhancing existing village programs and empowering our rural students. | |
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Learning Dinaxinag (Our Language): : | |
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Learning Put Into Cultural Perspective by William Beans:The first one I would like to describe is the making of a taluyaq, or trap, used for catching black fish, mink, otter or muskrats in the traditional way. The instructor already had straight grain driftwood split into strips for the students. He explained that this wood can be found during the summer when at camp, etc. He explained that not just any wood can be used for this purpose. Students were able to look at and touch the wood as he explained. He described the grain of the wood and how it could bend easily without breaking. The straight grain wood was three and a half to four feet long. The driftwood had to be carved down to approximately one-half inch wide by three-eighths of an inch thick. The instructor then had the students get a feel for the canasuun, or carving tool, by giving them one. He demonstrated how to use it. Then he gave the students scrap wood so they could practice using the tool before they began carving the material for the traps. He explained that it was important for all the strips to be carved down and he told them how many they needed to complete the trap. Once done with the strips, he went on to make the neck of the trap, estimating how big he wanted the trap to be. He made his estimation based on materials at hand. The students carefully observed as he worked on the neck of the trap. He showed them each step of the way how it was to be done. The instructor also had roots of alder trees that he had gathered for tie downs. The roots had been gathered during the summer months from along the river bank. The elder showed in detail the process of putting the trap together, giving the students examples and having them work through the process firsthand step-by-step. With every success he gave them praise, letting them know that they have the ability and skill to make anything that they set out to. The students experienced success with each step they completed and were excited about what they were doing. The trap is considered completed when the apprentices, or students, set the trap and provide a meal for the elder and his family. The apprentice type teaching by the elder works with great success. The next teaching situation I would like to describe is the making of a parka. An elder, in the process of making her own parka, had two young ladies working with her while cutting, measuring and sewing materials. She did not use measuring tape, but rather used herself as a mannequin. She talked her students through the steps, describing how and which cuts and measurements went where. The elder had the students do the actual hands-on as she went about making measurements and cuts. She laid out the materials and explained why certain pieces went where. That is, there are certain patterns on the skins that the maker wants to match up. It is like working a puzzle, by piecing the skins together to get the visual just right. The cutting of the materials has to be just right, so that when the sewing begins the skins will not be lopsided or uneven. The elder got the visual of the pieces together then began the process of cutting. Under her close supervision the students were tasked with helping her cut the materials. As they completed a task, the elder explained the steps to the next one. Parka making involves a number of tasks. The ruff and trimming are added to make the parka complete. Each step involves sewing. The elder continually demonstrated how to do this while explaining the importance of the stitching. With each phase of work, the elder praised each lady's work. The students gained self-confidence as their efforts were acknowledged. The end result was a nice, completed parka for the elder. For the ladies, there was a feeling of accomplishment and a good feeling inside, knowing that the elder would have a parka to keep warm in the cold. The ladies also sensed that they would receive praise from other women about what great skills they possessed for being able to do a good job. In both of the tasks I have described, the teacher/elders showed much patience in working with the students. The frequent encouragement, praise and help they gave along the way kept the students from becoming frustrated, giving up and quitting. Learning the skills became a meaningful, unforgettable and enjoyable experience. In comparing and contrasting these examples to how learning occurs in school, it is to be noted that in the classroom setting this type of teaching and learning very rarely occurs. Why? In the classroom setting, teachers are textbook driven. Lessons are designed in such a way that teachers stick to teaching in a chronological order. Teachers are locked into a method of teaching that goes from addition to calculus, from Columbus to World War II. This method of teaching is very contradictory to the learning and teaching that occurs in our daily lives. The educational system we impose on students is contrary to the methods used by our elders. This puts into perspective why it seems our educational system is not working. In the classroom, our students are not interacting with someone, but rather are taking symbols and numbers and trying to make something of them. In many situations, students get frustrated and angry and as a result, do just enough to get by. In an interactive teaching situation, such as with the elders, students learn what is being taught and they grow through experiencing. The elders gain as they share with and learn from the students with whom they are interacting. In summing up, I would like to say, from the observations made, that we need to step back and look again at the population with whom we are working with. We need to reassess how we can become better educators, using the rich resources available to us, and capitalizing on the elders and what they have to offer. | |
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Learning Styles Grant Summary by Bob Maguire:National research on the effect of learning styles-based teaching has demonstrated that this style of teaching can produce a dramatic increase in student achievement and learning. The training of classroom teachers in how to assess individual students learning styles and, more importantly, how to set up classroom learning environments and develop teaching strategies based on learning styles is very exciting for Interior Alaska school districts. In the AINE Learning Styles grant there will be three "partner teachers" hired to serve as trainers and mentors for other teachers within the two districts. The FNSBSD will have two partner teachers and the YKSD will have one. During the first year of the grant, AINE will advertise and hire one position within YKSD and one position within the FNSBSD. The timeline for hire is second semester of the 2003-04 school year (January-May). These partner teachers will reside in Fairbanks and receive Learning Styles training as well as observing and working in a model Learning Styles classroom in Fairbanks. They will also be extensively involved in the planning of the 2004 Summer Institute on Learning Styles for teachers. Beginning with the second year of the grant, the partner teachers will mentor and work with both the YKSD and FNSBSD teaching staffs on site in their various classroom locations. In addition, the AINE Learning Styles Center grant will contain a curriculum development strand. This will allow for the continuation of culturally-relevant curriculum through the Project AIPA model based on the concept of an Elders academy bringing together certified Native teachers and selected Elders in a camp setting. The certified teachers then develop curriculum units based on their experiences. The potential for educational change throughout these two Interior school districts through the Learning Styles concept is extremely exciting. Anyone wishing further information regarding this new grant can contact Sheila Vent, Learning Styles Center project secretary at (907) 459-2141 or by e-mail: vents@doyon.com. | |
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Leave No Language Behind:Camai, gui ataqa Kuku, nupugpakarpilama quyanakcagyumiamci nupugt'sllunuk mugtamllu unuarpak. Sugpia'ukuk Nanwalegmek nupugcilluki Sugpiat taumi Aluttit. Guangkuta uturpet Sugt'stun. Sungq'rtukut Nanwalegmek ernerpak ililillemta aualarnirt'slluku litnaurwik Sugt'stun. Katia Brewster, Ataka Moonin taumi Guitka Guangkuta Dynamic-kegkut, guangkunuk allu kimnuk, nanluta. Cali tainenguk Nanwalegmek Acuuk Kvasnikoff taumi Qelni Swenning. Sally and Sperry present at the 29th Annual Bilingual Multicultural Education/Equity Conference * Sally Ash teaches in the Nanwalek Sugt'stun Preschool. Sperry Ash received his Bachelor's degree in Education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) in 2002 and is continuing on toward his master's degree from UAF. Camai! My name is Sally Ash. Before I go on I would like to thank you very much for letting us speak here this morning. We are from Nanwalek and we are representing the Sugpiaq people from the Alutiiq-Sugpiaq region. Our Native language is Sugt'stun. There are some people from Nanwalek today that helped us get the immersion program started: Kathy Brewster, Rhoda Moonin and Sperry Ash. We are a dynamic team, not just the two of us, but all of us. Also a couple of people who didn't make it are Natalie Kvasnikoff and Emlie Swenning. I am Sugpiaq-Russian born to Sarjus and Juanita Kvasnikoff. I was born and raised in Nanwalek, which used to be known as English Bay. I didn't realize it but as I was growing up, my village was slowly changing from Sugpiaq to a more Western lifestyle. Forty-five years ago big changes came to Nanwalek-a big BIA school was built. Speaking only Sugt'stun, to me it was exciting, new and bright but the teachers who came were different-frightening, authoritative and appearing superior to my grandparents, aunties and uncles or even my own parents. Our Elders encouraged us to learn as much as we could and to speak English. I was a good learner, always interested about the outside world, as much as any of my peers. The teachers were always promising us great things if we finished school. The Elders wanted us to get an education and get back something that was taken away from us, not to mention the pain and shame they went through for speaking a Native language. They were only trying to protect us from what they went through. It wasn't until I had to go out of the village for high school that I realized what my Elders were talking about. How different the outside world became. I was happy to finally finish school, and then I got married and had kids. I was proudest when our kids were born because I was back in the village and learning once again from my Elders and women in the village about the rules on being a mother and raising a child in the Sugpiaq ways. It was through my children's eyes when I realized the important ingredients needed for life that I had left off in my rush to fit into this world. We moved to Anchorage for a few years when the kids were small. As I attended their parent/teacher conferences, the teachers would always end the meetings telling me how much the kids talked and wrote about the village. That sounded to me like their hearts belonged in the village, so we moved back. When I got the school bilingual instructor job I felt so lucky! What an important job. I didn't know what I was doing but I really took my job seriously. It was only then that I really realized how much of the language was dead and dying in my home and in the Alutiiq-Sugpiaq region. I had always thought our language would be alive and well in Nanwalek, but it seemed in a blink of an eye that only the Elders and a few young adults were speaking the language. This void, this emptiness had come silently, subtly. How did I, a speaker of the language, let this happen? It was through my children's eyes when I realized the important ingredients needed for life that I had left off in my rush to fit into this world. Where did the Elders and I fit in our community and school to pass on our God-given knowledge of culture and language? I tried my best to teach with no real support from anywhere until I finally met Sandra Holmes, to whom I am forever grateful. She literally opened my eyes and ears. She critiqued my classes and helped me understand how I need to teach in order to be effective. She moved and after that I had no real support from the school district. Over the years I came to realize that forty-five minutes a day, five days a week was hardly making a dent in saving our language. At the bilingual conferences I'd hear the bilingual representative from our district talk with the Russians about their school and they sounded like they were really doing good and moving along. Our program was so sad that I started dreaming of an immersion school. With the help and inspiration of individuals from other Native language immersion schools-Dr. Jeff Leer, our main linguist from UAF Alaska Native Language Center; Dr. Roy Itzu-Mitchel; Loddie Jones from Ayaprun Immersion School in Bethel; my husband Marlon and so many others (some of you may be even here today)-we were finally able to see our dream come true. We started our immersion school for our pre-school kids three years ago. Our Nanwalek Village Council sponsored us. With the support of parents and grandparents who could see the erosion of our language and culture and the rate we were losing our Elders, and with financial support from various agencies, we got started. Getting started was both an exciting and frustrating time for us. We just converted everything in the head start preschool curriculum into Sugt'stun. We used traditional songs and made up songs and borrowed from our Yup'ik friends. We wanted to work with our district school but they wouldn't even acknowledge us as a school. I remember when I used to teach as a bilingual teacher my credentials were never questioned-supposedly I knew enough to run the program and have complete responsibility. But when I suggested an immersion program, all of a sudden I knew nothing! They tried to discourage us saying that our kids would get confused in school if we did not teach in English. I did some worrying because my own daughter, Ivana, was one of our first students but the thing that kept me going was "Hey, English is all around us through TV and music and even our own people so it will always be there." I can tell you, Ivana is in the first grade and she is doing just fine and so are the rest of our first immersion graduates. We have the happiest times in our little school when our kids are responding to us or to each other in our language or when parents proudly let us know what they hear or what their kids are bringing home. Nothing in the world can beat that! In the mornings we do regular school work, songs and arts and crafts. Then we have lunch followed by some physical education and some total physical response (TPR) and everything is done in Sugt'stun all day. Our cook, Angun Seville, prepares as much fresh and healthy Native foods as he can. We have a long way to go, but as I look back, I am proud and grateful for our little school, for our Elders who share their knowledge so freely, for the parents who give us their little ones to pass on our language, and as our Yup'ik sister Loddie says, to pass on our inherited gift from our ancestors. When I hear of other villages struggling to keep their language alive, I say, "work harder; this is our opportunity and maybe our only chance." Our wildest dream is to teach a Sugt'stun immersion program from preschool to high school in the school that BIA gave us. We want to be a part of the healing that needs to take place for our lost culture and language. Are we, the Elders in our village, really the people our young kids look up to? We want to be. We should be. We, like any other village or community, want our children to be successful students and young adults. As our Elders say, "Agun'lu Kinautacin-don't forget who you are." We are doing it the best way we know works. I know that when my grandfather said about our language, culture and traditions, "I hope this will go on forever," he meant well. On behalf of all Alaska Native languages that are struggling to survive I urge, "Please don't leave our language behind." Continued by Sperry Ash: Mom just told you her experiences. I would like to discuss some other aspects of our language situation so I want to begin by saying we Sugpiaq/Alutiiq people, especially in the Kenai Peninsula, are minorities in our Native land. I think that is also the case for other Sugpiaqs in their regions-Prince William Sound, Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula. Because of our minority status the use of our language suffers, especially within our educational systems: . We receive no meaningful Native language support from our school districts. . We are not allowed to have an immersion program for K-12 students, even though immersion programs do exist in our very own district for the Russian language. . Our immersion school is not recognized by our school district. . Not once has there been a Sugpiaq representative on any of the various school boards formed to determine education policies for our village. All of these decisions are made for us Sugpiaqs by others. Someone somewhere tells us what's good for us. As many of you are familiar, the history of American education with regard to cultural and language learning, especially in Alaska, is not one to be proud of. The educational flavor of the month is "Leave no child behind." Forgive my negative view, but as far as we can tell this is a new name for doing the same thing they were doing before. All it amounts to is teaching kids to pass some tests. Personally, I think a more appropriate name would be "One size fits all." Whether you agree or not, I can tell you it has not worked well in our village. The truth is we have only two graduates from Nanwalek. That's a pretty bad record. Even though we, in our village, pay the price for this miserable record, we lack the control to try things our way. Everything about the borough school in our village permeates with the attitude "we know what's best for your kids." Immersion is the unmentionable "I" word. This situation makes it very hard to make any progress when it comes to revitalizing our language. With the support of parents and grandparents who could see the erosion of our language and culture and the rate we were losing our Elders, and with financial support from various agencies, we got started. Besides our language we want to teach our kids to be proud of their culture, who they are, to be risk-takers and to have that can-do attitude they will need to solve the problems that they will face later on in life. The reality though is us kids will be just like our parents. We need to see our parents in charge instead of being helpers, having fun speaking their language instead of ashamed to say it in front of the principal, doing something proactive instead of crying or being consumed by anger about the situation and sharing our culture instead of being only observers and consumers of another culture. The struggle we continue to fight against alcoholism and other social diseases is in part a result of not being in control of our lives. These are the things we aim to promote in our school and none of them are on a test. I have heard it said "Your culture is so important . . . don't lose it," but when you try to actually do something then they say "first get your college degree and then we'll talk about it." For example, I took a lot of math in college. I was able to solve quadratic equations long enough to solve a few on a test. But you didn't invite me here to do that. Nobody does and probably never will. All you want to know and many like you is about our language and culture-all of which I could have learned from people who never went to college, maybe not high school or even grade school. My mom never went to college. It is an honor to sit beside her and talk to you about our situation. She, like so many of the parents and elderly in the Sugpiaq region, went through the period as a child when speaking Sugt'stun/Alutiit'stun was shunned, shameful or even forbidden. As children they swallowed this guilt. They held on to it. They also raised their children with it. I see it in the common From Sally & Sperry Ash: We really want to thank the organizers of this bilingual conference for inviting us to speak. We enjoyed the experience and the warm support we received. One of the things we do regret is that we did not adequately thank the many people and organizations that have helped us get to this point. Some of you that we would like to thank are: * Guilia Oliverio, UAF Alaska Native Language Center * Dr. Jeff Leer, UAF Alaska Native Language Center * Jennifer Harris, Chugachmuit * Sherrie Buretta, Chairman, Chugach Alaska Corporation * Teri Schneider, Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative * Staff of Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Immersion School in Bethel * All the parents who sent their kids to our school and Nanwalek IRA Tribal members who supported us * Our corporate donors: Chugach Alaska Corporation, CIRI, English Bay Corp, Rasmusen, DCRA, North Pacific Rim Housing Authority * Many of the staff and management from Chugach Alaska Corporation, Chugachmuit and the Nanwalek IRA Council. We also know that there are probably a few people and organizations who we forgot to mention. Please forgive our omission. There are also many of you out there who may not have time or money but support us in spirit. We thank you all for your support. mannerisms and attitudes towards our Sugpiaq language by this generation. Some still hold on to this. But my mom and a few others finally came to realize that it's okay to be Sugpiaq, Aleut, Alutiiq. It's okay to talk Sugt'stun, Alutiit'stun. Speaking Sugt'stun is not equated with being dumb or slow. Heck, they have two languages in their brains and we only have one. Who's using their brain more? I don't want to leave you with the impression that it has been a one- or two-person show. Many, many people have contributed to the effort of passing on the Sugt'stun language. There are many proactive community members in the village that share the high hopes for Sugt'stun. Just as we have support in the village, we also have support outside of the village. These connections have been equally as vital to the continuation of our efforts. Mom has mentioned a few so I will not run through the names again but I just want to reemphasize that the support we get is truly helpful. Cali, quyana! Unfortunately, we also have people in our small village of 250 and some outside the village who do not see value in teaching our language to future generations and that has been an additional burden to our efforts. Maybe I shouldn't have talked like this; those that are in disagreement with us might not understand what they are doing. Maybe we ourselves don't know what we are doing either. As my departed grandmother taught us many things about prayer, I ask you, the audience, to please pray for all of us. Pray for us and our efforts, that they are pleasing and acceptable to God. There are many more issues that need to be addressed related to language and its continuation, but of course we could not discuss them all in this time. I look forward to hearing from the rest of you and especially what you have to teach and share with us. Quyana. Besides our language we want to teach our kids to be proud of their culture, who they are, to be risk-takers and to have that can-do attitude they will need to solve the problems that they will face later on in life. | |
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Lessons For All Schools by Ray Barnhardt:One avenue AKRSI is contributing to the national agenda on school reform is through the data collection and analysis that we are doing as part of the National Science Foundation's effort to track the impact of the systemic reform strategies that are being funded through its Educational System Reform division. AKRSI is being implemented in all geographic regions of the state and is focused specifically on Alaska Native students in small rural schools. The current reform initiatives encompass 70% of Native students in rural Alaska who are located in 20 rural districts directly involved with AKRSI, most of which serve a student population that is over 90% Alaska Native. Following is a summary of some of the results that we have submitted to NSF as part of our annual report on the impact of the AKRSI. Lessons from Rural Alaska AKRSI is working directly, through MOAs, with 20 of the 48 rural school districts in Alaska. To gauge the impact of the AKRSI initiatives, data comparing the performance of the AKRSI and non-AKRSI schools on measures selected from the DOE summary of school district report cards has been included in the Year Four Annual Report. The data indicates that the cumulative effect of increasing the connections between what students experience in school and what they experience outside school appears to have a significant impact on their academic performance. The initial indicators of the effects of the first three years of implementation of the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative follows: There has been a net gain between AKRSI partner schools over non-AKRSI rural schools in the percentage of students who are in the upper quartile on eigth-grade standardized achievement tests in mathematics. There has also been a corresponding decrease in the percentage of students who are performing in the bottom quartile. Eighth grade mathematics performance. Percentage of students in top quartile on CAT-5. At the eleventh-grade level, AKRSI students are moving out of the lower quartile in math performance at a greater rate than non-AKRSI students, while non-AKRSI students are entering the top quartile at a slower pace than AKRSI students, though both groups are showing signs of improvement. t The student dropout rate for grades 7-12 in AKRSI partner schools declined from a mean of 4.4 in 1995 to 3.5 in 1998, whereas the dropout rate decreased from 2.6 to 2.4 in non-AKRSI rural schools in the same time period. t The number of students enrolled at UA campuses from rural districts involved with AKRSI (20 districts, 133 communities) increased by 21% between 1995 and 1998, while the enrollment of new rural students from non-AKRSI rural districts in Alaska (28 districts, 120 communities) decreased by 7% in the same period. t Of the 12 major math, engineering and science fields of study available at UAF, the percent of Alaska Native student enrollment has increased in seven fields (math, biology, geology, civil engineering, electrical engineering, fisheries, and wildlife biology), stayed the same in two (chemistry and mining engineering) and decreased in three (physics, mechanical engineering and petroleum engineering). It is noteworthy to point out the substantial increase in the enrollment of Alaska Native students in the life/biological science fields (including fisheries and wildlife biology), since that is consistent with the interests shown by younger students as they select topics for developing a project to enter into a science fair. It also reflects strong practical considerations, since the increases in Native enrollments are in those fields for which job opportunities are most likely to be available in rural communities. In addition, these are the majors that are most consistent with the areas of expertise that have been at the heart of the survival of indigenous cultures and traditional knowledge systems. The results of the first three years of AKRSI indicate that the integration of Native knowledge, ways of knowing and world views into all aspects of the educational system can have a significant beneficial impact on the academic performance and aspirations of Alaska Native students. These strategies are now reflected in the Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools, which have attracted interest in rural schools and communities throughout the U.S. as well as in indigenous communities elsewhere in the world. Similar results are being reported from other rural schools around the country participating in the Rural Challenge reform effort, where the community-school link is at the heart of the reform strategy. Reinforcement from the National Level The most recent indication that the results of these large-scale, rural school systemic reform initiatives are beginning to have an impact at the national level is the major policy initiative announced on October 13th by Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education, entitled "Schools as the Centers of Community." Secretary Riley outlined the following points as the focus of this new federal initiative: 1. Citizens need to be more involved and engaged in planning and designing schools. 2. We need to build smaller schools rather than "schools the size of shopping malls." Research supports smaller schools. Rural schools that have resisted consolidation deserve a closer look as a model that all schools should aspire to. 3. We need to build new schools that serve the entire community through multipurpose use at all hours throughout the year. It makes no sense to build costly buildings that are closed for two-thirds of every day and one-quarter of every year. 4. We need to look at every community as a living classroom to help students find new pathways to learning. The "shopping mall" approach to schooling has not produced the academic or economic benefits that its bigger-is-better proponents espoused. Any gains associated with the mega-schools have come at the expense of personalized relationships in the classroom and disassociation from the families and communities being served, both of which are strengths of small rural schools. Rural schools in Alaska have clearly demonstrated that they can provide strong educational programs for the students they serve. Many have begun to close the achievement gap with their urban counterparts. They are doing so with an educational approach that capitalizes on their strength as small scale institutions and on the rich educational opportunities in the surrounding community. While schools in rural Alaska have a long way to go to adequately address the many unique issues they face, the current signs of progress indicate that now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them, as some recent legislative proposals would do. The state has a constitutional responsibility to provide equitable educational opportunities for all its citizens, but that does not mean all schools must look alike or that equity can be achieved with the same levels of funding for each school. Instead, we need to focus on what is working, locally and nationally, and continue to build a strong community-oriented educational system that can accommodate the diverse needs of all segments of the state's population. The return on the state's investment will be many-fold and the lessons we learn along the way will be of benefit, not only to rural schools, but to all schools. Percentage of Alaska Native student enrollments at UAF in math/science majors (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998) | |
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Lessons Learned by Mary Rubadeau:It has been a remarkable and rewarding afternoon, listening to the talented and committed people speaking today. They are giving us their pledge to keep the educational needs of rural Alaska and Alaska Natives at the very center of their decision-making on the statewide scale. I applaud the vision and commitment of everyone in this room and the organizers of this retreat. What we are about today is Alaska Native student success. Twenty years ago my husband, Bob, and I moved from New York to Unalakleet. I was to be the special education teacher for the BIA school there. I had a shiny new degree and was ready to get right in there and "change the world!" But, as happens often in life, things turned out differently than I had planned. And, looking back, I guess you could say that the best part of my "real education" began there on the Bering Sea coast. I want to spend a few minutes telling you about some of my teachers and how they taught me what I needed to know. A few "lessons from the bush." I also want to share a short list of guiding principles I learned from these cultural teachers-a checklist I have used as a quick test for myself to see if an idea meets the high standards of cultural relevance and application. And then I will relate briefly how the Juneau School District responded positively to an Office of Civil Rights complaint and built programs and services to better meet the educational needs of our Alaska Native students. My first teachers in Unalakleet were Thora and Martha-the two oldest women in the village. They waved us over on our first walk through town. Many of you know the kind of wave I mean! With a mischievous twinkle in their eyes and not an ounce of shyness in their direct interrogation, they introduced us to our first important lesson. They asked the important questions first, to put us into a context they could understand with information about the single most important influence on who we were: our families. Where does your family live? Is it a city? Have they been to Alaska? Will they miss you? Brothers? Sisters? Nieces, nephews? Why don't you have any children yet? Over tea they spoke about their own families. It was important that they let us know how their lives had grown in relation to others. So many names! Martha alone had twenty-four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Thora, as a much sought after traditional midwife, had delivered hundreds of babies over her fifty-year vocation. All were "family." In the following years I learned to listen to people as they told me about a child. You know what I mean, "That little Rosie, she is Diane's second girl, fourth baby. Her mother is Elsa, sister to Ruby from Bethel. Baby's father is Clarence. His mother was Ethel and married to the postmaster . . . " I always found within those names the right person to call if Rosie was having a difficult time. They gave me the adult mentor for this child. Just the right advocate in this child's life that would help me see to the child's needs-Lesson Number One. Before we left that first day they pulled me aside and agreed that now that I was in Unalakleet I would have babies. They told me to drink stinkweed tea and sleep with my feet towards the door. Sure enough, both of my children came as naturally into the village as that first conversation with these remarkable women. All of the latest findings in developmental brain research points to the tremendous importance of nurturing, parental involvement and positive stimulation during the earliest years of a baby's life. As a cornerstone of their culture, Alaska Natives understand and reinforce this concept. Children from birth were not left behind. They were brought to every event, every meeting. Their well-being was factored without mention into planning large community gatherings or small groups discussing matters at city hall. Children were not excluded. Their needs were never thought of as separate from the agenda of a meeting. This was Lesson Number Two. As a teacher I watched with interest the keen, but fair, competitiveness of the children. Although setting high goals and meeting the mark was evident in athletics and subsistence activities, it was hard to find the right way to transfer the strategy to the classroom. I asked Thora about how could I get my students to view algebra like a foot race. She sat me down in her kitchen and with all of the great acting ability of an accomplished storyteller, and told me why competition, although sometimes necessary, should always make us laugh, not create winners and losers: Two old women were picking berries on the tundra in their long dresses and their break-up boots. These women had spent their whole lives as friends, gone to school, raised their families, and enjoyed their status as Elders. The picking was good and in the late afternoon they found themselves far away from the village, near a stand of willows. Suddenly a big grizzly bear lumbers out of the trees and spots them. They begin to back away and the bear slowly follows them out across the tundra. The two women turn and run arm in arm across the tough footing of the tundra. Looking back they see that the bear is gaining. Suddenly, one of the ladies sits down on the tundra, kicks off her rubber boots and begins digging in her backpack for her tennis shoes. Her friend is trying to pull her back to her feet as the bear closes the distance. "Hurry up, hurry up," she said. "Those shoes aren't going to help you outrun the bear!" The seated woman ties her last knot and jumps to her feet. "I don't have to outrun the bear," she said with a wink, "I just have to outrun you!" Competition is not the only way to motivate and interest a child in achieving high standards-Lesson Number Three. We need to look to our pockets of excellence in Alaska: There are many exceptional classrooms already in rural and urban Alaska. Classrooms in all of our districts where: * The learning outcomes-the targets for success are clear. * All students find opportunities within the school day to shine. * Teachers have resources-including technology. * There are many ways for students to demonstrate competencies. * There are consistent high expectations for all students. * Highly trained and creative teachers employ a variety of instructional methods to meet diverse learning styles. * The richness of Native language, music and culture is celebrated for its cognitive and spiritual worth. * Parents and caregivers are full participants in the educational plans for their children. * The challenge to all of us as educational leaders is to expand the success of these model classrooms system wide. * The role of parents in a child's education is one of the highest predictors of future success. * All children are special. Each learns in their own unique way. Beware of categories that divert resources from the primary teacher-student relationship. * Community partnerships with business leaders, elected officials, parents and family service agencies strengthen an educational system. * Keep what is best for children and learning at the very center of your agenda. Put bargaining units, facility needs and grant criteria secondary to designing an educational program to meet each child's needs. * Schools are a community asset to be used to assist children and families. Mental health counseling, family support services, before and after school programs, structured recreational activities and adult learning opportunities all belong within the walls of a school. * A positive and safe school climate where respect is a core value that is reinforced at every opportunity. I'd also like to share a few stories from Juneau. There are 1,150 Alaska Native students in the Juneau Schools, approximately 20% of the student population. When I went to Juneau in 1994, there was a complaint against the district from the Office of Civil Rights regarding the over-identification of Native students in special education. This was a national problem that was very real in the Juneau School District and it was not clear how to resolve it. If we decertified children from eligibility, then funding and services would be cut. Many Alaska Native leaders, parents, specialists, teachers and even administrators become students of the problem. We networked with national experts and read and thought and talked and listened to each other. Today we can't claim that the issue is resolved, but we have new strategies that work far better to serve kids and families while placing a high value on cultural influences on learning. Those strategies include: 3 cultural interviews, 3 new assessments, 3 intervention teams and 3 a long term plan for staff development on equity and multicultural issues. We have also developed a vision for identifying Alaska Native language and cultural and traditional learning styles as gifts, not handicaps. We have stopped putting bureaucratic labels of "communication disordered" and "learning disabled" on kids, and have taken administrative and paperwork time and used it to better serve them. In the past year, the district has worked with Native leaders to develop a Tlingit Language Plan. Juneau is making a commitment to blending the traditional language and cultural history within multiple aspects of the curriculum, not simply creating a separate class that must compete for limited resources. We have a cadre of teachers who have made a commitment to be our anchor team to kindle this fire that we know will take years of resolve to flourish. But it does feel good to be taking action on this critical issue instead of just talking and wringing our hands! The actions we have taken in Juneau have one common goal-to increase the achievement and success of Native students. We've worked towards this goal on many fronts: new alternative programs, more classroom options, summer school, tutorials, an Early Scholars and Elders-in-the-Schools program and a partnership with Headstart to serve 20 additional Native children and families in a new site in one of our schools. We are making progress, but again these actions require long-term commitment. We have much to learn from each other. I feel privileged today to share some of my reflections and experiences with you. My vision for the future is an individualized learning plan for every child-a blueprint for learning. My future has students demonstrating their competencies in a project-based format. Each student will have a portfolio of their educational products that show their abilities and work. My future for education includes a positive adult mentor for each student. No child can have too many people interested in their well-being and development and every child deserves a mentor and advocate. I look forward to building on the many other lessons handed down from Thora and Martha. I am excited about listening and learning from all of you over the next two days. Thank you for hosting this retreat. Thanks to all of you for being here. It will take every ounce of our leadership, vision and resolve to make sure that all of the children in Alaska have not only the opportunity to dream big dreams, but also the skills to make them come true. Thank you, Quyana, Gunalcheesh | |
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Linking Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems in Education by Ray Barnhardt:We began the colloquium with presentations and discussion regarding the experiences gained from several of the Elders' academies and science camps that were held around the state this past summer and fall. Reports were presented on the Old Minto Cultural Camp, the AINE Academy of Elders, the ANSWER Camp in Galena, the AISES Science Camps in Fairbanks and Afognak, Camp WATER in Southeast Alaska, Camp Qungaayux in Unalaska, and the Alakanuk Cultural Camp that had just been completed the previous week. All of these camps and academies brought together Elders, students, and teachers in various camp settings to focus on learning aspects of both Indigenous and Western knowledge. The presentations set the stage for a more extensive discussion the next day around the reactions of the participants to various issues raised by the camp experiences, with the intent being to develop guidelines for schools on how to get the most educational value out of traditional camps as learning environments. Alan Dick is now preparing a draft Science Camp Handbook, which will be distributed in draft form for review and feedback, and then published for general distribution to schools throughout the state. A copy will also be posted for access on the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website at: http://www.ankn.uaf.edu. We also invited those colloquium participants who could stay on for another day to join an on-going working group that Peggy Cowan has been convening to develop culturally-appropriate measures for determining how well students at various levels have learned the knowledge and skills associated with the Alaska Science Content Standards. The results of this work will be made available to schools by the Alaska Department of Education as part of the state's Quality Schools Initiative. We wish to express our appreciation to all the people who helped organize and participated in the colloquium. It was a mind-stretching exercise from which we will all benefit. | |
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