We live in an era when many who have never been teachers, such as Arne Duncan and Michael Bloomberg, have assumed positions of authority over educational policy. Certainly it is a great thing that education is an area of intense interest to so many. It is frustrating too, however, that those who lack professional experience so undervalue and disparage the knowledge of classroom practitioners. The two weeks here at the Navajo Lutheran Mission School (NLMS) have impressed upon me how much those who teach children every day know about learning, management, child development, and flexibility than do many of those who sit in judgment of them.
NLMS serves approximately 70 students enrolled in Kindergarten through the sixth grade. We are staying in single-level apartments adjacent to the school. On Monday night after dinner, we spotted a black chicken running around the grounds. We had not seen the black chicken before, and she did not seem at home here at the school. I wonder how Arne or Michael would deal with her? One of the aspects of teaching that many on the outside do not understand is the vast amount of time teachers have to spend dealing with situations that are totally out of their control but which negatively impact the learning environment and must be dealt with before learning can occur. The black chicken represents the unexpected, the unanticipated, and the unplanned for occurrence that occurs multiple times a day. Educational reformers need to beware of the black chicken, since she is not going away.
Being from the Midwest, I had never seen a real sandstorm until today. I had danced to Sandstorm plenty of times, but Friday’s sandstorm was a whole lot different. After spending the day working on science methods with the teachers, at 3:30 p.m. we left for Chinle, a small city about 45 miles south of the school. What to me looked like a thick brown fog reduced visibility substantially, and the mesas on the horizon which we were able to see so clearly the day before looked like dim red shadows in the distance as the swirling sand distorted them. At one point during the drive, the sand was so thick that our visibility was reduced to about 15 feet.
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced ‘duh shay’) was a sight to behold. Many people who have seen both the Grand Canyon and Canyon de Chelly hold the view that Canyon de Chelly is just as aesthetically beautiful, if not more so, than the Grand Canyon. After hiking around the expansive canyon for several hours this weekend, I am not surprised. And what is even better about Canyon de Chelly is that the mainstream tourist crowd has not yet discovered it, leaving it much more pleasant than I imagine the Grand Canyon would have been on an August weekend such as this one. Interestingly, many (if not most) of the tourists staying at our hotel were from European countries.
Behold the beauty of Canyon De Chelly.
Derek, Eileen, Sarah and I had the good fortune to have an amazing Navajo hiking guide Sunday morning. Reavis, 20 years old, reveled us with stories of growing up in Canyon de Chelly, as well as stories of the history, culture, and geology of the land. He showed us hieroglyphs of the ancient people who had lived there thousands of years ago, as well as the ruins of the cliff-dwelling Anasazi indians. At one point during the hike someone asked him about the Navajo creation story, and he proceeded to give our group a 45-minute account of what the Navajos believe. A great storyteller, we were in awe he told us the story that his grandfathers had told him. I have always heard about native Americans and their connection with the land, now I can say that I have seen this philosophy first-hand.
Monday morning and afternoon was a busy time for us as we helped the teachers transform their classrooms from dirty, dusty rooms with clumps of furniture all over the place into something that discerned a classroom. We did everything from moving desks, tables and chairs from one room to another to scrapping the paint off of students’ desks to mopping. Ah yes, the glory work of being a teacher.
This evening, we hiked up a mesa called Rock Point. Rock Point is the highest point of altitude in Rock Point according to Patrick, a Navajo who was on the hike with us. From the front of the mesa it appears nearly impossible to reach Rock Point, since the front of it is basically a cliff on a 90 degree angle. However, our friends knew a back way, which, though it was not necessarily simple, was a way which we could climb the 250 foot peak without rocking climbing equipment. A stray dog and friend of ours, whom we have named “Trouble,” was even able to make the trip with us. Looking down at the world, everything seemed so small. The four mile run that I had done in the morning looked like it had covered hardly any land at all; cars appeared to be driving at a snail’s pace. Rock Point rocks.
Diana had asked me to present on differentiated instruction, so on Thursday I decided to introduce Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences as an introduction to this. Gardner suggests that traditional definitions of intelligence are limited insofar that they fail to recognize the multiplicity of talents and suggests extending those to include other more specific manifestations of intelligence such as verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, bodily/kinesthetic, visual/spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential. Verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical intelligences are those that are traditionally valued by schools, represented by strong reading, writing, analytical, numeracy, and reasoning skills. Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence refers to those who incorporate movement and hands-on experiences into learning, while visual/spatial learners are typically very good at mentally visualizing and manipulating objects. Learners who are musically intelligent display great sensitivity to rhythms, sounds, tones, music, and other auditory stimuli. Interpersonal and intrapersonal learners are those who exhibit high degrees of sensitivity to the moods, motivations, temperaments, and feelings of others or themselves. Naturalistic intelligence encompasses those with great sensitivity to nature and the ability to nurture and grow things, while existential learners display a high degree of skill in reflecting on philosophical questions about life, death, and ultimate realities.
Going over this was good review for our students, who will be student teaching in a matter of weeks. It also, I think, was beneficial for the Navajo teachers, some of whom were unfamiliar with multiple intelligences. Too often schools operate on a deficiency model, where teachers and administrators focus on what students cannot do and try to “fix” them. Gardner opens up a whole new way of looking at students and defining “achievement.” Rather than concentrating solely on what students cannot do, a multiple intelligences approach also explores those areas where students exhibit strength and interest. The Navajo Lutheran Mission School (NLMS), with its emphasis on nurturing ability and sustaining the whole child, is an ideal setting for such an approach. Rather than rewarding just those children who achieve in traditional areas (e.g., verbal/linguistic and logical/mathematical), the theory of multiple intelligences asks teachers and students to identify individual areas of accomplishment and potential needs. Each student possesses all nine intelligences, although one or more is usually dominant. By appreciating his or her own learning profile, each student becomes more accepting of classmates who may struggle in certain areas. When developing a community of learners this is key, as students become more willing to assist others as they understand that they too have areas where they are not as strong. As usual, the Knox students were great in working through this rather theoretical material, and they and the NLMS teachers worked to develop lessons that would incorporate several of the intelligences. More attention was given to naturalistic and interpersonal intelligence than with groups I have worked with before, which was rewarding and exciting.
Knox professors and students with Navajo teachers on naturalistic intelligence.
Derek and I have been trying to learn at least a few words in Navajo while we are here. This has not been an easy task. There is a reason that during WWII Navajos were used as codetalkers, and all that they had to do was speak their native language. Linguistically speaking, many of the sounds have no English equivalents. Nevertheless Derek and I have learned a few key words:
ya’at’eeh – hello. bilagaana – white man. bilasaana – apple. The similarity between these two words might be due to the fact that the white man introduced apples to the Navajos. k’e – kinship. The ‘k’ here is what’s called a guttural sound…good luck pronouncing that one. l\ii- horse. I put a slash between the ‘l’ and the ‘i,’ but that is just because the true notation for this word does not exist in Microsoft word. Also a guttural sound which involves saying the ‘ii’ through your nose and moving your tongue in a way that I can only equate to a slurp.
Impressive that we have learned so quickly, I know. What is not impressive, however, is our pronunciation of the aforementioned words. We have already received numerous laughs from the Navajos, in particular when attempting the word ‘l/ii.’
Today, we had the other teachers and staff over for dinner, as Diana was making a surplus of chicken soup for us to eat. Pauline and Sharon showed Ashley and Eileen (two Knox students) how to make fry bread, a staple food of the Navajo culture. Its ingredients include only flour, baking powder, vegetable oil, and salt.
Sharon shows Sarah the finer points of making frybread.
I inquired to Felicita and Sharon as to the precise importance of fry bread in their culture. This led to an interesting discussion about gender roles in the Navajo Nation. Felicita had the following to say: “It is said that when a boy takes a girl home to his mother, she will judge her skill at making fry-bread. If she makes good fry bread, then she is useful and she should stay. If not, she should go.” Of course this led to an inevitable discussion of the flipside of the coin. Felicita had this to say about boys: “My Grandfather always told me to bring home a man who was strong and wise, and I think this is good advice. A man should be useful and not just sit around the whole day.” Sounds sensible enough to me.
Chatting it up with the teachers.
We continued chatting with the teachers for another half hour or so before they had to leave. We let our curiosity flow, asking them whatever questions came to our minds about Navajo culture. They informed us of many interesting things. For example, it is not bad luck if a black cat crosses your path but it is if a coyote crosses your path, especially if the coyote is traveling north. And you should never point at a rainbow, because that would be extremely bad luck, and would put a slash through the rainbow. I think I’ve done that quite a few times. Whoops. And you must never talk about tornados. Science classes have to get a special dispensation from an elder in order to talk about them in school. Looks like this is going to be a first-hand experience in culturally appropriate teaching. I just hope I don't accidentally reference whirlwinds in class...that could be bad.
One of the coolest things about being here in Navajo Nation is how accepting and tolerant the people here are. As soon as we arrived we were warmly welcomed, and shown our apartments which were already better furnished than we had been previously told and for which we were prepared. After we unpacked and settled in, Mike and I decided to take a walk to survey the exciting new territory. In just minutes a Grand Prix stopped and a Navajo couple (noticing we looked somewhat un-native to the area) asked if we were lost. We assured them that we were alright, and they offered their help if we needed anything. As we thanked them, they invited us to an “esquaria ceremony.” Of course we didn’t know what that even meant, so I abruptly asked what it was. We were told that it was, “you know, boom-boom-boom and dancing! A great time.” Mike and I were flattered, as well as surprised, that these gracious and accepting people were already inviting us to see and participate in their culture. We waved as they drove on, and although we headed back to the apartment and did not attend the ceremony, we were introduced to just how kind the Navajo people really are.
Teaching is always an adventure. There are certain constants that are the same wherever one teaches—learning standards, curriculum, and (most importantly) children. But the Navajo Lutheran Mission School really seeks to nurture a community of learners where all children are valued and where all members of that community, be they administrators, staff, or faculty, play a part in the children’s development. In establishing this sort of a school culture, Felicita and the other teachers have gotten the most fundamental aspect of schooling right. In order for students to learn, they must feel that school is a place where they are valued, safe, and loved. Once this atmosphere has been established, then we can move on to areas where we can determine where the students are academically and how we can best move them forward.
The schoolhouse that is home to NLMS's community of learners.
My initial reaction to the teachers and staff at the Navajo Lutheran Mission School has to do with issues of respect. I tremendously respect them as individuals who are hard working and who happily put in 12-hour days engaging in professional development activities while concurrently setting up their classrooms for the upcoming school year. I respect the loving, nurturing atmosphere that they have established for the children they serve and also for each other. I respect the single-minded devotion to making life better for the children they teach.
I also am very proud and appreciative of the Knox students who have come here with Diana and me to work—Ashley, Carly, Derek, Eileen, Michael, and Sarah. Each of them has prepared binders, lessons, handouts and other materials for the teachers here and presented four hours or more on the materials they worked on. This was all done very professionally and in an engaging and polished manner. What great students we have at Knox, and how proudly they understand the issue of the positive difference the Knox family can make when engaged with the community, whether in Galesburg or elsewhere.
Six Knox College Educational Studies students along with two professors awoke this morning for the first day of two weeks in Rock Point, Navajo Nation, located in the northeastern corner of Arizona. We are working for two weeks with teachers and staff at the Navajo Lutheran Mission School, a K-6 school that serves approximately 70 students. Derek and I slammed down a couple of bowls of toasted oats cereal and a banana each, and headed out of our flat (pictured below) to the schoolhouse, which is located approximately 40 feet from our door. For the first week we are here, we are putting on a summer workshop for the school’s Kindergarten through sixth grade teachers as well as two teacher aides and the bus drivers. Our goal is to provide the teachers with strategies, advice, and activities that will aid them throughout the school year.
We started off the day with some get-to-know-you activities for us and the Navajo schoolteachers. Very quickly I realized that the teachers we were going to be dealing with were part of an extremely tight-knit community who were focused on one goal: giving their children the best education possible in order to create future opportunities for the students and therefore the Navajo community in the future. Even the two bus drivers Yvette and Lenora were present, taking pride in the role that they were playing in helping the students.
The staff of the Navajo Lutheran Mission School that we met today was entirely female. Felicita, a tiny but sharp Navajo woman with two masters degrees, is the principal. Sharon, who has about two years of experience, teaches kindergarten. Lark, who teaches 1st grade, has a plethora of experience teaching at a variety of grade levels. She is the only belagana, or white woman, teaching at the school. Jolene, who teaches 2nd grade, has a year or two of experience teaching. Pauline teaches both 3rd and 4th grade, and as soon as I met her she was proud to tell me that 100% of her 3rd graders met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) last year. The 5th and 6th grade teacher was not yet there today. We were told nonchalantly that she “would probably be here soon.” We initially wondered how a school could still be hiring on the first in-service day, but we would soon learn that the atmosphere here would be much more laid back than the suburban and small-town public school environments to which we have mainly been exposed.
I've decided to put the real world on hold for a couple of years and do something that some say is potentially more life-changing than making the cut for Jersey Shore Season 2: the Peace Corps. I'll be serving in Paraguay as an Early Elementary Education Adviser until May of 2012.
