Getting the feel of things
The drive went by quickly this morning as the three of us spent much of the time entertaining one another with our life stories. I think this will be a great opportunity to get to know the two MIT students who will be teaching at the school with me.
Today I felt much more involved that I did yesterday. I’m still trying to get the hang of things, especially the teaching style of the two or three teachers I have been observing. I was able to spend the morning in a fifth grade math lesson. It is great to be able to observe a completely different math curriculum. The one at the Tribal school is more focused on arithmetic where the one I have been observing for the past few months emphasizes connected math. I guess I had spent so much time with the new math that I almost forgot about the old school style.
My favorite part of the day, so far, is lunch. It’s not only because I’m starving by this point, but also because I enjoy eating with the kids. We get to talk about basketball, the holidays, Bowow (apparently he gets a new girlfriend every month… I never would have thought. Well, okay I’ve never really thought about Bowow at all.), and family. I am enjoying getting to know the students a little bit more every day. Today I had the opportunity to play eye-spy with some of the students. They’re pretty good. ☺
Thursday, January 4, 2007
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
If you're interested...
This is the history of the Coeur d'Alene tribe as told by my mentor. I did my best to record it as accurately as I could.
Coeur d’Alene History
The name the tribe gave themselves was Schee-Chu-Umpsh, which means “the people”. The name Coeur d’Alene was given to the tribal people by French fur traders, meaning “heart of the awl”. An awl is an instrument used to sew that has a hole on the end, kind of like the eye of a needle. The reason for this name is contributed to the fact that the French perceived the tribal members being shrewd traders, so much so that they had a hole in their heart.
Originally there were thirty-two strands of Coeur d’Alene Indians living along the banks of the
Coeur d’Alene river in the Idaho and eastern Washington areas. The discovery of gold and silver in Shoshone County was a pivotal point in the history of the tribe, causing the government to relocate them. They have since been moved away from the river more inland and have become farmers. The largest the clan became was 10,000 people, however smallpox was responsible for reducing the numbers to half its size and it lessened even more with the introduction of influenza and the common cold. Today the tribe has 1,200 registered members.
In the 1800s a Catholic priest, Father Pier Desmet, traveled west with two Iroquois tribal members in order to convert them to Catholicism. The belief was held that if they reached the tribes before other settlers they would avoid battles and unnecessary blood-shed. Though this attempt did not stop the struggle over land it did successfully plant the seeds of Catholicism that are evident in the fact that the majority of the tribe are practicing Catholics. Before Father Pier Desmet found the Coeur d’Alenes Circling Raven, a tribal member, had a dream that men in black came to the camp. On his way across the country he picked up fifteen languages. When Father Pier Desmet arrived the chief’s daughter was sick and the Father’s prayer healed her. This miracle was the beginning of the Coeur d’Alene’s conversion to Catholicism.
As Catholicism became more prominent a mission school was established. At first the school was for primarily boys, but eventually opened up for girls as well. In this school students were punished for speaking the tribal language at all. There was little value placed on the tribal culture, which was exhibited in the time that Priest Carawana (sp?) ordered the group to round up cultural artifacts and burn them right by the school. Due to the view of tribal people in America much of the language and culture of the Coeur d’Alene’s was lost.
My mentor told us that many grandparents in the community do not have a favorable view of the school or education system of the whites. She noted that many people may be bitter but that these people were doing what they thought was right at the time.
Today the Tribal school is open to members and, if there is still space, any one else who desires to attend. This school is well known, in the area, for it’s high scores in math and it competes with public schools in reading scores.
Coeur d’Alene History
The name the tribe gave themselves was Schee-Chu-Umpsh, which means “the people”. The name Coeur d’Alene was given to the tribal people by French fur traders, meaning “heart of the awl”. An awl is an instrument used to sew that has a hole on the end, kind of like the eye of a needle. The reason for this name is contributed to the fact that the French perceived the tribal members being shrewd traders, so much so that they had a hole in their heart.
Originally there were thirty-two strands of Coeur d’Alene Indians living along the banks of the
Coeur d’Alene river in the Idaho and eastern Washington areas. The discovery of gold and silver in Shoshone County was a pivotal point in the history of the tribe, causing the government to relocate them. They have since been moved away from the river more inland and have become farmers. The largest the clan became was 10,000 people, however smallpox was responsible for reducing the numbers to half its size and it lessened even more with the introduction of influenza and the common cold. Today the tribe has 1,200 registered members.In the 1800s a Catholic priest, Father Pier Desmet, traveled west with two Iroquois tribal members in order to convert them to Catholicism. The belief was held that if they reached the tribes before other settlers they would avoid battles and unnecessary blood-shed. Though this attempt did not stop the struggle over land it did successfully plant the seeds of Catholicism that are evident in the fact that the majority of the tribe are practicing Catholics. Before Father Pier Desmet found the Coeur d’Alenes Circling Raven, a tribal member, had a dream that men in black came to the camp. On his way across the country he picked up fifteen languages. When Father Pier Desmet arrived the chief’s daughter was sick and the Father’s prayer healed her. This miracle was the beginning of the Coeur d’Alene’s conversion to Catholicism.
As Catholicism became more prominent a mission school was established. At first the school was for primarily boys, but eventually opened up for girls as well. In this school students were punished for speaking the tribal language at all. There was little value placed on the tribal culture, which was exhibited in the time that Priest Carawana (sp?) ordered the group to round up cultural artifacts and burn them right by the school. Due to the view of tribal people in America much of the language and culture of the Coeur d’Alene’s was lost.
My mentor told us that many grandparents in the community do not have a favorable view of the school or education system of the whites. She noted that many people may be bitter but that these people were doing what they thought was right at the time.
Today the Tribal school is open to members and, if there is still space, any one else who desires to attend. This school is well known, in the area, for it’s high scores in math and it competes with public schools in reading scores.
This is a long way!
A phrase I heard often today on the way to and from the Coeur d'Alene Tribal school. It is true that the we have a long commute every day, however I think it will be worth the experiences this month. :)
It was pouring rain outside this morning as we drove to school. When we arrived I did not see any students and it was very quiet inside the building. In fact, I noticed that the level of noise in the building was very low compared to the school I have been at the past few months. Overall the atmosphere was relaxed, friendly, and respectful. The staff meetings today made me feel as though these people were close and respectful of each other. I noticed this in the way they address topics of discussion. In every instance I saw people did not address topics directly, as I am used to in other situations, rather they were brought up in a more suggestive manner. This seems to reflect their values of respect (of elders, their culture and the culture of others) and acceptance (non-judgment).
During the meeting we were assigned mentors. In specificity I have been assigned to the Math coach, a mentor who is extremely encouraging and helpful. She has made it clear that she is willing to answer any questions I may have as well as share her office with me. She even gave the three of us a brief history of the Coeur d’Alene tribe.
Later in the day I found that that we (Brook, Megan, and I) ) are going to be in the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Newspaper! The newspaper comes out monthly featuring what is happening in the Tribe and any exciting or new things. A lady who is on the tribal counsel interviewed us asking about where we grew up and our first impressions of the school. I always second-guess my answers in these situations: “Did I truly say what I wanted to say?” “How will the interviewer translate what I have said?” “What will the people who read the paper think of what was said?” Anyway, I hope that it turns out alright. :)
Before I came today I kept saying that I didn’t know what to expect and on arrival I realized what I had expected. I did not expect Christianity to be emphasized like it was. The administrator opened up the morning staff meeting with a prayer and the involvement of the church was mentioned several times in the course of our initiation. They even had the Jesus story played out in the Christmas program. I’m sure that it’s not big surprise, then, that the majority of Coeur d’Alenes are practicing Catholics.
I also did not expect the technology to be at the level it was. They have all new eMac computers to work with in their computer room as well as three or four in the other classrooms! It was great to see the resources they have available to them.
Now I am sitting at my house with a cat curled up on my lap, decompressing from the day. I'm excited to see how the rest of the month looks like and I'll do my best to keep you updated.
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